Taqwah

Have you ever thought that we’ve forgotten all about death, the punishment in the grave, being accountable for our actionsand basically why we were created?
You see we have lost the fear of God (Taqwah) in our hearts. Taqwah is such a powerful tool that if one acquires it then they will never be involved in crime or meaningless actions fora million, billion, trillion years…(a long time if you know what I mean.)


So what is Taqwah all about then and how can one become God-fearing (muttaqi)? What is Taqwah? This is a question once asked by Abdullah ibn Umar (radiAllahu anhu) of Ubbay ibn Ka’ab (radiAllahu anhu). He replied:
‘...have you ever walked on a path full of thorns?’

Umar (radiAllahu anhu) replied: ‘yes I have’. Ubbay (radiAllahu anhu) asked again ‘what would you do when you are walking on such a path?’

Umar (radiAllahu anhu) answered: I will walk carefully to avoid the thorns.’

Ubbay (radiAllahu anhu) then said: ‘That is Taqwa.’


Just as a person walks carefully on apath of thorns to avoid being pricked, Taqwah causes a person to have a conscience and be careful in their daily life. To always think and question will my actions please Allah Ta'ala and are they within the shariah or will they be pleasing shaitaan?


Taqwah means ‘god consciousness’ – to remember Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is watching everything we do. That we will be questioned on the Day of judgement by Him and be accountable for every second of our lives. If one attains this high state of mind then that person is said to have Taqwah.


Stages of Taqwah

There are many stages of Taqwah, which means that for every group of people there isa different stage of Taqwah to achieve.

1. For non-Muslims it means to embrace Islam.
2. For a Muslim it means to abstain from Haram and to practise fara’iz(obligatory commands).
3. A further stage is also to avoid makruhaat (disliked actions) and to practise all kinds of Sunnah.
4. The next stage of Taqwah is to purify the heart from all kinds of evil things and to decorate it with good qualities such as to only fear Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) and to love Allah Ta'ala and His Prophet


Different forms of Taqwa

You’re probably thinking ‘it all sounds OK but how can I actually put this in to action, mate?’. You see, every organ of the body has a special form of Taqwah.The more organs of the body are steadfast on the requirements of Taqwah, the higher stage one achieves.
It does not become complete until all parts of the body stick to the commands of Shariah. So check this out:

Tongue:
Always have something good to say and try to abstain from backbiting, lying and the famous swear words. Words such as ‘al-hamdulillah, masha'Allah, jaza-kallah’ etc. should be spoken on a regular basis. Reading the Qur'an and other books of Islam regularly will help you in achieving Taqwa.

Ears:
Not to listen to dodgy music i.e. Tupac and his sixty billion ‘F’ words should be chucked in the bin for starters. Get your Talawat and nasheed tapes out and see the difference.

Eyes:
Not to lustfully gaze at the opposite sex when you’re out and about, stay away from ‘adult’ movies and magazines....if you know what I mean. Once you’ve mastered this you’re half way there.

Stomach:
Abstain from haram food and drink i.e. No booze, Big Mac, gelatine, animal fat etc.

Hands:
Not to harm anyone unjustly – in other words don’t get involved in pointless gang wars, punch ups etc. A Muslim man should not touch a non-mahram woman ... so the message isto keep your hands to yourselves lads. It’s all about self-control.

Feet:
Not to go to places of sin – pubbing and clubbing come to mind.

Heart:
Love and hate only for the sake of Allah and you will never go wrong.

Private Parts:
To abstain from adultery, fornication and other forms of sex that is unlawful.

A bit heavy isn’t it? Who d’you think I am - the Virgin Mary or something may be your reaction. Well you have to understand that to achieve the above is to achieve perfection so it will take time, effort, commitment and struggle.
The only way to achieve real Taqwah isthe way by which the Sahabah, the Tabi’een and our predecessors achieved this objective and that is through the company and guidance of a pious and spiritual guide/teacher.

The Sahabah (companions of the Prophet) achieved it from the Prophet , the Tabi’een (generation that followed the Sahabah) achieved it from the Sahabah, the great Imams and other predecessors reached this objective from the Tabi’een. (What?*! Read theselines a couple times then you’ll get it!).

None of our predecessors achieved it merely through self - study. So if you want nearness of Allah and His Messenger find a guide for yourself in whose company you can achieve piety Now for many of us this is what wewould like to do but feel it is a bigstep to take at this moment in time.