What is Taqwa?

Allah (ﷻ; The Possessor of Complete Glory and Majesty) says in His Perfect Words: “Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [Surah Al-Hujurat 49:13]. Then further: “Indeed, Allah loves the Muttaqeen (those who have taqwa).” [Surah Ali ‘Imran, 76].

Taqwa (piety) has been mentioned in the Holy Quran more than 60 times, and the derivatives have been mentioned more than 190 times. We hear it mentioned at the beginning of every Jumu’ah (Friday Prayer). So the question arises, “What is Taqwa?”

There are many meanings and understandings of the word Taqwa. Often, it is translated as “Fear of Allah (ﷻ; The Possessor of Complete Glory and Majesty)”, and while fearing Allah ﷻ is part of Taqwa, its meaning is deeper than this.

The linguistic meaning of Taqwa is “a shield or protective barrier”. It is to protect oneself from what angers Allah (ﷻ; The Possessor of Complete Glory and Majesty). Some scholars define Taqwa as placing a protective barrier between yourself and Allah’s punishment. Taqwa also means doing that which Allah ﷻ has enjoined and avoiding that which He has forbidden.

One of the most comprehensive explanations of Taqwa is when Umar Ibn Al-Khattab asked Ubay Ibn Ka’ab (radiAllahu'anhuma; may Allah be pleased with them all) about Taqwa. Ubay said “Have you ever taken a thorny path?” Umar replied, “Yes I have.” Ubay then asked, “So how did you travel along this thorny path?” Umar replied, “I rolled up my garment and was cautious as to where I would tread to avoid being pricked by the thorns.” So Ubay said, “This is Taqwa.”

Being conscious of Allah (ﷻ; The Possessor of Complete Glory and Majesty) in every situation is to have Taqwa, hoping to earn His pleasure, and doing your best not to earn His anger. There are tremendous stories of Taqwa which have been related from the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. From the man trapped for days in freezing temperatures under rubble, who when rescued refused food and warm blankets but instead immediately asked for water so he could do wudhu and pray salah that he had missed. To the woman, who when found in the debris refused to come out until she was given a hijab to cover her hair. They overlooked their own desperation in their pursuit to please Allah ﷻ. That is Taqwa. We should ask ourselves, how conscious are we of Allah in our daily actions?

May Allah (ﷻ; The Possessor of Complete Glory and Majesty) ease the plight of our brothers and sisters suffering from the calamity of the earthquakes, and make us all of the Muttaqeen, Ameen.

'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (radiAllahu ‘anhu; may Allah be pleased with him) reported, The Prophet (ﷺ; peace be upon him) used to supplicate. [Muslim]