People define happiness differently. We know that true happiness is the happiness of the heart. How can we find happiness after despair? Then now, how to build happiness?
Yasmin Mogahed received her B.S. Degree in Psychology and her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After completing her graduate work, she taught Islamic Studies and worked as a writing instructor for Cardinal Stritch University, and a staff columnist for the Islam section of InFocus News. Currently she’s a freelance writer and international speaker. She also hosts Serenity, her show on One Legacy Radio.
This compact book about finding happiness in despair was compiled from most of Ustadha Yasmin Mogahed's lectures. It consists of so many ways of finding happiness that we might mostly knew but has taken for granted because we've seen it only in our own point of views. But we shall change the way we see things through Ustadha's point of views in this book.
I love how compact and easy to read this is because its a compact size book. I've brought this book with me to read while waiting for my 2nd swab test back in May and it speaks to me. Ustadha Yasmin's words calmed me down when I most needed it. Our despair would never end if we don't take control. Not just that, but take control by finding happiness in them.
জীবনের পথে চলতে চলতে কখনো আমরা হারিয়ে যাই, কখনো বা আঘাত প্রাপ্ত হই, কখনো আবার ভেঙে পড়ি, এখন এই ভেঙে পড়া থেকে কীভাবে আবার উঠে দাঁড়াতে পারি, কীভাবে আঘাত সারিয়ে উঠতে পারি এবং কীভাবে হারিয়ে যাওয়া থেকে বাঁচতে পারি তা নিয়েই সংক্ষেপে আলোচনা করা হয়েছে এই বইটিতে।
যখন কারো পা ভেঙে যায় তখন আশেপাশের সবাই তা দেখতে পায় কিন্তু যখন কারো হৃদয় ভাঙ্গে তখন খুব কম মানুষই তা বুঝতে পারে। যার পা ভেঙে যায় তার যেমন চিকিৎসার প্রয়োজন, সে যেমন হুট করেই হাটাচলা করতে পারে না, ঠিক তেমনি যার হৃদয় ভেঙে যায়, হৃদয়ের ক্ষত সারাবার উদ্দেশ্যে তার জন্যও দরকারি হয়ে পড়ে প্রয়োজনীয় পদক্ষেপ নেয়া।
“আই লষ্ট মাই ওয়ে” বইটি মূলত ইয়াসমিন মুজাহিদ রচিত দুটি বই "I lost my way" ও "Shattered Glass" এর অনুদিত রুপ।
যার প্রথম পর্বে আলোচনা করা হয়েছে সেই বিষয়গুলো নিয়ে যা আমাদের ক্ষত হৃদয়ের সুস্থতার পথে অন্তরায় হয়ে দাঁড়ায়, হৃদয়ের ক্ষত আরো বাড়িয়ে দেয় কিংবা সুস্থতাকে পিছিয়ে দেয়, রোগ প্রতিরোধের উপায় প্রভৃতি নিয়ে এবং ভাঙা হৃদয়ের জন্য নসীহত প্রদান করা হয়েছে।
আর দ্বিতীয় পর্বে আমাদেরকে স্মরণ করিয়ে দেয়া হয়েছে, আল্লাহর ওয়াদার কথা- "আল্লাহ কখনোই তার কোনো বান্দাকে সাধ্যের অতিরিক্ত বোঝা চাপিয়ে দেন না", আশার কথা- “আল্লাহ তো সেই মহান সত্তা, যিনি আত তাওয়াব এবং আল আলা। তিনিই তো আর রহমান এবং আর রাহিম। আর তাই তিনিই ক্ষমা করেন, তিনি দয়া করেন, তিনি পাপ মুছে দেন। আর কে আছে তাঁর মতো করে আমাদের এতটা ভালোবাসবে?”, সুখ কি এবং কৃতজ্ঞতার কথা এবং সবশেষে আমরা কেন হারিয়ে যাই... "সূরা তোয়াহাতে বলা আছে যে, যারা আল্লাহর স্মরণ থেকে গাফেল হয়ে যাবে, তাদের জন্য রয়েছে সংকীর্ণ ও দুর্ভোগময় জীবন এবং তারা কিয়ামতের দিন অন্ধ হয়ে পুনরুত্থান করবে। তারা আল্লাহকে জিজ্ঞেস করবে, ‘আমাকে কেন এভাবে অন্ধ করে পুনরুত্থান করা হলো, যেখানে আমরা দুনিয়াতে দেখতে পারতাম?’ এটা দুর্ভাগ্য। তারা মনে করত যে, তারা দেখতে পায়। তারা শুধু তাদের চোখ দিয়েই দেখতে পেত কিন্তু মনের দিক থেকে তারা ছিল একেবারেই অন্ধ। আল্লাহ বলেন, ‘আমার নিদর্শনগুলো তোমার কাছে এসেছিল কিন্তু তুমি সেগুলো ভুলে গিয়েছিলে। এজন্য আজ আমি তোমাদেরকে ভুলে যাব।’ এটা সবচেয়ে ভয়ংকর কথোপকথন। এটাই অন্ধত্ব, যখন আপনি সালাত এবং আল্লাহর স্মরণ থেকে গাফেল হয়ে যাবেন। আল্লাহ বলেন, এটা চোখ নয়, যেটা অন্ধ হয়ে যায়, এটা অন্তর, যেটা বুকের ভেতর থাকে, সেটা অন্ধ হয়ে যায়। সেই অন্ধত্ব আপনাকে আপনার সহজ পথ থেকে ছিটকে ফেলে দেয়। আপনি হারিয়ে যান এবং এভাবেই ঘোর অমানিশা প্রতিফলিত হয় আপনার জীবনে।”
It is one amazing book that I think every single of us would need our own Yasmin Mogahed in our lives.
We have gone through so much setbacks in our lives that many times we think, why those happened to us. And it’s the first thing that Yasmin Mogahed cater in her book. We have so many regrets, but we forgot that regrets are not despair. And she reminds us what make them both differ. It’s amazing that happiness can be achieved only if we change our view of why the despair happen in our lives, and how to not letting them affecting our lives.
And finally, Yasmin Mogahed explained what really is the point of strength that we need to find our happiness. And it’s amazing.
Every single pages. Every single sentences. Every single words.
A very good and short book that covers the promise of Allah and how everything will fall into place, InshaAllah.
I believe this book would be good to those going through a hard time. It is concise and very easy to understand, and good for a beginner level. I particularly enjoyed the conversational tone of the book. It felt casual and easy to digest the mentioned concepts.
Yasmin Mogahed does an excellent job and persuading those reading this book that everything will eventually be okay. I extend this recommendation to anyone facing hardship and struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
My favourite takeaway: “So, surely with hardship comes ease.” [94:5] This doesn’t mean that, after months of hardship, there can be ease. This means that, during those months of hardship, there is something- even one thing- that allows you ease. The one constant I personally can think of is Tawaqqul and prayer. That provides me with a sense of ease in my hardship.
I Lost My Way; this book compiled some of what the author has talked about in her lecture.
A compact and short book that gives you insight on how to 'find' happiness. It taught you first to identify what makes ones really unhappy what the causes are, and then the next shows you what you can really do to achieve happiness in life, especially spiritually.
"We only focus on our physical needs, but what about our spiritual needs?" In this book, we are given a step-by-step guide (all 12) to find our happiness by connecting ourselves to Allah. Really love the book ❤️
"I want you to start to realize that you have control over your thoughts. You cannot necessarily control who knocks on your door. But you control who you open the door to."
My first reaction to this book was disbelief and disapproval as this book is quite expensive in comparison to its small size and thinness. I remember voicing out my disapproval of such pricing to the people around me (shoving the book to their faces to show them) and contemplating if I really should spend this much - and I ended up standing for some time at the bookstore just thinking. I did end up buying this book and gave it a read.
What drove me to purchase the book was due to me being in a hard place of my life and I needed some advice to get me out of this dark place. I hoped Yasmin had the answers I need and give me the consolation I was looking for and the contempt I seek.
Was the purchase worth it? Yes - The book and Yasmin's words did help me during my hard time. I do understand now why this book is as compact as it is. It was indeed a short read - however this shortness served a purpose. It had to be short and beautifully direct to help people-in-need instantly. Think of it this way, people who read this book are those that feel they are drowning or lost or they are falling into a dark hole. When people are in this state, we are racing against time. These people have only a limited time or window of opportunity before they truly give up and rather than making us wait and wait for a sign of escape (finish a whole thick book before reaching the end -point of the book), Yasmin instantly gives us the rope to pull us out from the dark hole. It was simple yet full of golden advices and can be read as many times as we want without it being too much of a hassle.
Yasmin has wrote a popular book titled 'Reclaim your heart' and I noticed that there are some repetitions of what she has said there and here and I think this is a challenge for authors of healing books like these. Their perspective and belief system is set and they will constantly tell you of what they believe - their challenge is to retell you this in multiple creative ways so that you do not feel it is repetitive. Because let us be real, we will get tired of hearing the same thing again and again and the moment we have the slight hint that what we are reading or listening is similar to what we have read before then we will be inclined to steer away so as to not waste time.
Yasmin was able to steer from this challenge of repetition by making this a short book however she did dip her toes into it and that is fine. I do encourage people to give this book a read if they are having a hard time and need to understand why things happen and to reconnect with Allah. She used her own life and experiences to connect to her readers and we all love empathy.
Was the book rightfully priced? No. It would have been alright to reduce the price (not a lot, just a bit) as I still believe it is overpriced. I have read many other good books that are wallet-friendly and a good read. Also this price may be an obstacle for those already having a hard time economically.
The whole content of this book is feeding me like crazy!
I am still able to recall her insightful reflections in her previously published book in 2012, Reclaim Your Heart, and again she sets the bar high by releasing this book alongside with “Shattered Glass: Healing a Broken Heart”.
Let me preface by saying that I am completely stunned by how this book is beautifully crafted with the “return to God” is still the focal theme of the book. The hype around “Yasmin Mogahed collection” has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me eager to take a deep dive and experience it by myself.
This time, what makes this book is kind of unique compared to the previous one is how the author brilliantly delineates a few part of psychology and ends each chapter perfectly with her ideas from the religious perspective.
To summarise, the way we think and act will affect how we perceive this life.
To seek happiness in life, we first must understand how this world works. Life is not always easy and sometimes it can be extremely difficult. However we have been promised by God that all of these are meant to make us stronger and not to destroy us.
Always remember, “God will never burden us beyond what we can bear”.
When a person falls into despair, they have only two choices; to “entertain” their feeling until they feel completely miserable or to divert their way of thinking from “myself ” to God instead. If we choose the former, bear in mind that we are not focusing on what is greater. We fail to acknowledge the mercy of God that is much more greater than our own mistakes and sins. Once we change our focal point to God, everything will become possible.
Our negative thoughts are like an uninvited visitor that keeps on knocking the door of our mind. If we open the door and let it in, we are actually damaging ourselves because once it resides in our mind, it will grow bigger and bigger until at some point, we are being controlled by it.
It is hard to just ignore it as the sound of knocking can be heard every day right? But always remember that we cannot necessary control who is knocking our door but we have control to choose whom we want to invite into our house.
Turning from one page to another, I have to admit that I had an moment of epiphany that brings me to understand a certain ayah in Quran from a different perspective.
The is a principle in the Quran:
“Indeed with difficulty is ease” (Surah Ash Sharh: Verse 5-6)
In every situation, it is never all bad. With one difficulty, Allah gives us many eases. At the same time. Notice here, it is not a word “after”. In this verse Allah says “with”. Meaning that no matter what happens Allah has assured us there will always a solution to one’s problem. I am completely amazed with this statement actually. It feels like as long as we have trust in God, God will never let us down in whatever situation we are experiencing right now.
Overall, I throughly enjoy reading this book. It is hard to put it down when you are totally engage with each chapter of the book.
The only drawback is, it is quite pricey for a paperback book like this with only less than 100 pages. But it is understandable because this book is from an international author. I just wanting it more ! 😂
"Spirituality, our oxygen is the remembrance of Allah. The salah; if a person is not praying, or is not praying regularly, or is not having the remembrance of Allah in their life, it is like he or she is not breathing. That is why they suffer."
"When it comes to spirituality, if someone is not even praying, you cannot talk to them about how to emotionally and psychologically resilient and strong. They are not even breathing"
When I arrived at the chapter about Remembrance of Allah (SWT), the reminder about importance of salah was so strong and on point it torn into my soul. The gems are strong with this one.
Alhamdu Lillah.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
An easy and short read of ways to find happiness after despair.
So many helpful advices that provides internal and external doings. I loved that the author gave an example to each problem. One thing I love are analogies because I'm able to link back to the statement and this book did just that.
The Q&A section was unique and beneficial to those who are going through the same situation. I also liked how dua is emphasised in every section too. It delivers a constant reminder to make dua in both good and bad moments. I particularly enjoyed 'Mindfulness' and 'Remembrance of Allah'!
It’s a very good book for the hopeless, fatigue heart who yearns for healing, hopes against hopes, felicity. It is not specifically be guided from the study view of islamic itself, but psychological aspect as well. The way we think, and the way we act. I agree that kind of combination gives rise to truly well and underway perception. It’s the importance of accepting, then coping with it. Personally, it is not a heavy book to understand, the language used uncomplicated, without high vocabulary. It’s also convenient for those who are thin-book friendly.
A relatively thin book, managed to finished it in less than half day, but so impactful. There are few parts in which I took notes on;
1) How to be happy? 2) Criteria of taubah nasuha 3) Cognitive Attributional Styles (Internal, Stable, Global); no wonder I’ve felt I’ve encounter this term; I came across it while I’m in my psychiatric posting 2 years back.
Thank you Yasmin Mogahed for the insight. Much appreciated and I just knew she has a degree in Psychology! MashaaAllah, may Allah bless :)
A brief summary of crucial basic points, good if you want a quick read to remind yourself again I recommend reading Reclaim Your Heart for more in depth reading on connecting back to Allah
Been in a reading slump the whole week so I decided to pick up this short book about the steps to happiness and it was such a great reminder. We do in charge of our own happiness. All we need to do is to start changing our mindset and remember Who holds those that's beyond our control. May every each of us find happiness in life and hereafter. Aminn.