Muhammad Abdul Hayee Nasir, Jamia Ahmadiyya International, Ghana
Did you know that the secret to living a longer, healthier and a more peaceful life is not as complicated as you might think it is? The secret is not entirely about making complicated diet plans, or going to the gym regularly, or just generally following routines which are difficult to maintain. Every now and then, the real change comes with things that are easy and more natural.
A smile.
Yes! You read that correctly, a smile. There is a lot of research which has proven that when you smile, it helps in reducing stress levels, blood pressure levels and most essentially uplifting your overall well-being. It is something so simple yet its benefits reach far beyond our imaginations.
Smiling does not only make us feel better; it also finds its way to the hearts of the people around us. For instance, when your father or mother gives you a smile; you feel warmth and safety.
Or when your doctor smilingly tells you not to worry and that you’ll be fine. At that moment you become so relieved that you forget about the pain or sickness you’re having.
Or, for those who are married, when your wife gives you a loving smile, it can brighten your whole day in an instant.
Thus, a simple smile possesses incredible strength. It provides comfort, motivation, and lets the people you love know they matter. Even an ordinary moment can become special when it’s shared with a genuine smile.
From an Islamic lens, we can learn a lot from the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammadsa and what he taught about smiling, as well as the benefits of smiling backed up by scientific research.
The Sunnah of the Holy Prophetsa
The Holy Prophetsa had to face numerous hardships and difficulties in his life; he lost his parents at a very tender age and was brought up as an orphan, he lost many of his children during his lifetime, he lost so many devoted companions in the various battles; upon all these hardships the smile never faded away from the face of our beloved Mastersa.
Hazrat Ibn Jazra narrates about the Holy Prophetsa that: “I have not seen anyone who smiled more than the Messengersa of Allah.” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-manaqab, Hadith 3641)
The Holy Prophetsa usually met his devoted companions with a gentle smile, filling the air with comfort and love.
Hazrat Jarir bin Abdullahra narrates: “Since I embraced Islam, Allah’s Messengersa never refused to see me, and whenever he saw me, he received me with a smile.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab fadaʾil al-sahabah, Hadith 2475b)
This narration shows how the Holy Prophet’ssa gentle smile made his companions feel honored and loved.
Then Hazrat Abu Dharrra narrated that the Holy Prophetsa said: “Don’t consider anything insignificant out of good things even if it is that you meet your brother with a cheerful countenance.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitabul birr was-sila wal-adaab, Hadith 2626)
This teaches us an important thing, that greeting others with a cheerful and pleasant expression is a righteous act, which has a reward.
Smiling is also counted among those deeds that the Holy Prophetsa described as acts of charity.
Hazrat Abu Dharrra narrated that the Messengersa of Allah said:
“Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you.” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-birr wa as-sila ‘an rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, Hadith 1956)
This beautiful narration shows us that even a simple smile contains spiritual value. It is considered an act of charity, an easy yet great way to spread goodness, uplift hearts and earn the pleasure of Allah the Almighty.
Advice from our beloved Imam
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned the above hadith during his Friday Sermon on 18 July 2003 and stated that:
“It is first stated that keep smiling. Smiling does not cost you anything, nor do you lose anything. When you meet one another, meet with a smile. If there were any grievances, then remove them within these three days through your smiles.” (Khutbat-e-Masroor, Vol. 1, p. 188)
Once, Huzooraa was asked by a child how he found time to rest and do other activities whilst managing his very busy schedule. Huzooraa stated that: “I work in my office and also manage to perform other work too, such as listening to the news.”
He added, “It is all in the mind; if man becomes lazy and says that he does not get enough sleep, then nothing can be accomplished. You must be firm and tell yourself that you need to get such and such work done.” He further said: “Always smile; this will keep you active.”
Similarly, it is mentioned in an article that Huzooraa once said to the author: “You don’t laugh very often. You should always keep smiling.”
From this we learn that smiling is important when we meet people and it also helps us to be active.
Physical benefits of smiling
After presenting the Sunnah of our beloved Prophetsa and the advice of our beloved Huzooraa about the benefits of smiling, I will now mention some physical benefits of smiling backed up by modern science. Smiling – an act which the Holy Prophetsa has described as a form of charity – regarding which science is now proving its physical benefits as well and telling us that a simple smile may seem small, but its effect on our body is surprisingly powerful.
Smiling can help you live longer
Every person must have wished to live a long life at a certain point in their lifetime, from movies about elixirs of life to scientific research of our time, humankind has always been fascinated with the topic of longevity. Surprisingly, the simplest contributors to longer life are at our disposal, and the most unexpected among them is a smile.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, one study showed that individuals with more optimism usually live longer. These individuals have a far greater chance of living past age 85, which proves the strong relationship between a positive outlook and health over a long period.
Smiling elevates mood and relieves stress
A large population of the world suffers from stress. In 2022, more than three-quarters of adults reported symptoms of stress, including headache, tiredness and depression. Stress has a deep effect on our whole being, even our faces.
A study showed that smiling does not only prevent us from looking tired, weary and exhausted, but it also actively helps in reducing our stress. When we smile, our body releases endorphins and other “feel-good” chemicals, which calm the mind, lower tension, and improve overall well-being. Smiling can also boost your happiness. The next time you feel down, try putting on a smile, chances are your mood will improve.
Smiling may lower blood pressure
While smiling is proven to lower heart rate during stressful moments, research also points out that it can help reduce blood pressure. One of the studies even found out that laughter therapy which encourages you to smile, can help some heart-patients reduce their dependency on heart medications. This makes sense, given the powerful connection between positive expressions and cardiovascular health.
Smiling can boost your immune system:
Smiling also boosts our overall health by supporting our immune system. Smiling activates the parasympathetic nervous system, this activation helps in controlling the secretion of certain gut hormones and antibodies that create the anti-inflammatory effect, improving the immune response.
If you’re trying to maintain good health or boost your immunity, try smiling, it offers a simple yet meaningful benefit.
Smiling can make you look attractive:
We feel more comfortable around those who smile, you can feel a natural radiance coming from within them and we usually avoid someone with negative expressions like frowns and scowls. Let’s be real, no one likes to be around someone who is always frowning and spreading negativity.
So, as negative expressions tend to push people away, positive expressions like a smile does the complete opposite, it attracts people towards you, it makes you feel warm and approachable. People usually link a smiling face with positive personality traits, which means you are more likely to draw others toward you.
Apart from smiling makes you look more attractive; it can also make you look younger. When we smile the muscles on our face gently lift, giving us a more youthful appearance. So, try to smile more often, it’s a natural way to look younger and feel better.
Conclusion
In a world full of depression, anxiety and noise, we must try our best and remain positive no matter the challenges life throws at us. We should try to follow the smiling Sunnah of our beloved Prophetsa and face every difficulty with a smile on our faces.
The Holy Prophetsa described smiling as an act of charity, so let’s spread love and comfort in the world with our smiles. Learn to smile more frequently, for your own peace of mind and also for the people whose lives you brighten along the way.