O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may have Taqwa.” (Surah 2 – Al-Baqara – Ayah 183)
“O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord Who created you from a single being and out of it created its mate; and from them both He created many men and women, and have Taqwa of Allah in Whose name you plead for rights, and heed the ties of kinship. Surely, Allah is ever watchful over you.” (Surah 4 – An-Nisa – Ayah 1)
“O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah as is His due, and see that you do not die except as (true) Muslims.” (Surah 3 – Aal-i-Imraan – Ayah 102)
“O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah and (always) speak the truth.” (Surah 33 – Al-Ahzaab – Ayah 70)
There is one common factor in all the above mentioned ayaat i.e. the word Taqwa. So, let us refresh the concept of Taqwa in Islam, without which there can’t be any Imaan within us.
Taqwa is often translated as ‘fear of God’, but the real essence of Taqwa is being hyper-vigilant and the ‘fear’ of doing Haram (illegitimate) out of neglect of Allah’s orders. It is the state of consciousness to be mindful of Allah and achieve His maximum pleasure at all times. Therefore, any such qualities of a person that would make him forgetful of Allah are detrimental to his/her Taqwa. The love of this world, greed, hatred or enmity towards a fellow human, pride, etc. are all examples of such traits that hurt a believer’s Taqwa.
Let us imagine, if we were in the company of someone we deeply and intensely loved. We would anticipate and plan ahead to make them feel as comfortable and at ease as possible. We will always be alert and vigilant and will think ahead so as to avoid any situation or scenario that would make them even remotely unhappy. All our efforts will be focused in keeping them happy and comfortable as humanely as possible. If they called upon us, we would drop everything we would be doing to attend to their need immediately. Also, we would be so conscious of the surroundings and especially vigilant to how we act, what we say or do in their presence, so that they don’t get turned off in any way.
Taqwa implies a similar sense of alertness, consciousness and vigilance towards the Pleasure and Mercy of Allah. To be constantly aware of what pleases or displeases Him and to ensure all our efforts are to make Him most happy and gain His maximum Pleasure. Taqwa means to rush in acting upon the orders of Allah and to suppress any inclinations that would prevent us from completing the tasks in its best form. But Taqwa goes a step further than the love for a beloved as outlined above. To be hyper-vigilant in the presence of a beloved or a well regarded person may be commendable, but the essence of this endearment is measured if the level of alertness is same in their absence. Allah is not physically present and visible to our eyes: He is Haadhir (present) but Gha’ib (unseen). What makes Taqwa so challenging and rewarding is the idea of expressing this level of alertness and attentiveness to Allah in His ‘absence’, when He is not visible.
As the Holy Qur’an says, “…He (Allah) is with you wherever you are…” (Surah 57 – Al-Hadid – Ayah 4). He is neither absent, nor is He missing. It is rather our consciousness and our awareness – our Taqwa towards Him – that is absent and missing. He is with us along every step of the way. Only if we tuned in to Him, became conscious of Him, and awakened our souls to Him can we experience His manifestations with our own souls.
Now how this Taqwa will come in the society unless it is not in our homes. It is within the boundaries of our homes where a child is groomed and develops basic traits which ultimately build his or her character. If there is Taqwa in our homes and these very children when enter into the mainstream in the society as businessmen, doctors, engineers and so on and so forth they will have Taqwa within themselves which will certainly protect them from all wrong doings and make them really successful here in this world and the hereafter.
The foundation of Nikah is laid on Taqwa. The ayah 1 of Surah An-Nisa, ayah 102 of Surah Aal-i-Imraan and ayah 70 of Al-Ahzaab as quoted in the beginning are the most impressive ayat on Taqwa in the Holy Qur’ān. That is why Rasool (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) has collected these very important ayaat on Taqwa in the Khutba-e-Nikah.
“O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord Who created you from a single being and out of it created its mate; and from them both He created many men and women…” (4:1). This is what happens in a Nikah – a boy and a girl enters into wedlock. Allah will bless them with children and the generation of Adam and Eve will continue. It is to be noted that once again the word Taqwa has been repeated in this ayah. “and have Taqwa of Allah in Whose name you plead for rights, and heed the ties of kinship” i.e. always be mindful of your Lord whom you invoke when you conduct businesses and transactions with each other. We often say, ‘I ask you by Allah’ or ‘Please forgive me in the name of Allah’.
The ayah further states – And do not cut the relations of the womb i.e. kinship, but keep and respect them. Kinship is one of the most important social institutions in Islam. One who maintains good ties with his relatives earns Allah’s mercy, affluence and deliverance from distress, along with that they become very attached, affectionate, cooperative and helpful to each other which envelops the whole atmosphere of the family in both adversity and prosperity. On the other hand, severance of kinship ties melts away all these benefits and develops a discord among relatives.” “Surely, Allah is ever watchful over you.” i.e. He sees all your actions and He knows everything you do – be it behind the closed door of your room or in pitch darkness.
The second ayah of the sermon which is in fact the ayah no 102 of Surah Aal-i-Imraan says:
“O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah as is His due” i.e. you should remain steadfast in your loyalty and obedience to Allah and have Taqwa of Him. When this ayah was revealed the Sahaba (Companions – Peace be upon them all) were shocked and used to ask the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be to him) as how can they have fear of Allah as much as His right. Then the following ayah was revealed: “So fear Allah as much as you can” i.e. as much as you are able to or endure. Further Allah says: “And see that you do not die except as (true) Muslims”. A Muslim is a person who has submitted himself to Allah in total obedience. Therefore, the ayah means that you preserve your faith and die only in a state while you have unconditionally submitted and surrendered yourselves to Allah.
Ayah 70 from Surah Al-Ahzab, which is also a part of Khutba-e-Nikah, says: “O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah and (always) speak the truth”. There must be some sort of self-censor whether what we are going to say is justified or not – do we have the right to say so. We must think first – we would be accountable for that before Allah SWT. It is stated in the hadith that on the Day of Judgment the majority will be of those who will be punished just because of their tongue. This is also Taqwa. We must always be on our guard and must ensure that we do not say something which is against Shari’ah. We abstain from backbiting, calling names, blaming oneself, etc.
We must have noticed that whenever there is some difference or dispute between the spouses – it is generally because of our tongue. That’s why Ayah 70 from Surah Al-Ahzab has been chosen by Sayedna Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be to him) for the Khutba-e-Nikah. Tongue has the power to turn friends into foes and foes into friends. Thus if our speech is guided by Taqwa then Allah will set our deeds right for us and if accidently, in ignorance, if we happen to commit any wrong and sin, Allah will forgive our sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has achieved a great triumph. In Surah 9 – At-Tawba – Ayah 119 Allah says: “O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah and be with those who are true (in word and deed).” Taqwa acts as a barrier between the Muslims and the anger and displeasure of Allah. In a Hadith Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said: “Fear Allah because it is the collection of all goodness.” From above ayaat and hadith, we can conclude that if we want to be successful and want to get Allah’s blessings and pleasure then we must try to attain Taqwa of Allah.
The benefits of attaining Taqwa can be seen in the following ayaat of the Holy Qur’ān:
- There is guidance for those who are Muttaqin (the people of taqwa) as Allah says in Surah 2 – Al-Baqara – Ayah 2: “That is Book in which there is no doubt, guidance for the Muttaqin”.
- In Surah 65 – At-Talaaq – Ayah 4 the Holy Qur’ān says: “… And whoever has Taqwa of Allah, He will make his matter easy for him”. Whoever has Taqwa, Allah makes matters easy for him in this world as well as the hereafter. This does not necessarily mean that the person will not face difficulty, but through the blessings of his Taqwa, he is guaranteed ease and the strength to bear these difficulties without losing faith or hope by Allah. The reward of facing these difficulties will be given by Allah in the hereafter.
- In Surah 3 – Aal-i-Imraan – Ayah 76 Allah stated that: “Truly Allah loves the Muttaqin”.
- In Surah 65 – At-Talaaq – Ayah 2 the Holy Qur’ān says: “And whoever have Taqwa, He will make for him a way out (of difficulties).” In times of difficulties, if we remain steadfast in our faith for the sake of Allah then He will surely make a way for us to get rid of these problems. Taqwa serves as a divine guard against trials of this world as well as the difficulties of the hereafter.
- In Surah 5 – Al-Maaida – Ayah 27 Allah says in Qur’ān about the acceptance of actions or deeds in these words: “Verily Allah accepts only from those who have Taqwa”.
- In Surah 7 – A-A’raaf – Ayah 96 the Qur’ān states: “And if the people of the towns believed and had Taqwa, certainly We should have opened for them blessings from the heavens and the earth.” Whatever a person requires and desires of sustenance can be found in His vast treasures.
- Allah says in Surah 19 – Maryam – Ayah 72: “Then We will save (from hellfire) the ones who had taqwa”.
- In Surah 8 – Al-Anfaal – Ayah 29 Allah SWT says: “O you who believe! If you have Taqwa of Allah, He will grant you Furqan (a criterion), and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you; and Allah is the Owner of the great bounty.” Those who have Taqwa of Allah by obeying what He ordained and abstaining from what He forbade, will be guided to differentiate between the truth and the falsehood. This will be a triumph, safety and a way out for them from the affairs of this life, all the while acquiring happiness in the Hereafter. They will also gain forgiveness, thus having their sins erased, and pardoned.
- In Surah 3 – Aal-i-Imraan – Ayah 200 Allah SWT says in Holy Qur’ān : “Have taqwa of Allah in order that you might succeed”
It is clear from the above facts that for the success in this life and the hereafter, we must strive to attain Taqwa as much as possible. May Allah bring us closer to the Qur’ān and hadith and make it a part of our daily routine. May Allah guide us with His Rahmah and give true understanding of Islam and put us on the straight path that will lead us to Taqwa and ultimately His pleasure and forgiveness In Shaa Allah.
All our deeds, actions and relationships (be it with our parents, spouses, children, relatives, neighbours, friends, employer/employee or any other relationship) must only be for the pleasure (raza) of Allah and to gain in His taqwa.