More than a billion people today say “La Ilaha
Illallah”, yet many of us would agree that the Muslim ummah as a whole will
be quite possibly missing out on additional mercy and blessings of Allah unless we start living by
those words in our lives. Many among us either don’t know how to live up to
those words or simply don’t find it necessary to do so. To them, recognizing a
deity called “Allah” is all that is needed to be categorized as a “believer”.
As we shall see later, Quran tells us that it may be nothing short of a sign of
hypocrisy.
The fact is that those who call themselves
“Muslims” need to infuse their hearts with “Taqwa” if they want to be viewed by
Allah as true believers. In the English language, “Taqwa”
has been translated and interpreted in various ways so that it may mean piety,
righteousness, fearful of Allah, being God conscious, and so on. But we know
that, similar to other words in the Quran, it is difficult to get a
corresponding one word translation. Instead, some Quranic words pack more
detailed concepts that must be elaborated on when translated into other
languages.
After the first Surah (Al-Fatihah), which is mostly
considered as a Dua, the Quran continues with Surah Al-Baqara (verse # 2) as
follows:
“This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no
doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqin (People of Taqwa).” (Sura
Al-Baqarah:2)
This verse thus makes Taqwa a prerequisite for
seeking guidance from Quran (a guidance
to those who are Al-Muttaqun, i.e., who have Taqwa). Tafsir ibn Kathir states: “Hidayah – correct guidance –
is only granted to those who have Taqwa.” He went on to point out that “the
guidance in it (Quran) is only granted to the righteous (people with Taqwa in
their hearts), just as Allah said,
(O mankind! There has come to you a good advice
from your Lord, and a healing for that which is in your breasts (disease of
ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences), a guidance and a mercy for the
believers (Surah Younus:57).
What is Taqwa?
Rather than coining our own definitions, let’s look
at how various scholars have defined Taqwa (Reference
2). Abu Darda (R) said: “From the completion of Taqwa is that the servant
fears from His Lord even with regard to things, the weight of an atom.”
Sheikh Muhammed Tantawi says: “The word
‘Muttaqoon’ is the plural of ‘Muttaqi’. ‘Muttaqi’ is the gerund from the verb
‘Ittaqa’ (acquired protection). ‘Ittaqa’ is from the root verb ‘Waqa’ which
means he protected himself from that which harms him.”
One of the more complete definitions and
explanations was provided by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah. He states that Taqwa
“includes doing everything that Allah has enjoined whether it is waajib
(obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended), and avoiding all that He has
forbidden, whether it is haraam (forbidden) or makrooh (disliked).” [Reference 1]
A heart infused with Taqwa is, therefore, an
attitude that one adopts about following Allah's teachings. It provides us the filter to
get a renewed perspective regarding how we live various aspects of our lives
because we become aware of Allah’s pleasure and displeasure in all our affairs.
It is Taqwa that gives meaning to our simple
worship rituals that otherwise would be nothing without it. Haven’t we pondered
what would the physical actions of salat (prayers) such as bowing and
prostrating mean without a heart infused with Taqwa? What makes the hunger and
thirst (when fasting) of a believer different from the same actions of a
non-believer? How would the physical acts of going between the two mountains of
Safa and Marwa
(in Hajj and Umrah) become valuable in the eyes of Allah? It’s the Taqwa in
our hearts that provide these simple physical rituals a special meaning in the
eyes of Allah. For example, when mentioning the ritual of sacrificing
animals (in Allah’s name) in the Quran, Allah says, “It is neither their
meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is Taqwa (piety, etc.) from you
that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you so that you may glorify
Allah for His guidance to you…” (Surah Al-Hajj: 37).
Let’s ensure, therefore, that our worship is not
limited to empty acts but is rather adorned with Taqwa. Again, as the verse
states, “…but it is the Taqwa (piety) from you that reaches Him.”
Where do we fall related to our
Taqwa and the guidance from Allah?
If we read the first few verses of Surah Al-Baqara
(almost the beginning of the Quran), we would note that Allah describes three
types of people related to guidance.
The first group: In the first few verses (verses 2 – 5), He clearly
explains that the Quran is a guidance for those who have Taqwa in their hearts
and this guidance causes them to be successful. The people described in these
verses are those who:
(1) Believe in the unseen (e.g. Allah, angels, the
holy books that Allah revealed but got changed, prophets, day of resurrection,
and Al-Qadr)
(2) Perform salat
(3) Spend for Allah’s causes from what Allah has
provided to them
(4) Believe in what Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad
(5) Believe in what Allah revealed to the prophets
before Muhammad, and
(6) Believe in hereafter.
The second group: The second group (described in
verses 6 and 7) falls on the other end of the spectrum, and are the
disbelievers. In describing them Allah says that it is the seal on their hearts
and ears as well as a covering in their eyes that has caused them to
disbelieve.
The third group: Finally, the Quran uses more verses (verses 8
through 18) in describing those regarding whom Allah says, “And of
mankind, there are some who say: “We believe in Allah and the Last Day” while
in fact they believe not” (verse 6). Some of the attributes that Allah
points out in those people (in those verses) are the following:
(1) They think they are deceiving Allah and the
believers but in fact they are deceiving themselves.
(2) In their hearts there is a disease (of doubt
and hypocrisy).
(3) When Allah tells them to believe by modeling
themselves according to the prophet and the true believers, they say, “Shall we
believe as the fools have believed?” Allah then responds by saying that
“Verily, they are the fools but they know not.”
(4) They mock the believers in turn and then Allah
says: “Allah mocks at them and gives them increase in their wrongdoings to
wander blindly.”
(5) Allah remarks about these people: “These are
they who have purchased error for guidance, so their commerce was profitless.
And they were not guided.”
The above (based on verses 2 – 18 of Al-Baqara)
should be sufficient to move our hearts to the core and should create the
urgency to associate ourselves with the first group (the ones with Taqwa).
While a majority of us believers will associate ourselves with the first group,
our behaviors and attitudes may instead make us appear to belong to the third.
Let’s, therefore, ensure that our actions (not just words) disclose that we are
people who have Taqwa (as mentioned in verse 2).
On the road to inculcate Taqwa
Once we say “La Ilaha Illallah”,
we should take a few steps to lodge Taqwa (piety, righteousness, humbleness,
fear, God consciousness, etc.) in our hearts. Some of the steps we can take
include the following:
Know as a believer that it’s
Allah’s (our creator and sustainer’s) right to be obeyed: Let us never forget that it is
Allah’s right to be obeyed. Ibn
Qayyim said: “A benefit of understanding Allah’s right over the
servant is that it opens the door of humbleness in front of Allah and closes
the doors of conceit. It allows one to realize that salvation is only through
Allah’s grace and mercy. It is Allah’s right that He should be obeyed
and not disobeyed: that He should be remembered and not forgotten and that He
should be appreciated and not unappreciated . . . Many people think
about their rights over Allah and do not about His rights over them. This is
how they are detached from Allah and deprived of the desire to meet Him. This
is the epitome of ignorance of their Lord and of themselves” (Ighathatul
lahfaan 1/99-101; secondary reference).
Audit yourself: From time to time we should
pause and assess the condition of our hearts. If we do that with full
introspection, it wouldn’t be difficult to determine whether our hearts are
filled with piety and fear of Allah (Taqwa), or have remnants of hardness and a
carefree attitude about Allah and His teachings. Allah says in the Quran: “O
you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person
look to what he has sent forth for the morrow (tomorrow), and fear Allah.
Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do” (Surah Al-Hashr:18). Ibn
kathir says that the phrase ‘let each soul see’ or “let every person
look” in the above verse means to take an account of one’s own actions
before being audited (by Allah) (Tafseer of Ibn Kathir: 4/346). Omar bin
Khattab wrote to one of his employees: “Audit yourself in prosperity before the
auditing of adversity. Whoever does this will be pleased and envied. Whoever is
distracted from this by his life and fantasies, will face remorse and loss.”
Reflect your Taqwa in your deeds: Once you build the Taqwa in your
heart (become cognizant of, and fear Allah in all your affairs), you should
start practicing it in your actions. The sahaba and salaf used to exert
themselves in ensuring that their actions reflected the Taqwa in their hearts.
It’s said that Ibn Omar used to stay awake the whole night if he missed a
prayer in congregation (because he knew (through the Taqwa in his heart)
Allah’s pleasure associated with one praying in congregation). Imam Ghazali
mentioned that we let ourselves (our nafs) off the hook when it (our nafs) is
our biggest enemy and is more likely to rebel against our own selves (Ihya’ul
ulum al-din, 4/381). About ensuring that we bring Taqwa in our actions, Abu
Dhar reported that the Messenger of Allah, said: “Fear Allah wherever you
may be; follow up an evil deed with a good one which will wipe (the former)
out, and behave good-naturedly towards people” [Al-Tirmidhi].
Condition yourself to inculcate
Taqwa: We have to condition ourselves to fear Him by
observing and reflecting more about our existence, our vulnerability as humans
in this ocean in which we are journeying, and about the end that each one of us
will meet soon. We should also become avid learners about what pleases Allah and
what displeases Him and take that seriously. This observation and learning will
enable us to learn new truths that can help us condition our states and hearts
to inculcate the required Taqwa in our hearts.
Parting Words
Let’s ponder over Quran’s last verse that was
revealed to the prophet (agreed to by many scholars, including ibn Kathir). It
says: “And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah.
Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt
with unjustly (Surah Al-Baqara: 281).”
Remember, we are what we are – with the rewards and
punishments from Allah and His mercy on us – based on the level of our faith in Allah
and the Taqwa in our hearts. Sometimes we forget the connection between how our
lives turn out to be and the One who makes it all happen. Once you remind
yourself of that, remember the power bestowed by Allah on you as regards “free
will” and how you can use it to influence the quality of your own lives. As
long as you respect the limits that He has set for us (through the Taqwa in
your heart), you can earn the blessings that He has promised for you, both in
this life and in the hereafter.
We should, therefore, not delay to take a strong
decision to increase our Taqwa. As Allah says in the Quran: “Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that
(believer) who has At-Taqwa” [al-Hujrat 49:13].
Source: iqrasense.com
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