Taqwa fear piety in the quran and sunnah
Mu'
meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam
Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and
Blessings be upon all of you)
One
of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
My
dear Brother,
Assalamu
`alaikas wa Rahmatullah.......
Could
you please tell me in details about the Piety(Taqwa) as according to the Qur`an
and Sunnah sayings. I will be very much pleased if you kindly help me with
that.
Thank
you very much.
Ma`a
Salama
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grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not
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Answer:
Taqwa fear piety
in the quran and sunnah
In the name of
Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever
Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can
guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no
person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
The Arabic and
Quranic term ‘Taqwa’, because of the shallowness of the English language is
translated as Piety, Righteousness, God-Consciousness, or simply Fear of Allah
Subhanah; but the true meaning is much wider than all these terms put together!
Allah Says
in the Holy Quran Chapter 79 Surah Naziat verses 35-41:
35 The
Day when Man shall remember (all) that he strove for
36 And
Hell-Fire shall be placed in full view for (all) to see
37 Then
for such as had transgressed all bounds
38 And
had preferred the life of this world
39 The
Abode will be Hell-Fire;
40 And
for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (tribunal)
and had restrained (their) soul from lower Desires
41 Their
abode will be the Garden.
Allah Says
in the Holy Quran Chapter 76 Surah Dhahr verses 5-12:
5 As
to the Righteous they shall drink of a Cup (of Wine) mixed with Kafur
6 A
Fountain where the Devotees of Allah do drink making it flow in unstinted
abundance.
7 They
perform (their) vows and they fear a Day whose evil flies far and wide.
8 And
they feed for the love of Allah the indigent the orphan and the captive
9 (Saying)
"We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: No reward do we desire from you
nor thanks.
10 "We
only fear a Day of distressful Wrath from the side of our Lord."
11 But
Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day and will shed over them a
light of Beauty and a (blissful) Joy.
12 And
because they were patient and constant He will reward them with a Garden and
(garments of) silk.
In light of the
above and various other Aayahs of the Quran, Taqwa means to abstain from doing
anything that would bring about the Wrath and Displeasure of the Lord
All-Mighty; and to do deeds of righteousness which are commanded by Allah and
His Messenger (saws). Taqwa is to live
every moment of ones life with the solemn belief that One Inevitable Day every
soul will be brought forth in the Presence of the Majestic Lord to give a full
accounting of every one of his deeds.
Taqwa is to determine before doing anything whether the Lord Most
Merciful will be Pleased or Dis-pleased with the deed; if one determines that
the Lord will be pleased with the deed, he must do it wholeheartedly; and if
one determines that the deed would bring about the displeasure and Wrath of
Allah Subhanah, he must immediately abstain from it. Taqwa is to live every moment of one’s life
consciously striving to do deeds which would earn him the Pleasure and Good
Will of the Lord Most Merciful, and abstain from doing deeds which would bring
about His displeasure and Wrath.
If one studies the
Glorious Quran, one would realize that more often than not, wherever Allah
Subhanah Promises His slaves the
Allah Says
in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 133: Be quick in the race
for forgiveness from your Lord and for a Garden whose width is that (of the
whole) of the heavens and of the earth; prepared for the ‘Muttaqeen’.
Allah Says
in the Holy Quran Chapter 50 Surah Qaaf verses 31-33:
31 And
the Garden will be brought nigh to the ‘Muttaqeen’, no more a
thing distant.
32 (A
voice will say:) "This is what was promised for you, for everyone who
turned (to Allah) in sincere repentance who kept (his law).
33 "Who
feared (Allah) Most Gracious unseen and brought a heart turned in devotion (to
Him):
Allah Says
in the Holy Quran Chapter 52 Surah Tur verses 17-18:
17 As
to the ‘Muttaqeen’ they will be in Gardens and in Happiness
18 Enjoying
the (Bliss) which their Lord hath bestowed on them and their Lord shall deliver
them from the Penalty of the Fire.
Allah Says
in the Holy Quran Chapter 68 Surah Qalam verse 34: Verily for the ‘Muttaqeen’
are Gardens of Delight in the Presence of their Lord.
Allah Says
in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 31: Gardens of Eternity which
they will enter: beneath them flow (pleasant) rivers: they will have therein
all that they wish: thus doth Allah reward the ‘Muttaqeen’
Allah Says
in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verses 15-16:
15 Say:
"Is that (fire) better or the eternal Gardens promised to the ‘Muttaqeen’?
For them that is a reward as well as a goal (of attainment).
16 "For
them there will be therein all that they wish for: they will dwell (there) for
aye: a promise to be prayed for from thy Lord."
Whatever written of
Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever
of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows
Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your
Brother in Islam,
Burhan
Wister