The Pursuit of Happyness

“There is a paradox at the heart of our lives,” writes Richard Layard, head of the London School of Economics Centre for Economic Performance and member of the British House of Lords. “As Western societies have got richer,” Layard tells us, “their people have become no happier.” Psychologist of happiness David Myers opens his book, The American Paradox, on a Dickensian note: “It is the worst of times, and the best of times.” We owe the “worst of times,” according to Myers, to “radical individualism” and “libertarianism,” both civil and economic. Journalist Gregg Easterbrook puts it this way: “We live in a favored age and do not feel favored." His bestselling book, The Progress Paradox, set out to explain “why capitalism and liberal democracy, both of which justify themselves on the grounds that they produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number, leave so much dissatisfaction in their wake.”

Can Islam address this spiritual crisis in man?

Keynote Speaker

Ustadh Abu 'Aaliyah Surkhil ibn Anwar Sharif has been involved in da'wah and community work over the last 20 years. He has delivered lectures, circles and seminars in various universities, mosques and Islamic centres across the UK and abroad. He has studied under a number scholars, notably Shaykh 'Abdullâh al-Fârisi and Shaykh 'Abdurrahmân al-Luwayhiq. He is currently furthering his studies in Hanbali Fiqh and has translated a number of books from Arabic into English, including Tenets of Faith, The Ideological Attack, Etiquettes of Differing, The Exquisite Pearl, Fadl 'Ilm al-Salaf (Virtue of Knowledge of the Predecessors) of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, and Bidâyat al-Sul fî Tafdîl ar-Rasul (Virtues and Status of the Prophet [pbuh]) of al-'Izz ibn 'Abd as-Salâm. Amongst his regular local community activities he has been the guest of a number shows on Islamic radio stations during Ramadan and is also Director of the Jawziyyah Institute based in London. Currently he teaches and serves as one of the Jumu'ah Khateeb's at Masjid Al-Tawhid in East London.