Conceptions of Happiness in Al-Ghazali and Mulla Sadra: A Comparative Philosophical Analysis

Abstract

In Islamic intellectual tradition, discussions on happiness are centered around the concept of Saʿādah, an Arabic term meaning happiness or bliss. However, Saʿādah represents a comprehensive notion of happiness that is significantly different from the narrow and transient idea of happiness found in today’s digitalized consumer culture and techno-materialist paradigm. It includes happiness, prosperity, self-actualization, perfection, contentment, and spiritual fulfillment, and is grounded in ethical, spiritual, and philosophical dimensions. This paper first explores the concept of Saʿādah in detail through the thought of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058–1111). In his view, happiness is a balanced integration of ethical conduct, intellectual development, and spiritual purification, where the refinement of character and closeness to God form the core of human fulfillment. It then examines Mulla Sadra (1572–1641), who develops a metaphysical account of happiness grounded in the soul’s existential journey through the levels of being, ultimately culminating in perfection and unity with the Divine. The paper then offers a comparative analysis of both thinkers, highlighting their shared emphasis on self-knowledge, spiritual development, and divine proximity, while also noting their different methodological approaches—ethical-spiritual in al-Ghazali and ontological-metaphysical in Mulla Sadra. Finally, the study explores the contemporary relevance of Saʿādah by engaging with modern philosophical and psychological discussions on happiness, including positive psychology and critiques of consumer culture. It argues that the Islamic conception of happiness offers a deeper and more sustainable alternative to the superficial and materialistic understanding of well-being in the modern world.

 Keywords: Saʿādah; happiness; al-Ghazali; Mulla Sadra; Islamic philosophy; self-realization; gnosis (maʿrifah); ethics; metaphysics; spiritual fulfillment; comparative philosophy; Islamic intellectual tradition.