Happiness from the viewpoint of Ibn Kathīr (1300-1374): Some notes by a Middle Eastern Muslim Scholar

Abstract

In early philosophically oriented societies, happiness was a prominent theme in literature. This article discusses the concept of happiness according to Ibn Kathīr (d. 1374), who was an eminent scholar of Islam. The idea of happiness and how to achieve it is something that has occupied researchers for millennia. They consider happiness to be temporal, conditional and existing outside the human body. According to this view, there is no lasting happiness in the human soul. In contrast, Ibn Kathīr referred to happiness as having a heart filled with faith and behaving in a way that follows religious teachings. By applying qualitative methods, the study found that Ibn Kathīr discusses happiness from the perspective of temporary worldly wealth, for the decline of belief in revelation, and eternal happiness in the hereafter. This paper concludes that the key to being happy in this world and the next is seeking the pleasure of God, and worshipping only Him.