Fasting and taqwa.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
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this question:
As salaamu'alaikum Wa
May Allaah subhaanu wa ta'aala give the best of rewards
to you and your whole team for uplifting the community in terms of Religious
Knowledge and deeds...
Brother,I have read the verse of qur-aan pertaining to
Fasting(at the end of that verse Allaah says "la 'allakum
tattaqoon").
Can you explain that?
Jazaakallaahu khairaa.
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errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
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Answer:
Fasting and taqwa
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 none worthy of worship but Allah
Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the
seal of His Messengers.
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 183:
183 O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed
to those before you that ye may (learn) ‘taqwa’.
Ref: What exactly does ‘taqwa’
mean?
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imraan verse 102:
102 O ye who believe! ‘It-taku’ Allah as is its right, and die not except
in a state of Islam.
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 1 (part):
1 O mankind! ‘Itt-taku’ your Guardian-Lord Who created you.
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 10:
10 Say: "O ye my servants who believe! ‘It-taku’ your Lord: good
is (the reward) for those who do good in this world. Spacious is Allah's earth! Those who
patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!"
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 59 Surah Hashr verse 18:
18 O ye who believe! ‘It-taku’ Allah, and let every soul look to what
(provision) he has sent forth for the morrow.
Yea ‘It-taku’ Allah: for Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do.
To be extremely honest, there is
just no term in the English language which has the capacity to do justice to
the vast and comprehensive meaning of the Arabic and Quranic term of ‘taqwa’!
The Arabic and Quranic term
‘Taqwa’, because of the shallowness of the English language is translated as
Piety, Righteousness, God-Consciousness, duty, or simply as the ‘Fear’ of Allah
Subhanah; but the true meaning is much much more comprehensive than all these
terms put together!
The state of constant
consciousness of standing in the Presence of the Majestic and Supreme Lord One
Inevitable Day is what Allah Subhanah calls ‘taqwa’ or piety in His Quran; and
it is this state of ‘taqwa’ alone which has the capacity to inspire one towards the doing of deeds that would earn
one the Eternal Pleasure and Good Will of their Lord, and it is this same state
of ‘taqwa’ which alone has the capacity to inspire one to abstain from doing
anything which would ignite or bring about the Unbearable Wrath and Anger of
the Lord Most Majestic, Most Supreme.
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:
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:
34 Verily for the ‘Muttaqeen’
are Gardens of Delight in the Presence of their Lord.
Thus brother, depending on the
context in which the term ‘taqwa’ or its derivative is used in the Glorious
Quran, it could mean piety, and/or righteousness, and/or God-consciousness,
and/or duty, or and/or fear, etc.…….or even a combination of all these meanings
together!
Your Question: ….Brother,I have read the verse of qur-aan
pertaining to Fasting(at the end of that verse Allaah says "la 'allakum
tattaqoon").
Can you explain that?
In the above quoted verse, Allah
Subhanah guides the believers regarding the main reason or wisdom behind the
Command of fasting…ie. so that the believers may learn ‘taqwa’. The fasting is but a ‘training-course’
prescribed by the Lord Most Gracious to enable the believers to develop this
all important element of ‘taqwa’….
For example:
- Just as every believer abstains from food,
drink, sex, etc. during the time period of dusk to dawn at one Command of
the Lord….similarly one should strive to obey every other Command of the
Lord during the times when one is not fasting…..for the same Lord Most
High Who Commanded the believers to abstain from food and drink during the
fast period is the same Lord Who Commands the believers to abstain from
the things which He has declared as ‘haraam’.
- One who declares that he is fasting could very
well eat and drink when no one sees him…but one does not do so because one
knows that Allah Subhanah is well aware of everything one does! Similarly at the other times of the
year, one should fear Allah and abstain from every thing or act prohibited
by the Lord!
Thus brother, in essence, the
ordainment of fasting is nothing more than a blessed training process the Lord
Most Gracious has prescribed as worship unto the believers….so that they may
learn to attain and develop this all-important element of ‘taqwa’.
Whatever written of
Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever
of error is of me alone. Allah Alone
Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister