Taqwa

TOPIC:     Taqwa
(  Fear of Allah): The Key to Learning  
Definition of Taqwa
The Messenger of Allah,   (  ملسو ه يلع لا يل ص ) said: Taqwa is here," and he
pointed to his chest.
Allah says,
 “O Believers! Fear ye God, (Have Taqwa) and believe in His Messenger; He
will give you two portions from His Mercy and will place in you light, which you will
walk with and He will forgive you.” (57:28)
Allah, the Almighty also says:
 “O Believers! If you will be fearing God He shell decree a decision for you and acquit
you of your sins and forgive you” (8:29)
Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (d.777H) said: “Ibn Abbaad, as-Suddee, ‘Ikrimah, ad-
Dahhaak, Qataadah and Muqaatil Ibn Mayan all said about “Furqaan” that it means: a
way out (from difficulty). Mujaahid added: “A way out (from difficulty) both in this
world   and   in  the   Hereafter”.   In   a   narration   from   Ibn   ‘Abbas   he   said   it   means:
salvation; and in another narration from him: being helped.
Muhammad bin Ishaaq said that it means: a criterion to judge between truth
and falsehood. This explanation from Ibn Ishaaq is the most general of what has
already preceded and it is a necessary consequence of it. Since whoever has Taqwa of
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Allah by obeying His commands and abandoning what he has prohibited, will be
given the ability to recognize truth from falsehood.
Concept of Taqwa (Piety)
Taqwa means: to cleanse or purify the heart and the soul. Some Aayaat in Sort
ush-Shams in which Allah says proves this fact:
اهنب امو ءامسلاو .  اهشغي اذا ليللاو .  اهلج ا ذا راهنلاو . اهلت اذا رمقلاو . اهحضو سمشلا و
دق و . اهكز نم حلف ا دق . اهوقتو اهروجف اهمهلاف . اهوس امو سفنو . اهحط امو ضر لاو .
. اهس د نم باخ  تيآ سمشلا ةروس( 1  ات  10  (
" By the sun and its rising sunshine, and by the moon when it comes after the
sun, and by the day when it brightens, it, and by the   night when it enshrouds it, and
by the heaven and as He made it, and by the earth and as he extended (outspread) it,
and   by   the   soul   and   as   He   shaped   it,   then   He   inspired   it   understanding   of
licentiousness and warding off! Verily prospered he who purified it, and failed he who
threw it into dust
 [91:1-10]
Among the missions of the Prophet (ملسو هيلع لا يلص) Allah sent him with the
command to purify the souls of the Muslims in particular, and of mankind in general.
Allah (T) says:
. ةمكحلاو بتكلا مهملعيو  مهيك زيو هت ايآ مهيلع اولتي مهنم لوسر نيملا يف ثعب يذلا وه
 تيآ ةعمجلا ةروس( 2  (
 “It is he who raised up from among the illiterate a Messenger from among
them, recites to them His verses and Book and the Wisdom and before that they had
been lying in manifest forgetfulness.” (62-2)
In this ayah the word Hikmah is often translated as wisdom. Imam Shafi', one
of the greatest scholars of Islam, said that when Allah mentions Hikmah in the Qur’an
it refers to the Sunnah of the Prophet ( ملسو هيلع لا يلص)  In addition to this ayah, we
see that the Prophet  ( ملسو هيلع لا يلص)  was sent with three tasks:
1) To teach the Qur’an.
2) To teach the Sunnah.
3) To show the means of purifying the soul.
This purification is obtained by doing the proper acts of 'ibaadah and by
avoiding sins and disobedience.
Conditions for Attaining Taqwa
How does a person know that his acts of 'ibaadah are helping him to achieve Taqwa?
To   develop   Taqwa,   one   must   fulfill   the   following   conditions:-
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1) Ikhlaas, sincere intention that the act is performed purely for the pleasure of Allah,
out of love for Him, while hoping for His reward and mercy, as well as fearing His
anger and punishment if He is disobeyed.
2) To do the deed in accordance with the authentic Sunnah. To have the necessary
knowledge   of   the   'ibaadah,   that   is   being   performed.   To   know   how   the   Prophet
...performed the action and proper times for the performance of that action.
Concerning Ikhlaas, it must be present both before and after performing the deed, with
no riyaa or sum'ah (doing things to be seen or heard by people). For instance, after
doing a good deed, someone tells others, " Look at all the good I have been doing ", or
" I'm such a marvelous person because I do such and such".
This formula, if used to achieve Taqwa, is scientific, in that if you follow it, while
fulfilling all of its conditions and their rights, you will achieve Taqwa Insha’a Allah.
Significance of Taqwa (Piety) in the Qur'an
When we look at the various practices and teachings of Islam with regards to
acts of worship, we find most of them, if not all, guiding people towards this state of
Taqwa. For example, with regards to fasting,
:يلاعتو هناحبس لا لاق  
Allah is saying, "O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it
was for those before you in order that you may be of those who have Taqwa."
This concept of Taqwa, wherein one seeks to protect oneself from the wrath of
Allah by doing the things, which are pleasing to Him, one can only do so if one is
conscious of Allah. This is why the term Taqwa is also expressed in English as God-
consciousness.   And   when   we   look  with   regards   to  salah,  we  find   Allah  saying,
"Establish   the   prayer   for   my   remembrance."
So   salah,   and   virtually   all   aspects   of   `ibaadah,   serve   to   keep   us   in   a   state   of
consciousness of Allah in that when a person is conscious of Him, aware that He is
watching, then that person would not seek to do the things which would not be
pleasing to Allah. It is when we forget Allah that Satan finds the opening, he is able to
approach us, suggest evil and we fall into evil.
A Muslim surrenders before Almighty Allah and does what he is ordered to do
and refrains from what he is told to keep away from. Taqwa, the fear of Almighty
Allah, is the only force that can restrain man from evil and wickedness. It is this fear
of   Almighty   God   that   keeps   the   heart   of   a   believer   awake   and   enables   him   to
distinguish   right   from   wrong.
Besides, Taqwa is the only virtue that brings honor to a believer, man or woman, in
the Islamic society. The Holy Qur'an says:
نا اوفر اعتل لئ ابقو اب وعش مكنلعجو يثن او رك ذ نم مكنقلخ ان ا س انلا اهيا اي
 تيآ تارجحلا ةروس(   مكقتا لا دنع مكم ركا 13  (
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“O mankind, We have created you of a male and a female and appointed your
castes and tribes that you may recognize one another.
Verily he has greater respect with God who is possessed of greater courtesy”
(49-13)
Justice and Taqwa are two principles that emerge as necessary corollaries from
the doctrines of Oneness of Allah, which according to the Holy Qur'an and the
Sunnah, is the basic article of faith, whereas the discipline and the dos and the don'ts
of the canon law are merely its outward expression, or means to the attainment of
divinely ordained ends of man in its collective as well as individual existence.
In Islam, being just is considered to be a necessary condition or being pious
and God-fearing, the basic characteristics of a Muslim.
 The Holy Qur'an says:
 تيآ هدئاملا ةروس(       نولمعت امب ريبخ لا نا لاوقتاو يوقتلل برقا وه اول دعا 8  (
“Do justice _ that is nearer to piety, and fear you God. Allah is well aware of
what you do.”
The Holy Qur'an aims to create an ideal society based on Taqwa for the good
of the entire humanity.
Allah says:
 تيآ نارمع لآ ةروس (    س انلل تجرخا تما ريخ متنك 110 (
"You are the best community created for the good of mankind." (3:110)
  The fear of Almighty Allah, the root of all wisdom, find expression in the
individual's awareness of the impact that his actions or failure to act will at the various
stages or levels of his social connections and relationship have on others. It is admitted
that the primary concern of Islam is to develop the personality of the individual as a
God fearing man, and equip him with the talent to live in peace with him and peace
with others.
In Surah Al Imran, Taqwa is bracketed with steadfastness and patience, and in
Surah Baqarah with making peace among mankind. Even in conducting wars, when
mere  values are generally overlooked, Muslims have to abide by the dictates of
Taqwa. This condition of heart transforms both the thinking and the action of man.
The Holy Qur'an repeatedly asks us to observe Taqwa, to abide by the decisions of the
Prophet, to act up to the injunctions of the Shariah, and to refrain from prohibited acts,
and to attain glory.