Meaning and purpose المعنى

وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ

I created jinn and mankind only to worship Me

رَبَّنَا وَٱبۡعَثۡ فِيهِمۡ رَسُولࣰ ا مِّنۡهُمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمۡۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ

Our Lord, make a messenger of their own rise up from among them, to recite Your revelations to them, teach them the Scripture and wisdom, and purify them: You are the Mighty, the Wise.’

كَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا فِيكُمۡ رَسُولࣰ ا مِّنكُمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡكُمۡ ءَايَٰتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمۡ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُم مَّا لَمۡ تَكُونُواْ تَعۡلَمُونَ

just as Wehave sent among you a Messenger of your own to recite Our revelations to you, purify you and teach you the Scripture, wisdom, and [other] things you did not know

وَإِذَا طَلَّقۡتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَبَلَغۡنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمۡسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعۡرُوفٍ أَوۡ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعۡرُوفࣲۚ وَلَا تُمۡسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارࣰ ا لِّتَعۡتَدُواْۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَدۡ ظَلَمَ نَفۡسَهُۥۚ وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓاْ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ هُزُوࣰ اۚ وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمࣱ‏

When you divorce women and they have reached their set time, then either keep or release them in a fair manner. Do not hold on to them with intent to harm them and commit aggression: anyone who does this wrongs himself. Do not make a mockery of God’s revelations; remember the favour He blessed you with, and the Scripture and wisdom He sent to teach you. Be mindful of God and know that He has full knowledge of everything

فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُۥدُ جَالُوتَ وَءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُلۡكَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُۥ مِمَّا يَشَآءُۗ وَلَوۡلَا دَفۡعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعۡضَهُم بِبَعۡضࣲ لَّفَسَدَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ذُو فَضۡلٍ عَلَى ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

and so with God’s permission they defeated them. David killed Goliath, and God gave him sovereignty and wisdom and taught him what He pleased. If God did not drive some back by means of others the earth would be completely corrupt, but God is bountiful to all

يُؤۡتِي ٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَمَن يُؤۡتَ ٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ فَقَدۡ أُوتِيَ خَيۡرࣰ ا كَثِيرࣰ اۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ

and He gives wisdom to whoever He will. Whoever is given wisdom has truly been given much good, but only those with insight bear this in mind

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except that they may worship Me the fact that disbelievers do not worship God does not contradict this statement since a purpose does not have to be realised in an act for it to be valid as when you may say ‘I sharpened this pencil in order to write with it’ even though you might not actually write with it.

Likewise, no Messenger came to those before them but they said: "A sorcerer or a madman! (52)Have they transmitted this saying to these? Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds (53)So turn away from them, you are not blameworthy (54)And remind, for verily, the reminding profits the believers (55)And I created not the Jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (56)I seek not any provision from them nor do I ask that they should feed Me (57)Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of power, the Most Strong (58)And verily, for those who do wrong, there is a portion of torment like to the evil portion of torment (which came for) their likes (of old); so let them not ask Me to hasten on (59)Then woe to those who disbelieve from their Day which they have been promised (60) All Messengers met the Same Type of Denial from Their Nations Allah comforts His Prophet

“Our Lord, and raise up amidst them a messenger from among them, who will recite Thy signs to them, teach them the Book and the Wisdom, and purify them. Surely Thou art the Exalted, the Wise.”

Our Lord! And send among them the people of this House a messenger one of them and God granted him this petition with the sending of Muhammad (s) who shall recite to them Your signs the Qur’ān and teach them the Book the Qur’ān and Wisdom that is what the former contains of judgments and purify them cleanse them of idolatry; You are the Mighty the Victor the Wise in His creation.

As also We have sent this verbal clause ka-mā arsalnā ‘as We have sent’ is semantically connected to wa-li-utimma of the previous verse that is to say ‘Also We have sent by way of perfection’; as it My grace has been perfected by Our sending among you of yourselves Muhammad (s) a messenger to recite Our verses the Qur’ān to you and to purify you to cleanse you from idolatry and to teach you the Book the Qur’ān and wisdom the rulings therein and to teach you what you knew not.

Similarly (to complete My blessings on you), We have sent among you a Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ) of your own, reciting to you Our verses (the Qur'an) and purifying you, and teaching you the Book (the Qur'an) and the Hikmah (i. e., Sunnah, Islamic laws and Fiqh ـ jurisprudence), and teaching you that which you did not know (151)Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless favors on you) and never be ungrateful to Me (152) Muhammad's (ﷺ ) Prophecy is a Great Bounty from Allah Allah reminds His believing servants with what He has endowed them with by sending Muhammad ﷺ as a Messenger to them, reciting to them Allah's clear Ayat and purifying and cleansing them from the worst types of behavior, the ills of the souls and the acts of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era). The Messenger ﷺ also takes them away from the darkness (of disbelief)

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ لَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَاسْتُخْلِفَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ بَعْدَهُ كَفَرَ مَنْ كَفَرَ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لأَبِي بَكْرٍ كَيْفَ تُقَاتِلُ النَّاسَ وَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَقُولُوا لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَصَمَ مِنِّي مَالَهُ وَنَفْسَهُ إِلاَّ بِحَقِّهِ وَحِسَابُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَاللَّهِ لأُقَاتِلَنَّ مَنْ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَ الزَّكَاةِ وَالصَّلاَةِ فَإِنَّ الزَّكَاةَ حَقُّ الْمَالِ وَاللَّهِ لَوْ مَنَعُونِي عِقَالاً كَانُوا يُؤَدُّونَهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَقَاتَلْتُهُمْ عَلَى مَنْعِهِ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا هُوَ إِلاَّ أَنْ رَأَيْتُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ شَرَحَ صَدْرَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ لِلْقِتَالِ فَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَهَكَذَا رَوَى شُعَيْبُ بْنُ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏.‏ وَرَوَى عِمْرَانُ الْقَطَّانُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَهُوَ حَدِيثٌ خَطَأٌ وَقَدْ خُولِفَ عِمْرَانُ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ ‏.‏

Narrated Abu Hurairah:said: "When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died and Abu Bakr became the Khalifah after him, whoever disbelieved from the Arabs disbelieved, so Umar bin Al-Khattab said to Abu Bakr: 'How will you fight the people while the Messenger of Allah has said: 'I have been ordered to fight the people until they say La Ilaha Illallah, and if they say that, then their blood and wealth will be protected from me, except what it makes obligatory upon them, and their reckoning is with Allah?' So Abu Bakr said: 'By Allah I will fight whoever differentiates between Salat and Zakat. For indeed, Zakat is the right due upon wealth. And by Allah! If they withhold even (camel) tethers which they used to give to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) I will fight them for withholding it.' So Umar bin Al-Khattab said: 'By Allah! I saw that Allah had opened Abu Bakr's chest to fighting, so I knew that it was correct

حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الطَّالْقَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، أَخْبَرَنَا حُمَيْدٌ الطَّوِيلُ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَشْهَدُوا أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَأَنْ يَسْتَقْبِلُوا قِبْلَتَنَا وَيَأْكُلُوا ذَبِيحَتَنَا وَأَنْ يُصَلُّوا صَلاَتَنَا فَإِذَا فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْنَا دِمَاؤُهُمْ وَأَمْوَالُهُمْ إِلاَّ بِحَقِّهَا لَهُمْ مَا لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ وَعَلَيْهِمْ مَا عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ نَحْوَ هَذَا ‏.‏

Narrated Anas bin Malik:that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "I have been ordered to fight the people until they bear witness to La Ilaha Illallah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, and they face our Qiblah, eat our slaughtered (meat), and perform our Salat. And if they do that, then their blood and wealth will be unlawful to us, except with its due right. For them shall be whatever is for the Muslims, and they shall be obliged with that which the Muslims are obliged

حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ بْنُ أَبِي إِيَاسٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي السَّفَرِ، وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ الْمُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ، وَالْمُهَاجِرُ مَنْ هَجَرَ مَا نَهَى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَقَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ عَنْ عَامِرٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏ وَقَالَ عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى عَنْ دَاوُدَ عَنْ عَامِرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim is the one who avoids harming Muslims with his tongue and hands. And a Muhajir (emigrant) is the one who gives up (abandons) all what Allah has forbidden

حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا حَنْظَلَةُ بْنُ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles): 1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). 2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly. 3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity) . 4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca) 5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَحْمَدُ بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ - مِنْ لَفْظِهِ - قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُئِلَ أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ ‏ "‏ الإِيمَانُ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that:The Messenger of Allah [SAW] was asked: "Which deed is best?" "He said: Faith in Allah [SWT] and His messenger [SAW]

أَخْبَرَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ الأَزْدِيِّ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حُبْشِيٍّ الْخَثْعَمِيِّ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُئِلَ أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ إِيمَانٌ لاَ شَكَّ فِيهِ وَجِهَادٌ لاَ غُلُولَ فِيهِ وَحَجَّةٌ مَبْرُورَةٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It was narrated from Abdullah bin Hubshi Al-Khath'ami that:The Prophet [SAW] was asked: "Which deed is best?" He said: "Faith in which there is no doubt, Jihad in which there is no Ghulul, and Hajjatun Mabrur

وهؤلاء يشهدون أن الله سبحانه لم يخلق شيئا عبثا ولا سدى وأن له الحكمة البالغة في كل ما قدره وقضاه من خير وشر وطاعة ومعصية وحكمة باهرة تعجز العقول عن الإحاطة بكنهها وتكل الألسن عن التعبير عنها

وأما الشكر فهو القيام بطاعته والتقرب اليه بأنواع محابه ظاهرا وباطنا وهذان الأمران هما جماع الدين فذكره مستلزم لمعرفته وشكره متضمن لطاعته وهذان هما الغاية التي خلق لأجلها الجن والانس والسموات والأرض ووضع لاجلها الثواب والعقاب وأنزل الكتب وارسل الرسل وهى الحق الذي به خلقت السماوات والأرض وما بينهما وضدها هو الباطل والعبث الذي يتعالى ويتقدس عنه وهو ظن أعدائه به قال تعالى وما خلقنا السماوات والأرض وما بينهما باطلا ذلك ظن الذين كفروا وقال وما خلقنا السموات والأرض وما بينهما لاعبين ما خلقناهما إلا بالحق وقال وما خلقنا السموات والأرض وما بينهما إلا بالحق وان الساعة لآتية وقال بعد ذكر آياته في أول سورة يونس @QB@ ما خلق الله ذلك إلا بالحق @QE@ وقال @QB@ أيحسب الإنسان أن يترك سدى @QE@ وقال @QB@ أفحسبتم أنما خلقناكم عبثا وأنكم إلينا لا ترجعون @QE@ وقال @QB@ وما خلقت الجن والإنس إلا ليعبدون @QE@ الله الذي خلق سبع سموات ومن الأرض مثلهن يتنزل الأمر بينهن لتعلموا أن الله على كل شيء قدير وأن الله قد أحا

وهذا المشهد يطلعه على رياض مونقة من المعارف والإيمان وأسرار القدر والحكمة يضيق عن التعبير عنها نطاق الكلم

| فصل الصنف الثاني القدرية النفاة الذين يثبتون نوعا من الحكمة

قال وهذه المقايسة تشق على من ليس له ثلاثة أشياء نور الحكمة وسوء الظن بالنفس وتمييز النعمة من الفتنة

يعني أن هذه المقايسة والمحاسبة تتوقف على نور الحكمة وهو النور الذي نور الله به قلوب أتباع الرسل وهو نور الحكمة فبقدره ترى التفاوت وتتمكن من المحاسبة

Existential meaning's role in the enhancement of hope and prevention of depressive symptoms.: The authors confirmed that existential meaning has a unique relationship with and can prospectively predict levels of hope and depressive symptoms within a population of college students. Baseline measures of explicit meaning (i.e., an individual's self-reported experience of a sense of coherence and purpose in life) and implicit meaning (i.e., an individual's self-reported embodiment of the factors that are normatively viewed as comprising a meaningful life) explained significant amounts of var

Existential therapies: a meta-analysis of their effects on psychological outcomes.: Objective: To review the evidence on the efficacy of different types of existential therapies: a family of psychological interventions that draw on themes from existential philosophy to help clients address such issues in their lives as meaning and death anxiety. Method: Relevant electronic databases, journals, and reference lists were searched for eligible studies. Effects on meaning, psychopathology (anxiety and depression), self-efficacy, and physical well-being were extracted from each publi

Things will get better: the anxiety-buffering qualities of progressive hope.: Terror management theory argues that people can cope with the psychological threat of their own death by bolstering faith in their cultural worldviews. Based on the notion that-since the Age of Enlightenment-belief or faith in progress has become one of the defining qualities of modern Western thinking, we expected that this belief serves as a buffer against mortality concerns. Three experiments were conducted to test the relationship between existential anxiety and belief in progress. Results o

Relations of meaning in life and sense of coherence to distress in cancer patients: a meta-analysis.: Objective: Cancer patients report high rates of distress. The related constructs of meaning in life (MiL) and sense of coherence (SOC) have long been recognized as important factors in the psychological adjustment to cancer; however, both constructs' associations with distress have not been quantitatively reviewed or compared in this population. Informed by Park's integrated meaning-making model and Antonovsky's salutogenic model, the goals of this meta-analysis were the following: (1) to compar

Meaning in life and physical health: systematic review and meta-analysis.: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to clarify the associations between meaning in life and physical health using random-effects models. Conceptualisation of meaning (order in world vs. purpose in life), type of health indicators, participants' health status, and age issues were investigated as moderators. Systematic searches of six databases resulted in inclusion of k = 66 studies (total N = 73,546). Findings indicated that meaning in life and physical health formed weak-to-moderate

Self-transcendence among adults 65 years and older: A meta-analysis.: Introduction: Self-transcendence is a human capacity for wellbeing by expanding one's personal boundaries and may act as a health-promoting resource among adults ≥65 years. Therefore, the objectives of this meta-analysis were to determine the mean score of self-transcendence based on place of residence and gender, and to evaluate the correlations of self-transcendence with meaning, sense of coherence, resilience and depression. Methods: Based on inclusion criteria, 13 studies were included. Orwi

The existential plight of cancer: meaning making as a concrete approach to the intangible search for meaning.

Introduction: Despite modern advances that have led to improved prognoses and symptom management, a cancer diagnosis continues to evoke images of pain, suffering, and death. Discussion: The current literature suggests that the "existential plight of cancer" refers to what is now commonly known as the "search for meaning" following a cancer experience. Mounting evidence suggests that global meaning-defined as the general sense that one's life has order and purpose--is a key determinant of overall quality of life. It provides the motivation for people with cancer to re-engage in life amongst a bewildering array of physical, psychosocial, social, spiritual, and existential changes imposed by the disease. Health care providers are inherently involved in their patients' search for global meaning. Yet, few empirical studies have operationalized how this search can be achieved. Conclusion: The …

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Spiritual Needs of the Muslim Elderly Living in Nursing Homes: A Qualitative Study.

Paying attention to and meeting the needs of people who are elderly helps to improve their health. Caring for the elderly includes addressing their spiritual needs which has been less investigated. This study aimed to examine the spiritual needs of the Muslim elderly living in nursing homes. A qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. Seventeen elderly people (nine women and eight men) were selected from four nursing homes in Iran using purposive sampling. The subjects were asked to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interview transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. First, semantic units were identified and then related codes were extracted and classified into categories and subcategories based on their similarities. Finally, themes were extracted from the data. The elderly's spiritual needs were classified into three main themes: religiou…

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Meaning in life: resilience beyond reserve.

Background: The contribution of psychological factors to brain health and resilience remains poorly investigated. Furthermore, their possible interaction with 'classical' cognitive reserve (CR) estimates in predicting perceived mental health and cognitive status has not been specifically addressed. Methods: We obtained data from 1081 adults responding to questionnaires on the three meaning in life (MiL) dimensions: purpose in life (PiL), sense of coherence (SoC), and engagement with life (EwL). A questionnaire on CR variables was also administered. The outcome measures were self-reported cognitive function and affective status (depression, stress, and anxiety). Multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between sociodemographic variables, MiL dimensions, and CR with the two selected outcomes. Mediation analyses, adjusted for age and gender, were applied to …

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Health-related quality of life and culture.

Objective: To clarify the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and culture. Data source: Journal articles, proceedings, and clinical experience. Conclusion: QOL is a subjective, multidimensional experience of well-being that is culturally constructed as individuals seek safety and security, a sense of integrity and meaning in life, and a sense of belonging in one's social network. Implications for nursing practice: In a society where health disparities between diverse groups are known to exist, it is incumbent upon nurses to consider the impact of ethnicity/culture on the health care they deliver and on the QOL of their patients.

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Creatureliness priming reduces aggression and support for war.

Terror management theory (TMT) posits that humans distance themselves from, or elevate themselves above, other animals as a way of denying their mortality. The present studies assessed whether the salience of aggressive tendencies that humans share with other animals make thoughts of death salient and whether depicting human aggression as animalistic can mitigate aggressive behaviour and support for aggression. In Study 1, participants primed with human-animal similarities (i.e., human creatureliness) exhibited elevated death-thought accessibility (DTA) after hitting a punching bag. In Studies 2a and 2b, creatureliness priming caused participants to hit a punching bag with less frequency, perceived force, and comfort. In Study 3, participants primed to view violence as animalistic exhibited increased DTA and reported less support for war against Iran. These studies suggest that portrayin…

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Existential experiences and needs related to induced abortion in a group of Swedish women: a quantitative investigation.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of existential experiences and needs among women who have requested an induced abortion. Methods: A questionnaire was used to collect information from 499 women who had requested an induced abortion. A principle component analysis resulted in three components of existential experiences and needs: existential thoughts, existential practices, and humanisation of the foetus. These components were analysed in relation to background data and other data from the questionnaire. Results: Existential experiences and needs were common. For 61% of women existential thoughts about life and death, meaning and morality were related to the abortion experience. Almost 50% of women reported a need for special acts in relation to the abortion; 67% of women thought of the pregnancy in terms of a child. A higher presence of existential components correlated to diffic…

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I control therefore I am: effects of mortality salience on control attributions.

Terror Management Theory posits that when individuals are faced with their own mortality, they use several defense mechanisms to reduce the existential anxiety caused by the thought of their own death. In this paper, we examined one such mechanism: Control attributions. To do so, we ran an experiment (n = 140) in which we manipulated mortality salience and type of failure (relevant vs. irrelevant consequences) with which participants were faced. Participants were then instructed to evaluate the possible causes of their failure. The results indicated that participants assigned to the mortality salience condition, compared to those assigned to the control group, were more prone to making controllable attributions. That is, even in situations in which individuals are motivated to avoid responsibility (i.e., a relevant failure), mortality salience increased perceived controllability. These r…

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Going for broke: mortality salience increases risky decision making on the Iowa gambling task.

Research on gambling, and risk taking in general, has focused primarily on approach-related motivations. The current study examined the avoidance of existential anxiety as a possible source of risky decision making and behaviour. The authors hypothesized that participants reminded of their own mortality would consequently make riskier decisions (and therefore perform more poorly) on the Iowa gambling task. Results confirmed this prediction. Implications of the finding that existential concerns undermine efficient decision making are considered.

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Do children transcend death? An examination of the terror management function of offspring.

The concept of offspring provides a symbolic shield against the fear of death. The existential function of offspring was examined in two studies conducted in China employing real-life dependent measures. In Study 1, reminders of death through a word-completion task increased the disapproval of a birth-control policy in China. In Study 2, hospitalized patients generally preferred young family members more than other family members. Cancer patients showed this preference to a greater extent than non-cancer patients. Taken together, the findings showed that the death-anxiety-buffering function of offspring affects people's judgments and desires in real-life settings.

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Is death really the worm at the core? Converging evidence that worldview threat increases death-thought accessibility.

According to terror management theory, if the cultural worldview protects people from thoughts about death, then weakening this structure should increase death-thought accessibility (DTA). Five studies tested this DTA hypothesis. Study 1 showed that threatening Canadian participants' cultural values (vs. those of another culture) increased DTA on a word-fragment completion task. Study 2 showed that when participants could dismiss the threat, DTA remained low. Study 3 replicated the results of Study 1, but DTA was measured using a lexical decision task. Response latencies to death, negative, and neutral content were measured. Worldview threat increased DTA relative to accessibility for negative and neutral content. Study 4 showed that the DTA effect emerged independently of the arousal of anger or anxiety. Finally, Study 5 demonstrated that participants with a pro-creation (vs. pro-evolut…

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Relative socio-economic position and meaning and purpose in life in adolescents: An intangible cost of social inequalities.

Having a sense of meaning in life supports adolescent health but is affected by experiences of wealth or poverty. We examined its associations with relative advantage (RA) and relative deprivation (RD) in a sample of Canadian adolescents (n = 17,634) using survey data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. We calculated RA and RD using all other schoolmates as reference groups in 238 schools. Descriptively, RA was associated with greater meaning and purpose and RD was associated with less. Regression-based estimates of prevalence ratios (PR) revealed more nuanced patterns. RD was associated with less of a sense of meaning and purpose in females and gender-diverse youth only. RA was associated with a reduced risk of low meaning and purpose in females (PR 0.77; 95 % CI: 0.61 to 0.98), with similar trends in males and gender diverse students that did not achieve significan…

matched on meaning in life (text), purpose in life (text)

Meaning in Life: A Major Predictive Factor for Loneliness Comparable to Health Status and Social Connectedness

Objective: Loneliness is the subjective distress of feeling alone and has a strong impact on wellbeing and health. In addition to well-known predictors like isolation and poor health, a better understanding of the psychological determinants of loneliness would offer effective targets for future complementary interventions. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study ( N = 2,240), we compared the explanatory power of several important risk factors of loneliness with the affective, motivational, and cognitive aspects of the Meaning in Life (MiL) construct. Different nested linear models were compared including socio-demographic, lifestyles, social-connectedness, and self-rated health variables, to assess the overlapping and non-overlapping explanatory power of each of them. Results: Health status and MiL were found to be the most important predictors of loneliness, followed by soc…

matched on meaning in life (text), sense of coherence (text)

Enhancing Meaning in Life and Psychological Well-Being Among a European Cohort of Young Adults via a Gratitude Intervention.

Background: Strengthening the sense of meaning in life and psychological well-being brings benefits for mental health. The group particularly vulnerable to mental problems are young adults, therefore the aim of our research was to explore how a gratitude intervention will affect the sense of meaning in life, psychological well-being, general health and perceived stress among them. The research also took into account the issue of expressing gratitude. Method: The study involved 80 young adults (58 women and 22 men) who were randomly assigned to the experimental group that filled out the specially prepared diaries for a week (participants were asked to list three things for which they feel grateful, to whom they are grateful and if and how they expressed their gratitude) or the control group. Participants completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), the General Health Questionnaire -…

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Meaning is about mattering: Evaluating coherence, purpose, and existential mattering as precursors of meaning in life judgments.

When people judge their lives as meaningful, what is this judgment about? Drawing on recent tripartite theoretical accounts of meaning in life (MIL), we tested the separate contributions of coherence (or comprehension), purpose, and existential mattering (or significance) as potential precursors of people's self-reported evaluations of MIL. In Study 1 (N = 314 social media users), we developed brief acquiescence-free measures of these constructs, confirming that sense of coherence, purpose, mattering, and MIL judgments were distinct from each other and from related constructs (sense of control, belonging, self-esteem, self-competence, mood). In Study 2 (N = 168 students) and Study 3 (N = 442 Prolific Academic respondents; preregistered), we collected longitudinal data to test temporal relationships between coherence, purpose, mattering, and MIL judgments over a 1-month time lag. In both …

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The importance of emotional intelligence and meaning in life in psycho-oncology.

Objective: Cancer was considered the disease of the 20th century, and the management, treatment, and adaptation of patients to general wellbeing were worldwide concerns. Emotional intelligence has frequently been associated with wellbeing and considered one important factor to optimal human functioning. The purpose of the present study was to test the differences regarding the relationship between emotional intelligence, purpose in life, and satisfaction with life between cancer and healthy people. Methods: This model was tested using structural path analysis in two independent samples. First, in a general Portuguese population without chronic disease, 214 participants (nmale  = 41, nfemale  = 173; Mage  = 53). Second, in 202 patients with cancer (nmale  = 40, nfemale  = 162; Mage  = 58.65). A two-step methodology was used to test the research hypothesis. Results: First, a confirmatory f…

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Purpose in life predicts better emotional recovery from negative stimuli.

Purpose in life predicts both health and longevity suggesting that the ability to find meaning from life's experiences, especially when confronting life's challenges, may be a mechanism underlying resilience. Having purpose in life may motivate reframing stressful situations to deal with them more productively, thereby facilitating recovery from stress and trauma. In turn, enhanced ability to recover from negative events may allow a person to achieve or maintain a feeling of greater purpose in life over time. In a large sample of adults (aged 36-84 years) from the MIDUS study (Midlife in the U.S., http://www.midus.wisc.edu/), we tested whether purpose in life was associated with better emotional recovery following exposure to negative picture stimuli indexed by the magnitude of the eyeblink startle reflex (EBR), a measure sensitive to emotional state. We differentiated between initial em…

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Do Existential Variables Mediate Between Religious-Spiritual Facets of Functionality and Psychological Wellbeing

Religiosity has been related to psychological wellbeing outcomes. Although this relationship is primarily based on studies of church attendance or prayer and wellbeing, more recent work has focused on the potential mechanisms that may mediate the religion-wellbeing findings. One of the major function of religion is finding of meaning of life and improving hope. Recent studies have indicated that hope and meaning of life are the potential variables mediate between religion and wellbeing. It was hypothesized that one pathway through which religiosity may exert its positive influence on psychological wellbeing is through finding meaning of life and improving hope. One study was conducted examining the relationships among spiritual experiences, hope, meaning of life and psychological wellbeing operationalized as satisfaction with life, positive affect and negative affect. The following resea…

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To survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a search for meaning and coherence.

The primary responsibility of prehospital emergency personnel at out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) is to provide lifesaving care. Ethical considerations, decisions, and actions should be based in the patient's beliefs about health and well-being. In this article, we describe patients' experiences of surviving OHCA. By using a phenomenological approach, we focus on how OHCA influences patients' well-being over time. Nine survivors were interviewed. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is described as a sudden and elusive threat, an awakening in perplexity, and the memory gap as a loss of coherence. Survival means a search for coherence with distressing and joyful understanding, as well as existential insecurity exposed by feelings of vulnerability. Well-being is found through a sense of coherence and meaning in life. The study findings show survivors' emotional needs and a potential for pr…

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Meaning in life and mortality.

Objectives: The purpose of this exploratory study was to see if meaning in life is associated with mortality in old age. Methods: Interviews were conducted with a nationwide sample of older adults (N = 1,361). Data were collected on meaning in life, mortality, and select control measures. Results: Three main findings emerged from this study. First, the data suggest that older people with a strong sense of meaning in life are less likely to die over the study follow-up period than those who do not have a strong sense of meaning. Second, the findings indicate that the effect of meaning on mortality can be attributed to the potentially important indirect effect that operates through health. Third, further analysis revealed that one dimension of meaning-having a strong sense of purpose in life--has a stronger relationship with mortality than other facets of meaning. The main study findings w…

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Resilience, sense of coherence, purpose in life and self-transcendence in relation to perceived physical and mental health among the oldest old.

Different concepts have been presented which denote driving forces and strengths that contribute to a person's ability to meet and handle adversities, and keep or regain health. The aim of this study, which is a part of The Umeå 85+ study, was to describe resilience, sense of coherence, purpose in life and self-transcendence in relation to perceived physical and mental health in a sample of the oldest old. The study sample consisted of 125 participants 85 years of age or older, who ranked themselves on the Resilience Scale, Sense of Coherence Scale, Purpose in Life Scale and Self-Transcendence Scale and answered the SF-36 Health Survey questionnaire. The findings showed significant correlations between scores on the Resilience Scale, the Sense of Coherence Scale, the Purpose in Life Test, and the Self-Transcendence Scale. Significant correlations were also found between these scales and …

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Psychological Resources and Biomarkers of Health in the Context of Chronic Parenting Stress.

Background: Epidemiological studies link psychological resources to better physical health. One reason may be that psychological resources are protective in stressful contexts. This study tested whether indeed psychological resources are protective against biological degradation for healthy mid-life women under the chronic stress of caring for a child with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis ("caregivers"). Methods: We tested whether five types of psychosocial resources (i.e., eudaimonic well-being, autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, and mastery) were associated with biological indices of aging in a sample of mid-life women stratified by chronic stress; half were caregivers (n = 92) and half were mothers of neurotypical children (n = 91; controls). Selected stress and age related biological outcomes were insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), systemic inflammation (IL-6, CRP), and cell…

matched on purpose in life (text), eudaimonic (text)

Health benefits of physical activity for people with mental disorders: From the perspective of multidimensional subjective wellbeing.

This paper uses a large scale and nationally representative dataset, Chinese General Social Survey, to empirically examine the role of physical activity in reducing the negative effects of depression among people with mental disorders. Empirical results demonstrate that physical exercise could help to alleviate depression's adverse consequences on work and life for depressed individuals. The impact mechanism is that physical activity may decrease the severity of depression, enhance life satisfaction, improve mood, and make people have a better sense of purpose and meaning in life. Therefore, from the perspective of multidimensional subjective wellbeing, evaluative wellbeing, experienced wellbeing and eudaimonic wellbeing all play mediating roles in the reduction of depression's adverse effects. Heterogeneity analysis shows that there are no significant gender differences in the health be…

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Happiness and Health.

Research into the relationship between happiness and health is developing rapidly, exploring the possibility that impaired happiness is not only a consequence of ill-health but also a potential contributor to disease risk. Happiness encompasses several constructs, including affective well-being (feelings of joy and pleasure), eudaimonic well-being (sense of meaning and purpose in life), and evaluative well-being (life satisfaction). Happiness is generally associated with reduced mortality in prospective observational studies, albeit with several discrepant results. Confounding and reverse causation are major concerns. Associations with morbidity and disease prognosis have also been identified for a limited range of health conditions. The mechanisms potentially linking happiness with health include lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and dietary choice, and biological processes, …

matched on purpose in life (text), eudaimonic (text)

Unique associations of eudaimonic and hedonic wellbeing with psychosocial adjustment in breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: Eudaimonic wellbeing (e.g., meaning, purpose in life) and hedonic wellbeing (e.g., happiness, life satisfaction) are related but conceptually distinct facets of wellbeing. Eudaimonic wellbeing is highly underexplored in cancer research despite its relevance to important existential concerns faced by cancer survivors. Therefore, this study examined the unique associations of eudaimonic and hedonic wellbeing with adjustment in breast cancer survivors. Methods: Women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer within two years (N = 64) were recruited through the UCLA Tumor Registry and completed self-report questionnaires (Mental Health Continuum - Short Form Scale, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Social Provisions Scale, Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Fatigue Symptom Inventory, Pe…

matched on purpose in life (text), eudaimonic (text)

Loneliness, eudaimonia, and the human conserved transcriptional response to adversity.

Background: Chronic social adversity activates a conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA) marked by increased expression of pro-inflammatory genes and decreased expression of antiviral- and antibody-related genes. Recent findings suggest that some psychological resilience factors may help buffer CTRA activation, but the relative impact of resilience and adversity factors remains poorly understood. Here we examined the relative strength of CTRA association for the two best-established psychological correlates of CTRA gene expression-the risk factor of perceived social isolation (loneliness) and the resilience factor of eudaimonic well-being (purpose and meaning in life). Methods: Peripheral blood samples and validated measures of loneliness and eudaimonic well-being were analyzed in 108 community-dwelling older adults participating in the longitudinal US Health and Retiremen…

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