TAQWAA

Taqwaa (piety) forms part of the basic essentials of Islam. It means
to observe the Divine commandments conscientiously and scrupulously
and to avoidall forbidden, wicked and shameful things, believing
wholly and firmly in the Great Requital of the Last Day and fearin
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and His wrath and punishment. In other
words, it demands of us, on the one hand, to carry out, thoroughly and
well, the duties prescribed by the Almighty and to fulfill zealously
the rights of men who have a claim onus according to the Divine law,
and, on the other, to refrain strictly from doing anything thathas
been prohibited by Him. It calls on us to make the fear of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) our constant companion. Both in the Holy
Quraan and the Traditions a very great emphasis has been laid on
Taqwaa and righteousness and it has been urged on us most forcefully
and persistently to cultivate itin ourselves. Some of the relevant
verses of the Holy Quraan are:
O ye who believe! fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) as He should be
feared and die not except in a state of Islam. [III-102]
So fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) as much as you can; listen and obey.
O ye who believe! fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and let everysoul
look to what (provisions) he has sent forth for the morrow. And fear
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa); for Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) is
well-acquainted with (all) that ye do. [LIX-18]
The Quraanic verses, further, reveal that there is a great favour of
the Lord even in this world on those who fear Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and practise Taqwaa and righteousness. Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) shows special munificence to them and makes His help
available to them in thousand ways:
And for those who fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) He (ever)
prepares a way out and He provides for him from (sources) he never
could imagine. [XLV:2-3]
The Holy Quraan also tellsthat those who lead a lifeof Taqwaa and
righteousness become the Friends of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa),
and, then, for them there is neither fear nor shall they ever grieve.
Behold! verily on the Friends of Allah there is no fear nor shall they
grieve, those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil; for
them are Glad Tidings in the life of the world and the Hereafter.
[X-62-64]
Some of the wonderful boons and blessings that await the pious. and
the righteous in the Hereafter have been revealed briefly in the
following verses:
Say: shall 1 give you glad tidings of things far better than those?
for the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord with rivers
flowing beneath; thereinis their eternalhome withCompanions (pure and
holy) and the good pleasure of Allah For in Allah's sight are (all)
His servants. [111:15]
And verily, for the Righteous is a beautiful place of (Final) Return.
Gardens of Eternity whose doors will ever be opened to them; therein
will they recline (at ease);therein can they call (at pleasure) for
fruit in abundance and (delicious) drink; and beside them will be
chaste women restraining their glances (companions): equal age.Such is
the promise madefor the Day of Account! Truly, such will be Our Bounty
(to you) It will never fail. [XXXVIII:49-54]
In the Holy Quraan., again men of Taqwaa aregiven the very special
tidings of place of exceptional nearness to Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) in the Hereafter:
As to the Righteous they will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers in
an Assembly fo Truth in the presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent.
[LIV:54-55]
The sole criterion of honour and superiority with Allah (Subhaanahu
Watá'aalaa) is Taqwaa.
Verily the most honouredof you in the sight of Allah is (he who is)
the most righteous of you. [XLIX:13]
Similarly, it has been declared by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaibeWasallam) in one of his Traditions that:
"Nearest and dearest to me are those who possesses the virtue of
Taqwaa (no matter what race or nationality they belong to or which
country they live in)."
Taqwaa (i.e. fear of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and a over powering
anxiety for theHereafter) is the root of all virtue. It is the measure
of all goodness. We will be as good and noble and as free from what is
bane and corruptas there is Taqwaa in us.
Some other Traditions of Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) are:
"A holy Companion once said to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe
Wasallam), O Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam)! I have heard so
many of your valuable sayings That I fear I may not be able to
remember them all. So I request youfor a comprehensive advice which
may suffice for me always. The Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam)
replied, "Fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) in proportion to your
knowledge and make that fear and Taqwaa theguiding principles of your
life."
"He who has fear will set out early and he who willset out early will
reach the destination in time."
"The fortunate and the successful, indeed, are those who fear Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and prepare for the life to come."
"Even a single tear shed out of fear of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
and of His anger and punishment carries a great value in His eyes."
"There are two drops," says the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam),
"and two marks than which nothing is more precious to Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa). Of the two drops so exceedingly dear to Him,
one is the tear that may have fallen from the eyes of anyone out of
His fear, and the other is the drop of blood that is shed in His path.
Similarly, of the two marks one is the mark sustained in the path of
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) (i.e. the scar left behind by a wound
sustained in Jihad), and the other is the mark which may have
developed as a result of the carrying out of a religious obligation
(as for example, the marks one often sees on the forehead and knees of
those who offer the Salaah regularly)."
We will take up one more Tradition of the Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam). It says:
"Never can he go to hell who weeps in the fear ofAllah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)."
The sum and full substance of the entire discussion is that it is
great, indeed, to be blessed with true fear of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and a genuine solicitude for the Hereafter. It can
literally revolutionise one's whole existence.
Brothers! Know it thoroughly and well that one who is Allah-fearing in
this transitory world will have absolutely nothing to worry in the
Hereafter. He will have neither fear nor anxiety. He will dwell in
eternal peace, comfort and happiness by the Grace of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa). On the contrary, he who is not Allah-fearing and shows no
concern for After-life and refuses to look beyond the pleasures of
material existence for him. There will be terrible anguish and
distress in the life to come. For thousands of years he will be
sheddingtears of blood.
The surest way to develop Taqwaa, i.e. Allah-fearingness and
solicitude for the Hereafter is to avail oneself of the company of the
devout servants of the Lord who fear Him and obey His commands
honestly. Then there are good and reliable religious books which
should be read regularly, and, if a person is illiterate, he should
have them read out to him by others. Lastly, it is advisable to
meditate in solitude on death and onthe rewards one is going to get
from Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) for one's, good, and virtuous
deedsand the punishment that is going to be awarded by Him for one's
sins and transgressions against the Divine Law. One should dwel
mentally on one's state and visualise what is going to happen in the
grave. What will one's condition be when men will be raised up again
on the Last Day and produced before Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)?
What will one do when the balance-sheet of one's conduct on the earth
willbe unrolled? Where will one, then hide one's face?