The productive Teen project
One of the options is to see whether the Happy in Islam project can be modified to suit the needs of Malay teenagers. To test this idea, my students prepared a series of videos that document the trials and tribulations of young Malays. Here is the first videoUnderstanding the problem (part 2)
As the above table indicates, this religious picture is part of the picture. However, the 'secular' part is quite similar. The secular belief system is the 'memory' of all the good and bad experiences and how these experiences have been explained by the individual. In practice, the virtue of this model is that highlight that change can occur either by changing the belief system (for example, by learning more about Islam) or by improving the skills / tools so that the individual becomes more effective.
Understanding the problem (part 1)
To appreciate the problem of learned unhappiness, it is necessary to have a model to understand human behaviour. In reading the Islamic literature, two models stand out. First, Fazrul Ismail proposed the PEIS model. This stands for physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. These are the 4 components that form part of a person's behaviour. Fazrul identifies two kinds of people. The Outside-In person is the one that is constantly reacting to outside stimuli. He / she is easily influenced by external factors many of which he / she does not control. Such persons have regular mood swings depending on whether stimuli (relationships, jobs, stock market,....) is going up or down. The Inside-Out person is the one whose inner spiritual core determines how he / she reacts to external stimuli. Typically, when things are going well, this person feels grateful. When things are not going well, this person is patient because he / she knows that after every difficult there is ease (Qur'an, chapter 94). The video below summarizes the inner strength of the Inside-Out person: he / she focuses on what God has given him / her, not on why other people have certain things that they don't have. The Inside-Out person is naturally resilient, optimistic and has hope.Happiness in Islam: Problem definition
Through my literature review, I have come to the conclusion that we know pretty much everything we need to know about happiness. We understand the theory and we know the practice of happiness. Yet, many people are not happy. Why? I found the clue in Nierenberg (1996) "Do it right the first time". He argues - and I agree - that most children have been raised in an environment of "blame and shame" (p.19). This is a recipe for what is known as "learned helplessness" (or to use a new expression, learned unhappiness).
Breakthrough
Over the last few days, I have had a series of intense discussions with Tuan Fazrul Ismail from Total Success Sdn Bhd. When I looked at his model, I realized that there are lots of commonalities between what he is doing and what I am doing, we just arrived at the same conclusions by using different intellectual pathways. With these new insights, pretty much everything falls into place: the Islamic framework for understanding happiness, the western framework for understanding happiness, the data that I have collected so far, why so many Muslims are unhappy and why certain programmes - like the 12-steps programmes pioneered by Alcohol Anonymous - fit so well. Insya Allah, I need a month to let these ideas simmer so that I can express myself in a straight forward, complete and simple way. To use an old expression, I now see the light.
Happiness in the Qur'an
Readers of this blog will know that I am doing two things at the same time: 1) I am collecting data on my students and 2) I am doing a literature review (in fact, I am also publishing as I just recently an article on the Happy in Islam project to a IIUM Journal). Now, my focus has shifted to understanding the concept of Happiness in the Qur'an by listening to the tafsir of Juz Amma at the Bayyinah Institute. It turns out to be very simple. In Surah 93, Allah SWT promises the believers that their lives will be better if they practice Islam seriously. In Surah 94, Allah SWT promises the believers that their lives will be easier if they practice Islam seriously. What else do we want?Collaboration with http://akademisinergi.com.
For several months, I have been discussing a variety of projects with Fazrul Ismail, CEO of http://akademisinergi.com. At this stage, we are trying to modify the Happy in Islam project to help Malaysian teenagers become more productive. Anybody interested in helping out should contact me.The Prophet's SAW softskills and happiness
Summarizing 2,500 years of research about Happiness
I have been reading André Malraux's La Condition Humaine ("The human condition"). I now believe that for the first time since I started this happiness project, I am developing an overall picture of the many questions related to happiness. Let us look at things from the European perspective. The Greek philosophers discussed the nature of happiness several centuries before Jesus Christ. Among the many philosophers, the sophists, the epicurean and the stoics proposed various theories. Most of these theories held that happiness can only be gained by gaining knowledge and leading a virtuous life. After the rise of Christianity, the pursuit of happiness in Europe was heavily influenced by Christian theology. However, this Christian perspective was destroyed by two emerging trends. First, the split between Catholics and Protestants led to two very different interpretation of how the Christian message should be understood. Second, the tension between Christianity and science meant that Europeans had to make several hard choices. At the beginning of the 19th century; the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard summarized these tensions in a series of writings that would lead to the rise of existentialist school, which states that it is necessary to understand the purpose of our existence before we can be happy. The split between Christianity and science was complete when the German philosopher Nietzsche said that "God was dead". By the end of the 19th century, the Europeans were putting their hope in humanism, the notion that human beings can establish their own happiness by figuring things out by themselves. However, the First World War destroyed that European hope in humanism. By the 20th century, European philosophers focused on the human condition. Albert Camus wrote L’Étranger (“The Stranger”), in which he says that life is fundamentally absurd: whatever one does, one is going to die. In La Peste (“The Plague”), Camus concludes that even though life is absurd, the collective struggle to stay alive has a meaning in itself. In parallel to these developments in Europe, the Americans focused on pragmatism and materialism. Pragmatism states that any good idea must have practical benefits. Materialism is the belief that by accumulating wealth, we can be happy. In this light, Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project is a good example of this pragmatic and materialistic culture. It should be noted that due to the influence of European and American ideas in other parts of the world, these ideas have influenced the way the rest of the world – including Muslims – see happiness. Some people in Europe - like Matthieu Ricard - have argued that we have to return to religion to find happiness. Matthieu Ricard became a Buddhist monk. He wrote a book called Plaidoyer pour le bonheur (“Arguing for happiness”). He says that people often try to find external sources of happiness and often fail. Happiness, he argues, is an internal state of mind that allows us to perceive things in a positive state of mind. This internal state of mind requires a rediscovery of religion. What is interesting in my opinion is the idea that happiness is gained by seeking knowledge is something the Greeks understood 2,500 years ago. We forgot that simple but profound wisdom by getting lost in materialism. Some material possession is necessary for a decent standard of living but materialism will never provide individuals with a purpose in life and the knowledge to translate their purpose in life into everyday actions.More about happiness
My literature review of anything linked to happiness. I have been reading some French authors on the subject, but they have nothing much to add. Probably the best synopsis is from a French scientist - Matthieu Ricard - who became a Buddhist monk. He wrote a book called "Plaidoyer pour le bonheur" ("arguing for happiness"). He says that a) Happiness is an internal state of mind that allows us to perceive things in a positive state of mind b) This internal state of mind is only possible if one has knowledge of reality c) This internal state of mind can be destroyed by negative emotions like anger, jealousy and so forth ..... I basically agree with everything Matthieu Ricard writes except that I disagree with his source of knowledge.
The shortest road to happiness
In February 2012, I conducted an experiment with 122 management students at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). At the beginning of the semester, I measured their spiritual intelligence (SI) using an instrument developed by a British psychologist. Throughout the semester, students were asked to listen to listen to at least one religious talk on the Internet. At the end of the semester, they were re-tested. In their end-of-semester, the majority of them reported that their negative behaviour (anger, depression, …) were minimized throughout the semester. Clearly, I collected lots of data. There were 24 items on the questionnaire and all except one improve throughout the semester. One question stood out. It was "My ability to find meaning and purpose in life helps me adapt to stressful situations" In the 1st round, the average was 3.69 / 5. By the end of the semester, it had jumped to 4.16 / 5. Those who have been following this blog will know that happiness is easy when things are going smoothly. But the real test is when you face difficulties. Do you keep your optimistic attitude or do you become a pessimist? Well, it seems that if you listen to Islamic talks on a weekly basis, you will keep a smile on your face. Trying to understand why this was the case, I re-read some books on the purification of the soul (tazkiyah). One book is in English is a compilation of words of wisdom taken from classical Muslim scholars like Ibn Rajab, Ibn Qayyim and Al Ghazali. One statement stood out. It said, "Seeking knowledge is the shortest road to Allah and the Garden. I have modified this statement. After doing this research and collected data from 474 students, I can say that, "Acquiring Islamic knowledge is the straightest road to happiness"
Latest data
Another group of students have finished their Happy in Islam assignments. Overall, I have had 474 students complete these assignments. 76.6% said that they were happied and 3% said that they were more calm. I am trying to see whether the Happy in Islam project can be modified to help develop spiritual values among students in Malaysian secondary schools. I would like to thank En. Fazrul Ismail from Total Success Sdn Bhd who is helping me with this extension of the Happy in Islam project. I am waiting for two colleagues to analyse some quantitative data to validate the qualitative data collected so far.
Summary of the Happiness Project to date
i have recently collected another 41 reports. The total number of respondents so far is 389. The answers so far are: - 74.6% said that they feel happier - 8.7% did not provide a conclusion to their assignment - 5.9% said that the assignment did not make any difference - 4.1% said that they were not sure whether there is any change - 3.1% said that they feel more calm - 3.6% gave a variety of other answers Lets look at the story behind the numbers. A number of students have given me verbal feedback (typically, "I have started praying now", or "I have stopped drinking alcohol" or "I have stopped watching pornography") which they did not write in their reports. I suspect that some students "disguised" their answers for the sake of the grade. However, having read 389 reports, I think I can now distinguish the sincere answers from the politically correct answers. I suspect that the success rate is closer to 60% rather than 75%. However, even the students who did not take the assignment seriously have learned to process of spiritual development. In their future life, insha'Allah, they can still apply what they have learned when their lives become difficult. On a different note, I am now using two psychological instruments to measure the spiritual intelligence before and after the assignment. The data has already been collected but it will take some time to analyse the data. I assume that I will have some more data by June 2012, insha'Allah In terms of the literature review, I think I now understand both the Islamic perspective and the non-Islamic perspective. Since March 2012, I have been visiting schools and talking to young teenagers (15 to 17 years). These discussions gave me hope that the Happiness Project can be modified to help school children answer their spiritual concerns.
Reflecting on Gretchen Rubin's book
I have finished Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project" (Harper Collins). It is impossible to summarise in one paragraph what I feel about the book. Gretchen Rubin spends one year doing a happiness project. She chooses a theme for a specific month and uses goals to explore how to increase her happiness. She reviews her goals everyday before going to sleep. The book has been well researched so there are many insightful and valuable lessons. However, it just seems so much hard-work. Everything is so goal-orientated that it ends up being depressing. So, here is my summary
Western perspective: Happiness is a process which requires constant goal-setting and self-evaluation. The basic assumption is that God does not exist and therefore we need to create our own happiness.
The Islamic perspective: God created us with a purpose. By learning about Islam, we can understand our purpose in life and build a strong and relationship with God, based on gratefulness. One of the benefits is that we develop a sense of contentment (happiness) which arises from the fact that our life is in tune with our real purpose.
Let me make an analogy. In a famous story, a group of people were lost in the jungle. They started going in a direction. Any direction was good enough. But one of them decided to climb a tree to see where they were going. From the top of the tree, he pointed out to the group below that there is a better and safer way. The response from the people below, "It's OK. We are making good progress." That is why Gretchen's book is both fascinating and frustrating. There is a sense of futility because "every way is okay". In reality, there are only two roads. One leads to Paradise and one leads to the other place. Being on the right road is therefore crucial. It is important that the road that leads to Paradise CAN be enjoyable. Although people like to stress on difficult that road is, that is one interpretation. There is another interpretation which states that Muslims can have all the comforts of a modern life while being engaged in ibadah. It is not always about sacrifices. in fact, in one of the most famous hadith, the Prophet SAW said, "Make things easy for people and do not make it difficult. Give people glad news and don't make them run away."
In this project, my conclusion is that 80% of students do benefit from seeking knowledge, getting to know Allah better, understanding al qadar better and re-connecting with the Qur'an by listening to good tafsir. That develops a sweetness of faith which we often call happiness. However, the process of improving yourself is a comfortable process that is done in front of a computer or in group-discussions. And Allah knows best.
Lessons from surah al Inshirah
I know that I often take my literature from non-Muslim sources. This is because I feel that as Muslims, we need to understand any topic fully, by exploring the ideas of Muslims and non-Muslims. At the end of the day though, it is clear that Allah's Word gives us the complete and comprehensive perspective. In the 94th surah of the Qur'an, Allah tells us that He gives us some difficulties but these difficulties will always be followed by ease and that the ease is greater than the difficulty people face. In any case, the difficulty we experience is almost always a way for us to learn from our mistakes and a means for us to increase in our Iman and to get closer to Allah SWT. Anybody who reflects on this surah and relates to his or her experiences will always be able to face difficulties with an optimistic and resilient frame of mind.
Why are Muslims happy?
In previous postings, I have shared the data that I have collected so far. In this posting, I want to re-organize the theory behind the project using the UPM format (understand, predict and modify).In terms of understanding, the theory behind the state of happiness is well documented. I have already quoted the big names - Seligman, Snyder and others - but there are many easy-to-read and fun books like Gretchen's Rubin's "The happiness project." From an Islamic perspective, our understanding is similar but slightly different. First and foremost,we need to build a relationship with Allah by understanding Islam and practicing it. That will give us immediate psychological benefits (i.e. we become happy). However, everybody is different and everybody starts with different levels of iman. The mindset is not to "force" students to cover specific topics but to let them explore whatever topics they are concerned with.
In terms of predicting, I am working with various groups of students. I am now testing their level of spiritual intelligence at the beginning of the semester. I then ask them to do the following exercises:
a) Learn more about Islam by surfing reliable Islamic websites and listening to one Islamic talk a week
b) Re-connect with the Qur'an by listening to some good tafsir of Qur'an
c) Explore the topic of Qada wa Qadar by doing a project paper. This includes trying to count Allah's blessings in one day
d) Getting to know Allah better by exploring His Names and Attributes
At the end of the semester, I measure their spiritual intelligence a second time. Insha'Allah, on average 80% of my students report an improvement of both their iman and their level of happiness. At the moment, my data is qualitative. However, I am shifting towards more quantitative ways of measuring the effect. Generally, the following causal relationship seems to exist: The more people have relevant knowledge about Islam, the happier they are. The happier they are, the easier they can practice Islam.
What do I mean by relevant knowledge? Everybody has problems and we seek the solutions to these problems in Islam. For Muslims going through a divorce, the main answer they want is what is the Islamic position regarding divorce. For parents who have problems with their children, the main thing they want to know is how to educate their children in a manner that is consistent with Islam. For business people, how do they do business and respect Islamic business principles. My research shows that the relevancy of knowledge is critical to help people implement Islam in their lives.
In terms of modifying people's behaviour, it is critical to 'kick-start' two things: i) praying five times a day and ii) seeking more relevant knowledge about Islam. In class, I have the power to give marks so many students are "forced" to start seeking knowledge. However, at the end of the semester, 50% of them continue seeking Islamic knowledge. Outside the classroom, it is more difficult. People generally understand the need to pray but they under-estimate the need to learn more about Islam. They assume that their existing knowledge is good enough. In practice, most people have Islamic knowledge that is too general combined with some serious mis-understandings. Seeking knowledge often involves clarifying the mis-understandings or acquiring knowledge that is more detailed. I am experimenting with Aaron Beck's Cognitive Behaviour Theory (CBT) as a tool to help Muslims who are far away from Islam to start praying and seeking knowledge.
Latest update on the Happy in Islam project
I am presenting an overall summary of this project to date.
The aim of the project is to understand the psychological dynamics that leads to happiness, from an Islamic perspective. This is based on the ayat in the Qur'an that says that 'hearts only find rest by the remembering of Allah.'
The first stage was a literature review of mainly Western psychological theories. This is an on-going effort. I am currently reading Newberg and Waldam (2009) "How God changes your brain", which documents the latest in neuroscience in relation to spirituality and religiosity. Generally though, the conclusion is that the more Muslims know about Islam, the happier they become (no real surprise....)
The second stage was developing and testing intervention techniques. An intervention technique is a documented way of changing people's state in the majority of the cases. Imagine a company that would like to develop a corporate culture that is based on Islamic values. What could we do to help? Well, I would argue that with the intervention techniques below, you could probably influence 80% of your employees .....
The first intervention is to get participants to listen to 1 Islamic talk on the Internet per week for 12 weeks. So far, 348 people have done this exercise:
- 75% says that this helps them to become happier
- 3.4% says that this helps them to become more calm
- 6.6% says that this does not make any difference
The rest gave different answers. So far, I have two lessons learned from this intervention. First, it is essential that participants have some freedom to choose talks that are relevant to them. One sister listen to 12 talks related to wearing the hijab. I was surprised at first, but that is what she needed. Generally, if there are 100 people doing this intervention, everybody needs something unique that reflects their spiritual, emotional and physical development. Second, it is essential that Muslims connect with the Qur'an by listening to good tafsir of those chapters of the Qur'an that they recite in their daily prayers.
The second intervention is to explore the concept of al qadar. Very few people understand in detail what al qadar is about and why it is so important. Typically, people only think of al qadar when something bad happens to them. Yet, in the hadith of Jibrael, the Prophet (SAW) made it clear that Muslims had to, "believe in al qadar, the good and the bad". This intervention combines doing a project paper on al qadar with an attempt of counting Allah's blessings in a typical day. So far, only 99 students did this intervention. The data though is as follows:
- 76% said that before doing this assignment, they didn't really understand the details of believing in al qadar
- 76% said that as a consequences of doing this assignment, they are better at handling problems compared to before
- 91% said that counting Allah's blessings really helped them to flip problems
With my students in organisational behaviour, I am now exploring ways to create a 3rd intervention technique. I have some ideas but I want to test them before I discuss them in this blog. I am also testing whether a greater understanding of Islamic principles enables employees to become better employees .... but I will talk about that later.
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