'Ibaadah can be defined as doing what Allah has commanded and avoiding
what He has prohibited. 'Ibaadah has also been defined as a concept
that includes all actions that Allah loves and approves of, whether
they are actions of the heart, the toungueor the limbs. So taqwaa
islinked with doing what iscorrect and avoiding thatwhich is wrong.
Taqwaa is the fruit of doing the actions of 'Ibaadah. In other words,
if one does what Allah has commanded him to do, and abstains from that
which he has been forbidden, he will achieve taqwaa. Allah mentions in
His Book (that means):
"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed
for those before you, thatyou may become muttaqoon (those who have
taqwaa or piety)."[ Al-Baqarah 2:183 ]
In this aayah and in manyothers, Allah has shown us that taqwaa is the
result or fruit of doing actions of ibaadah.
The Meaning of Taqwaa
Now that we have clarified how to achieve taqwaa, we define what the
concept of taqwaa means. Taqwaa means: tocleanse or purify the heart
and the soul. This fact is proven by some ayaat in Surat Ash-Shams in
which Allah (T) says (what means):
"By the sun and its brightness, by the moon as it follows it, by the
dayas it shows its brightness,by the night as it conceals it, by the
heavenand its wondrous make, by the earth and all its expanse, and by
the soul and He Who perfected it in proportion, then He showed it what
is wrong for it and what is right for it - indeed he succeeds who
purifies it, and he fails who corruptsit."[Ash-Shams 91:1-10]
Allah begins this soorah by taking seven oaths. Whenever Allah begins
a soorah or an ayaah with an oath, He (T) does so to bear witness to
the fact that whatever follows this oath is very important and
essential for us to understand. Therefore, we should payvery close
attention to what is being said, and reflect upon its meanings. To
cleanse one's heart and to purify the soul, one must perform righteous
actions that Allah has enjoined upon us, and our destruction lies in
doing the actions that Allah has forbidden. As Allah is the Guardian
and Protector of the Soul, we should do every good deed hoping for
Allah's Mercy and fearing His Punishment, having full reliance and
trust in Him (T).
Purification of the Soul
Among the missions of the Prophet (saws), Allah sent him with the
command to purify the souls of the Muslims in particular, and of
mankind in general. Allah(T) says (what means):
"He it is who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger from among
themselves, reciting to them His ayaat, purifying them, and teaching
them the Book and the Hikmah, while before they had been in error."
[Al-Jumu'ah 62:2]
In this ayaah the word
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 Taqwaa
How does a person knowthat his acts of 'ibaadah are helping him to
achieve taqwaa? To develop taqwaa, one must fulfill the following
conditions:
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
howthe Prophet (saws) 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, one must
not say to 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 taqwaa, is scientific, in that if you
follow it, while fulfilling all of its conditions and their rights,
you will achieve taqwaa insha
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