TAQWA IN ISLAM

Assalaamu Alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh

Taqwa means fearing Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. When a person fears Almighty Allah then he will not commit sins. Taqwa incorporates consciousness and fear of Allah as well as piety. Piety is basically righteousness that can be only obtained by the obedience of Almighty Allah and refrain from His prohibitions. We can say that Taqwa is the key to happiness and success in this life and the hereafter too. Taqwa also acts as a channel through which Muslims relate to one another in society and also a medium to link their actions. Allah alone is the Creator of this world and He is The Most Merciful for all His mankind, it is repeatedly mentioned in Qur'an. The obeying of the Great Lord is not confined to only fulfilling religious actions, but being moral in every aspect of life, as observed in the following verse of the Holy Qur'an: “O, you who believe! When you hold secret counsel, do it not for sin and wrong-doing, and disobedience towards the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) but do it for Al-Birr (righteousness) and Taqwa (virtues and piety), and fear Allah unto Whom you shall be gathered.” (Qur'an, 58:9)

From the verse it indicates that Taqwa means a lot more than just piousness. It is the combination of our beliefs, self-awareness, and attitudes. It is a reminder to stay on the path of uprightness, decency and knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is about having Lord Consciousness in terms of knowing and obeying all His orders including not only fearing Him but also acting in all His directions. In Qur'an, Allah says: “O you who believe! Fear God and be with those who are true (in word and deed).” (Qur'an, 9:119)

Taqwa acts as a barrier between the Muslims and the anger and displeasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. In Hadith Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wa salaam said: “Fear Allah because it is the collection of all goodness.” From above ayahs and hadith, we can conclude that if we want to be successful, and want to get Allah’s blessings and pleasure then we should fear Allah and have to do the righteous deeds which are the source of pleasing Allah Almighty.

But the question is how can we obtain Taqwa?... there are several ways in which we can obtain Taqwa. Letting go of haram is way for us to obtain Taqwa, by being aware of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and knowing that He watches everything we do, we will avoid the prohibitions. Also, increase in worship of Allah like reading the Qur’an daily, fasting outside ramadhaan praying at night (tahajjud) and during your free time, giving sadaqah (charity) more often instead of just on Fridays, making more du’a during the day, and praying before and after every prayer are ways for us to obtain Taqwa and pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. More so, struggling against your nafs (self-jihad); struggling against one’s desires is one of the greatest form of jihad we can do, as it is the hardest and through that we can obtain Taqwa.

Taqwa is a quality in which one can gain a lots of benefits from obtaining it. Among the benefits are;

• o   Guidance: there is guidance for those who are muttaqin (the people of taqwa) as Allah says in the Qur'an, suratul Baqarah verse 2; “guidance for those conscious of Allah”. People who fear Almighty Allah will seek guidance from the Holy Book of Allah, the Qur'an.
• o   Ease of matters: In the Holy Qur'an, Allah Almighty says in surah At-Talaq verse 4; “And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him ease in his matter.” Whoever has Taqwa, Allah makes matter easy for him in this world and the hereafter. This does not necessarily mean the person will not face difficulty, but through the blessings of his Taqwa, he is guaranteed ease and the strength to bear these difficulties without losing faith or hope by Almighty Allah. The reward of facing these difficulties will be given by Allah in the hereafter.
• o   Allah’s love for muttaqin (the people of Taqwa): In the Holy Qur'an, Allah the Almighty says in surah Al-Imran verse 76; “Truly Allah loves the Muttaqin.” From this verse, we can conclude that Allah loves those who are pious. Taqwa is the source of gaining Allah’s love and blessings.
• o   Ability to distinguish truth from falsehood: When a believer sees to it that his obedience to Allah and love for him stay above everything else, he is gifted by Allah with the sight of distinguishing between true and false or we can say good or bad deeds. In Holy Qur'an Allah says in surah Al-Anfal verse 29; “O you who believe! If you fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion (furqan).”
• o   Acceptance of Actions: Allah says in Qur'an about the acceptance of actions or deeds in surah Ma’idah verse 27; “Allah only accepts from the people of Taqwa “. People who are Muttaqin Allah loves them and accept their actions and deeds.
• o   Success from Taqwa: Allah Almighty says in Holy Qur'an surah Al-Imran verse 200; “Have taqwa of Allah in order that you might succeed”. Anyone who wants to get success in this life and the hereafter has to do righteous deeds for the pleasure of Almighty Allah. Taqwa is also to do righteous deeds for fear of Allah Almighty.
• o   A way out of Difficulties: Allah says in Holy Qur'an about those who are facing problems in surah At-Talaq verse 2; “And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out.”. People who are facing difficulties but still remain steadfast in their faith for the sake of Allah then He subhanahu wa ta’ala will surely make a way for them to get rid of these problems. Taqwa serves as a divine guard against trials of this world as well as the difficulties of the hereafter.

My respected brothers and sisters in Islam, let’s all strive hard in order to obtain the fear and consciousness of Allah (Taqwa). For the success in this life and the hereafter, we have to have taqwa. We should not delay in increasing our taqwa we pray to Allah Almighty to guide us towards the right path and help us become pious and righteous Muslims. Aamiin...