Taqwa (Arabic: تقوى taqwā / taqwá ,
"piety") is a concept in Islam that is interpreted
by some Islamic scholars as god-consciousness. Taqwa is
perceived from the Holy Quran in English as one being enlightened or
enlightenment.
The state of
hyper-vigilance against falling into sin in negligence. It is the idea that a
believer is always on guard and is perpetually alert of not committing any
action that would earn the displeasure of the Almighty. It is the state of
preparedness of anticipating a situation where one might be coerced into doing Haram, and as a result of this
readiness, to avoid and stay out of that Haram. In its higher forms, Taqwa is
the fear of not of not taking the best path towards Allah's Pleasure and His
Grace.
· It is used 251 times in the Holy Qur’an as either a noun or a verb
· Is not about performing religious obligations such as prayer and fasting: it is about living a pious life
·
That is taqwa, to protect oneself from sin through life’s
dangerous journey so that one can successfully complete the journey
unscathed by sin.
· fear of God in terms of protecting oneself from displeasing God
· Quran is Guidance for those conscious of Allah [2:2]
· Fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous [2:183]
· Best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O you of understanding.[2:197]
· to forego [abstain from, refrain from] it is nearer to righteousness [2:237]
· fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [3:102]
· cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression [5:2]
· fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.[5:2]
·
O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah
, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent
you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear
Allah ; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do [5:8]
· The clothing of righteousness - that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember [7:26]
·
If only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah,
We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth;
but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were
earning. [7:96]
· Close friends, that Day, will be enemies to each other, except for the righteous [43:67]
·
Worldly life is only amusement and diversion. And if you believe
and fear Allah, He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your
properties. [47:36]
· The most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you [49:13]
Allah (swt) said:
O mankind! Fear your Guardian Lord, Who created you from a single person [TMQ 4:1]
O you who believe! If you fear Allah, He will grant you a Criterion (to judge between right and wrong) [TMQ 16:29]
RasulAllah (saw) said on the authority of Abu Dhar (ra) and Muath Ibn Jabal (ra):
I advise you to have taqwa (be pious) to Allah in your secret and open affairs [Ahmed].
Allah
(swt) strongly emphasizes the rewards of people with taqwa in this life
and in the Hereafter. He (swt) said: And for those who fear Allah, He
prepares a way out, And He provides for him from (sources) they never
could imagine [TMQ 65:2-3]
For the Muttaqeen (pious believers) are Gardens in nearness to their Lord, with rivers flowing beneath [TMQ 3:15]
And
We have sent down to you the Book as an explanation of everything, a
guidance, a mercy and glad-tidings for those who submitted themselves to
Islam. [TMQ 16:89]
Complete Picture
The
Quran and Sunnah define the concept of taqwa as protecting oneself from
the Hellfire by following the orders of Allah (swt), by doing what He
(swt) has commanded and by avoiding what He (swt) has forbidden. Many
ayat in the Quran point to this:
“And
unto Allah belongs all that is in the Heavens and all that is on Earth.
And, verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before
you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allah, and keep your
duty to Him, But if you disbelieve, then unto Allah belongs all that is
in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is Ever Rich,
Worthy of all praise.” [TMQ 4: 131]
In the Prophet’s (saw) last khutbah, he said:
“I ask you to fear Him (swt), listen to Him (swt), and obey.”
In
another hadith narrated by Imam Ahmed (rh), when RasulAllah (saw) was
asked by a sahabi “Oh Messenger of Allah, give me some advice", the
Prophet (saw) responded,
“I advise you to fear Allah because it is the head of everything.”
In another occasion the Prophet (saw) replied, “Fear Allah because it is the collection of all goodness.”
Effect of Taqwa
"So establish regular Prayer and give Zakat; and obey the Messenger; that you may receive mercy" [TQM 24:56]
"And
your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be
kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in their
life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address
them in terms of honor" [TQM 17:23]
“The
answer of the Believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in
order that he may judge between them, is no other than this: they say,
"We hear and we obey": it is such as these that will prosper.” [TQM
26:51]
"Have
you seen the one who takes his own vain desire as Ilah (god)? Allah
has, knowing left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart (and
understanding), and put a cover on his sight: Who, then, will guide him
after Allah? Will ye not then receive admonition?"[TQM 45-23]
“And whoever fears Allah, and keeps his duty to Him, He will forgive his sins from him and will enlarge his reward.” [TMQ 65:5]
Motivators for Taqwa
Our
scholars have mentioned several things that engender this desire for
taqwa in the hearts. These are called bawa’ith (plural of ba’ith – that
which stimulates you to do something):
1. Fearing a Punishment in the Hereafter
2. Fear of worldly retribution
3. Hope for Wordly and Other-Worldly reward
4. Fear of Reckoning
5. Shame or modesty from the awareness of Allah
6. Sincerity in one’s love for God
Steps for Taqwa
1. Recite the Qur'an with its meanings
2. Remember Allah
3. Busy yourself with good works
4. Be with good company
5. Learn religious knowledge
6. Always be alert and aware of whatever may divert you away from Allah
7. Be humble in character
8. Do everything to please Allah
9. Focus on the main purpose of our lives
10. Remember much the destroyer of pleasures DEATH!
