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Scholar examines chemistry of happiness at Ramadan Forum

Egyptian scholar Dr Abdul Kafi says the greatness of Islam is that it encourages people to practise the ancient adage ‘prevention is better than cure’.

Happiness is temporary and an approach that originates from the heart. This was affirmed by eminent Egyptian scholar Dr Sheikh Omar Abdul Kafi, who delivered a lecture on the ‘Chemistry of Happiness’ on Monday night as part of the 13th edition of the Ramadan Forum.

Unconditional faith in Almighty Allah formed the basis of the key messages and inspirational Islamic insights brought to light during the 12 multilingual lectures held during the forum. Dr Abdul Kafi asked the audience to define happiness, saying that such a question would generate a variety of answers.

“A patient will answer it by defining happiness as a moment of healing; the debtor will describe it as the moment when he is free from all the debts; and so on. There are many different perceptions of happiness.” However, he said, the greatness of Islam is that it encourages people to practise the ancient adage ‘prevention is better than cure’. “Happiness, as Islam teaches us, is temporary. When the problem you are facing is over, there will be new problems to worry about. Happiness is not an external state but an approach that originates from the heart,” he explained.

Dr Abdul Kafi said the foremost element to consider before looking into the chemistry of happiness is to reconcile with the universe. “First, followers should be certain that everything in this world is driven by the will of Almighty Allah. If you can honour that faith no matter what, you will not have to be afraid of anyone or anything else.”

He said when one’s heart finds a connection with the supreme power, he or she will be in the right position to discover the chemistry of eternal happiness. “True happiness is when a believer knows that in times of troubles, all he/she needs to do is to turn to the Almighty with a prayer. The law of happiness proposes that people focus on achieving the possible rather than spending their energy and resources in concentrating on what they consider impossible.”

Mohammed Al Hashemi, head of the 13th Ramadan Forum’s organising committee, said the forum’s tents in Muhaisnah-2 and Hor Al Anz-2 will continue to host group Iftar gatherings, in addition to daily quizzes and multi-lingual lectures until the end of Ramadan. “Together, the two tents will cater to up to 120,000 construction workers this holy month.”

The 13th annual Ramadan Forum was organised by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation.

The 12-day forum offered an enhanced and bigger agenda of activities and events this year, including educational programmes, training workshops and more.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com