Happiness through Sacrifice

The idea of sacrificing seems cumbersome. It seems to signify that we have to give something up, usually for something in return. If we get something back, it is considered a worthwhile investment; If we don’t, that sacrifice is deemed a loss. But what if the very intention of sacrificing, without any regard for the outcome, induces contentment and happiness within us?

This is what I learned one fine day. A wise man, looking at my personal turmoil, advised me to sacrifice my personal happiness for the sake of others, especially those closest to me.

When I first heard this advice, I was irritated and agitated. Why should I sacrifice my personal happiness for the sake of others? I questioned myself. Do I not have a right to actuate my free will and enjoy my life? Can not other people seek happiness in my happiness? The questions rang in my heart with a pounding that beset it with intense anxiety.

With these thoughts running amok, I went to a coffee shop to unwind my nerves. The coffee shop was brimming with people. As to be expected on the weekend, I thought. Squinting my eyes, I scanned the shop like a hawk to find a cozy spot to read. A small table in the furthest corner caught my attention. Immediately, I made my way to the table and sat down. A few moments later, I noticed two people approaching me.

“Excuse me, this is our table,” a middle-aged woman, with her husband in tow, pronounced emphatically. I looked up and saw them pointing to a small purse on the table. “See this bag? It is ours.”

Perturbed and peeved, I gawked at them. How idiotic of this couple to think that they can lay claim to a public space by putting a small personal item on it, I thought. I was annoyed. However, I chose to not argue and gave up my seat to them out of courtesy, even though I’d have to stand for a while.

Making peace with my sacrifice, I decided to read while standing. A few minutes later, the lady who had taken my seat called out to me. “Pssh, that table over there is empty,” She pointed at a corner. “You should sit there before anyone else does, ” She added kindly.

Taking my seat at the new table, I marveled at the wisdom shared with me earlier. I gave up my personal happiness of sitting at the coffee table for the sake of two strangers, expecting nothing back. In return, those strangers, appreciating my sacrifice, looked out for me by helping me find another table.

And then, it struck me that God asks us to do the same for His sake:

You will never attain piety until you spend out of what you hold dear, and whatever you may spend of anything, Allah indeed knows it. 

Qur’an 03:92

The willingness to sacrifice the things we hold the dearest for His sake – Isn’t this what the Muslim festival, Eid Al-Adha, symbolizes? And doesn’t God tell us:

… And those who are saved from their own greed—it is they who are the felicitous.

Qur’an 59:09

Awestruck by this realization, I went back home to take heed of the insight. I made the sincere intention to sacrifice what I held the dearest for the sake of others, ready to give up what I wanted so that others could be happy. Over the following days, to my utter astonishment, the personal turmoil completely dissipated as if it had never existed in the first place!

That day, I learned a crucial lesson – Happiness achieved through the very willingness to sacrifice is the sweetest and most satisfying bargain.

Intend to genuinely sacrifice for God’s sake, and God will look out for you. Whatever the outcome, you will find contentment and happiness, knowing that you are doing it for a benevolent cause. The sincere willingness to do it is important. Therefore, set the right intention without expecting anything in return; the outcome — favorable or unfavorable — will (eventually) become pleasing to you.

Ignorance

      We, humans, lead a demeaning life. Life as it so happens is bounded by the things we can and cannot do. The chasm between the two is profound but rarely recognised. We have the tendency to be blissfully ignorant about the things we could accomplish by working hard. Not only do we belittle our own capacity, we strangle anyone else trying to realise their potential. The primal cause of it? Ignorance.

      Contrary to the popular belief “Ignorance is a bliss”, ignorance catalysts ones’ destruction. Most people drown in their delusional ignorance without knowing that their suffering was created by themselves. Ignorance about one’s own potential is the worst of all. Ignoring your potential is insulting yourself in the damnedest way. In this age of information, ignorance is a choice. We ourselves, put our hands over our eyes and weep that it is dark. And we keep treading along the path of darkness for eternity.

       To beat ignorance, one must realise what they can do. Discovering yourself may be the least exuberant of a journey but it is the most rewarding. To achieve happiness, one must be able to realise their potential. It is only by working to the bone that we can lead a satisfactory life. Knowing that we have worked to the best of our abilities help us to come to terms with any kind of loss. There are no regrets. There are no, “If only I had…” excuses. What there is, is a gratifying sense of satisfaction, peace and happiness.

The Gift

What do you think happens when a young woman and her stalker gets onboard a bus? For Rita, surreality ensues as she confronts her stalker…

     Rita was travelling on a bus. She was a feisty woman who had just started pursuing her passion. She was dejected because her critics slammed her performance and called it lacklustre. Their caustic remarks were still ringing in her ears. I gave up my mundane job to pursue my passion and this is how I get rewarded, Rita thought bitterly. She was inadvertently wiping off her tears when she caught a glimpse of her stalker ogling at her.

     Rita marked his presence as an ominous sign. She had clearly repudiated his proposal for a relationship but he still had the gall to stalk her. She was in no mood to confront him so she ignored him the best she could. Just then, the bus took a sharp turn and Rita fell over. The day could not get any worse, she thought. She picked herself up when she noticed that her stalker was standing right in front of her. Rita bristled with anger. Before she could say anything, he held out his tremulous hands. It was a gift-wrapped package. Rita was furious. All she wanted was for the cessation of his incipient love but it only grew further and further. She reprimanded him and hurled the gift out the window. He held his face down and walked away. Rita did not understand why he did not get that she loathed him with all her might.

     All of a sudden, the bus came to a screeching halt. A group of bandits entered the bus. They were heavily armed. They went on a rampage, hurling abuses and threatening everyone to give up their valuables. Rita was frightened. It all seemed unreal to her. One of the bandits eyed her necklace and snatched it away from her. Rita cried out and tried to get her precious necklace back. It was a token of her father’s love and she did not want to give it up. The bandit jostled her down to the ground and started ripping her dress apart. Rita tried wresting away from his clutches but he held her with a fierce grip. The other bandits started leering at her. She closed her eyes and stopped resisting. She was being ashamed publicly. There was nothing she could do. All she could do was hope for a saviour to rescue her from her dire situation.

     Rita heard a loud crack of a skull being smashed. She flew her eyes open and saw her stalker standing up to her. She stared at him. In that instant, she could feel her heart throbbing for her swashbuckling stalker. The other bandits rushed over and started attacking him. He was having a hard time fending them off by himself. Rita implored the others to come to his aid but no one moved a muscle. They were all frightened of being shot. Rita tried helping him but couldn’t do much. And then it happened. The world ceased to exist momentarily as the bullet pierced his heart. The merciless bandit shot again and again until he ran out of bullets.The stalker’s shirt was gleaming with blood. Rita stood transfixed by the scene she witnessed. The bandits scrammed out of the bus, realising their felony.

     Tears started gushing forth as Rita comprehended what transpired. He was still gasping for his life as Rita rushed to his side. She held his face on her lap and as she looked at him, she realised that he wanted to tell something. “Th.. The.. Gi… Gift” is all he could mutter before he faded away into oblivion.

About Me

Do I really need to introduce myself? Like seriously? Do you so badly want to know about me? Yes? Are you sure? Are you really really sure? Aaha! Guess I have no choice…

             Hello, everyone! I go by the name Ilyas Habeeb and I happen to be an eccentric ambivert. My frivolousness knows no bounds and I spend more time daydreaming than getting my ass to move. I may appear to be a lackadaisical schmuck but in hindsight, I am just a sassy shenanigan. I have a proclivity for dreaming big and the flair to achieve it. I love reading random books of all genre. I am passionate about orating and consider myself to be quite adept at it. I once wanted to become a hyper-polyglot and make myself fluent in German, Arabic, Italian, Russian, Chinese, French, Spanish, Japanese. Portuguese, Persian, Sanskrit and Hebrew but I gave up on that cumbersome thought. I like being all alone and conversing in soliloquy. Currently, I am in love with anime and binge-watch them almost on a daily basis. Not that it means anything but I will soon turn 21 in two days. So that’s that.

                 I know the introduction was a cliché. My sincere apologies. So I am on WordPress to share my erratic thoughts with everyone. And once in a while, I’ll indulge the lot of you with my dilettantish short stories. So do look forward to it! Aaaaaand my avocation as a blogger starts as of today! 😀