Taqwa
تقوى : God-Consciousness; piety; fear of God
The origin of the word taqwa is from the Arabic root letters wa ka ya (meaning to shield) and its verb is from the word “ittaki”, which means to be careful, to be protected and/or to be cautious.
This is one of the most important ethical values and most profound concepts in Islam. It is a shield against wrongdoing. It is a means by which we may act to please Allah. Those with taqwa are the pious, the muttaqun (or muttaqeen).
Taqwa, essentially, is to protect one's self from punishment of Allah by obeying Him and by abstaining from what He prohibited. It is an internal compass for the path that leads towards Allah. The broader meaning and character of it is to develop one’s behavior by monitoring and controlling one's actions with a state of consciousness, staying away from carelessness, and acknowledging that our actions should be those of worship to Allah. It is a state of the heart that formulates that of the mind.
RasulAllah (ﷺ) said in a Hadith reported in the Sahih Muslim that, “Taqwa is here," as he pointed to his chest.
Taqwa is profoundly explained in a discussion between 'Umar and Ka'b who were companions of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It was reported that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab asked Ka'ab the meaning of taqwa; Ka'ab was renowned for his deep understanding of the Qur'an. In reply Ka’ab asked Umar (rA), "What do you do when you have to pass through a thorny road?" 'Umar (rA) replied, “I lift my cloth up to my calves and watch my footsteps and take each step slowly from the fear of thorns lest they don’t prick me”. Ka’b said, “This is Taqwa”.
So, Ka'ab inquired from Umar if he had walked through a thorny bush path with his cloak. 'Umar replied that that he moved very cautiously, so as not to tear his clothing. This display of caution is a manner in which we should be approaching all actions in life with, to be cautious and careful so that we may please Allah. A person must be completely aware of their surroundings and their own selves, to be disciplined with the correct action and behavior that will achieve closeness to Allah and the reward of pleasing Him.
Taqwa, essentially, is to protect one's self from punishment of Allah by obeying Him and by abstaining from what He prohibited. It is an internal compass for the path that leads towards Allah. The broader meaning and character of it is to develop one’s behavior by monitoring and controlling one's actions with a state of consciousness, staying away from carelessness, and acknowledging that our actions should be those of worship to Allah. It is a state of the heart that formulates that of the mind.
RasulAllah (ﷺ) said in a Hadith reported in the Sahih Muslim that, “Taqwa is here," as he pointed to his chest.
Taqwa is profoundly explained in a discussion between 'Umar and Ka'b who were companions of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It was reported that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab asked Ka'ab the meaning of taqwa; Ka'ab was renowned for his deep understanding of the Qur'an. In reply Ka’ab asked Umar (rA), "What do you do when you have to pass through a thorny road?" 'Umar (rA) replied, “I lift my cloth up to my calves and watch my footsteps and take each step slowly from the fear of thorns lest they don’t prick me”. Ka’b said, “This is Taqwa”.
So, Ka'ab inquired from Umar if he had walked through a thorny bush path with his cloak. 'Umar replied that that he moved very cautiously, so as not to tear his clothing. This display of caution is a manner in which we should be approaching all actions in life with, to be cautious and careful so that we may please Allah. A person must be completely aware of their surroundings and their own selves, to be disciplined with the correct action and behavior that will achieve closeness to Allah and the reward of pleasing Him.
On the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junadah, and Abu AbdiRahman Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said:
"Be conscious of Allah wherever you are. Follow the bad deed with a good one to erase it, and engage others with beautiful character." Hadith Hasan (Recorded in at-Tirmidhi) |
Any mistake is something that can be conquered and defeated with goodness; doing good, for the sake of Allah, out of love and fear for Allah, cleanses the heart from the stains of sin. Thus, we must live and breathe mindfully. We must do with a conscience. We must think beyond the window of our immediate actions to the consequences their consequences.
Let this serve as a reminder to both you and I, and anyone we may share this with. We must correct our intentions and live with honesty, sincerity, honor, virtue. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in this hadith, reminds us to be conscious of Allah at any moment-in any place-at any time-in any situation. We must be heedful of our Lord. We must have taqwa. Regardless of what happens to us, what we have been through, where we are or what we are doing, we must be aware that Allah, the All-Knowing (العليم), the Perfectly Wise (الحكيم), the All-Hearing (السميع) and the All-Seeing (البصير) will know what we do, think, say.
To have taqwa, a constant consciousness of Allah, is a sign of both love and fear for Him, for we act cautiously with Him in mind, loving that which He loves, and fearing the punishment of that which He does not. In this hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) teaches us that we must have God-consciousness no matter where we are, who we are or who we may be with, no matter what we are doing.
Taqwa is a quality all believers should strive for. But even those with taqwa may make mistakes. We are not perfect beings-we are lost at times, temperamental at times, forgetful at times, sad at times, consumed by our surroundings-but this is not an excuse for us to allow ourselves to persist in bad deeds. This is not an excuse for us to continually sin, to accept our errors and say that we are human. We constantly are in battle with our nafs. Our desires. Our egos. Our selves. Add to that battle the push and stab and pull of the shayateen. Yes, we are human. Yes, we make mistakes. No, it doesn't make it okay. We were created to worship, to submit to our Lord, so why do we allow ourselves to stray from our one true purpose? We can rise after falling.
There are different kinds of people, those who allow their nafs to overcome them and lead them to ruin, and those who overcome their nafs and made them obey their commands, who correct themselves and act with Allah in mind. We mustn't allow ourselves to dwell in sin, nor should we ever despair in our errors. We are not beyond being forgiven, but it is up to us to make the difference. The way of the people of taqwa is to turn back to Allah no matter what happens, even if they sin-especially if they sin. Allah says in the Quran:
"And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and (to) a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous, Who spend (for the sake of Allah) during ease and hardship and who restrain angerand who pardon the people-verily, Allah loves the doers of good; And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves (with sin), remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their transgressions-and who can forgive sins except Allah?-and (those who) do not persist in what they have done while they know. Those-their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally; How excellent is the reward for the doers of taqwa." (3:133-136)
The reward for taqwa is forgiveness. Glory be to Allah. Some people are guilty after committing a sin-alhamdulillah for feeling guilty as that is a sign of love and fear for Allah and a sign of guidance if we so choose to act proactively from it. If we transform our guilt as motivation to correct ourselves and follow our bad deeds with good deeds, then we are turning away from sin and seeking forgiveness. Never should we allow our guilt or regret to stop us from moving forward. Having sinned is not a reason to keep doing it. Who are we to question or lose hope in the Oft-Forgiving, the Merciful? When we sin, we should do something good immediately to absolve ourselves and remain positive. This, in turn, allows us to create a habit of checking our actions, thinking before saying or doing, with Allah at the forefront of our thoughts. This allows us to develop good character as we strive to attain the mercy of Allah and do good.
The response to a sin should not be to wait, but rather to race to do something good so the sin can be erased. Our attitude should be proactive and positive. We should always have hope that Allah can, and will, have mercy on us as long as we keep struggling and pushing forward.
May Allah make us amongst the muttaqeen (those with taqwa), refine our souls with taqwa, and purify our hearts. Ameen.
Our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) always advised his companions to fear ALLAH in all their matters. He once said, “Fear Allah in your worldly matters and fear Him regarding your wives.” [Ibn Majah]
In another hadith, Abu Ummah (rA) narrates that he heard the Prophet (pbuh) saying in a speech during his Hajj, “Fear Allah, and pray your five prayers, fast your month (Ramadan), and pay the zakaat of your money, and obey those who are in authority among you so that you will enter your Lord’s Paradise.” [Tirmidhi]
Abu Darda (rA) said: “From the completion of taqwa is that the servant fears from His Lord even with regards to things the weight of an atom." Abu Darda's advice for the believers who wish to accomplish a character with taqwa is to fear to commit even the smallest of sins.
So we must fear Allah. In the Qur'an, Allah states, “And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear (of Allah),” (surah Baqarah 2:197). No good deed is acceptable except that which is a result of Taqwa. Allah also says: “But righteousness is (in) one who fears.” (2:189)
Constantly, we are reminded to fear Allah, for this will develop a pious behavior in which allows us to become closer to our Lord and attain Jannah, inshaAllah.
In another hadith, Abu Ummah (rA) narrates that he heard the Prophet (pbuh) saying in a speech during his Hajj, “Fear Allah, and pray your five prayers, fast your month (Ramadan), and pay the zakaat of your money, and obey those who are in authority among you so that you will enter your Lord’s Paradise.” [Tirmidhi]
Abu Darda (rA) said: “From the completion of taqwa is that the servant fears from His Lord even with regards to things the weight of an atom." Abu Darda's advice for the believers who wish to accomplish a character with taqwa is to fear to commit even the smallest of sins.
So we must fear Allah. In the Qur'an, Allah states, “And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear (of Allah),” (surah Baqarah 2:197). No good deed is acceptable except that which is a result of Taqwa. Allah also says: “But righteousness is (in) one who fears.” (2:189)
Constantly, we are reminded to fear Allah, for this will develop a pious behavior in which allows us to become closer to our Lord and attain Jannah, inshaAllah.
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Please contact me about any discrepancies found, errs in information, etc. May Allah guide us and forgive us our shortcomings!