Encouragement towards taqwaa-Qur’aan and Sunnah
Steps towards achieving taqwaa
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- The meaning of taqwaa and the importance thereof have already been discussed. Taqwaa is of great virtue and significance. There are numerous verses in the Qur’aan that command us to be conscious of Allah ﷻ -to have taqwaa.
Allah ﷻ says:
وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ (سورة البقرة : ٢٨٢)
And fear Allah (have taqwaa). And Allah teaches you. And Allah is Knowing of all things. Soorat al-Baqarah: 282]
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ (سورة آل عمران :۱۰۲)
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims. [Soorat ‘Aall ‘Imraan: 102]
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌۭ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍۢ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ (سورة الحشر : ١٨ )
O you who have believed, fear Allah and let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow, fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is acquainted with what you do. [Soorat al-Hashr: 18]
وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَٱصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا ۖ لَا نَسْـَٔلُكَ رِزْقًۭا ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ ۗ وَٱلْعَـٰقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ (سورة طه : ١٣٢)
And enjoin prayer upon your family [and people] and be steadfast therein. We ask you not for provision; We provide for you, and the best outcome is for [those of] righteousness (taqwaa). [Soorah Taa Haa:132)
- Regarding taqwaa ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said:
“The nobility of the mu’min is his taqwaa. His deen is his noble descent. His manliness is his good character. Boldness and cowardice are but instincts which Allah ﷻ places wherever He wills..” (Muwalla Maalik)
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) : لا تحاسدوا، ولا تناجشوا ولا تباغضوا، ولا تدابروا، ولا يبع بعضكم على بيع بعض، وكونوا عباد الله إخواناً، المسلم أخو المسلم لا يظلمه ولا يخذله ولا يكذبه ولا يحقره التقوى ههنا . وأشار إلى صدره ثلاث مرات بحسب امرئ من الشر أن يحقر أخاه المسلم كل المسلم على المسلم حرام دمه وماله وعرضه… (مسلم)
The Prophet said: Do not hold a grudge against another person, and do not outbid him to raise the price and do not harbor aversion or enmity and do not enter into a transaction when others have entered into that transaction and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. The taqwaa is here, (and while saying so) he pointed towards his chest thrice. It is a serious evil for a Muslim that he should look down upon his brother Muslim. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for his brother in faith; his blood, his wealth and his honor. (Muslim)
How to Achive Taqwaa
- Taqwaa deals primarily with our spiritual relationship with Allah ﷻ and our consciousness of Him The best way of understanding this relationship and achieving taqwaa is to first understand who Allah ﷻ is, through His Asmaa’ (names) and Sifaat (attributes). Besides a correct understanding of taqwaa we also need a correct understanding of Allah ﷻ and His unity (Tawheed). We will not be able to be conscious of Allah ﷻ or fear Him, unless we understand His majesty, power, might, lordship and so on. It is important to note that the Prophet ﷺ after receiving the first revelation, spent approximately 13 years to establish Tawheed in the hearts of the Muslims which resulted in a consciousness of Allah ﷻ .
- It was the believers’ degree of consciousness (taqwaa) that enabled them to endure intense hardships, and sacrifice their lives and wealth for the sake of Allah ﷻ . However, their degree consciousness (taqwaa) could not have been reached without Tawheed which was based on a proper understanding of who Allah ﷻ is. Therefore in the initial period of revelation the Qur’aan mainly addressed the issue of Tawheed. In turn this also affected the sacrifices they made for each other later in Madinah. In fact the system of brotherhood (mu’aakhah) established by the Prophet ﷺ among the believers could not have succeeded without taqwaa and a correct understanding of the Tawheed of Allah ﷻ .
In conclusion, here is a breakdown of some of the steps to achieve taqwaa;
- Understanding the true meaning of taqwaa: Here we need to understand the true meaning of the term taqwaa primarily based on the Qur’aan and Sunnah.
- Understanding the importance of taqwaa: It will encourage us to become more conscious of Allah ﷻ if we understand how important it is and how it relates to our lives.
- Understanding who Allah ﷻ is: Because taqwaa primarily deals with our consciousness of Allah ﷻ and our relationship with Him as it is necessary to understand His true nature – Tawheed.
- Establishing the worship (ibaadah) of Allah: Certain acts of worship have been put in place to increase our consciousness of Allah ﷻ (refer to previous lesson).
- Understanding who we are and how we relate to others: If we understand who Allah ﷻ is we come to realize who we are and what our relationship with others should be. Therefore we become conscious of our responsibility towards others, our family, neighbors, the poor and needy etc.
Learning from the lesson
- The Aayaat and Ahaadeeth encouraging taqwaa.
- How to achieve taqwaa.
