Taqwa ( / ) is an Islamic term for being conscious and cognizant of God, of truth, "piety, fear of God."[Nanji, Azim. "Islamic Ethics," in A Companion to Ethics, Peter Singer. Oxford: Blackwells (1991), pp. 106–118.] It is often found in the Quran. Those who practice taqwa — in the words of Ibn Abbas, "believers who avoid shirk with Allah and who work in His obedience"
Quran
According to Erik Ohlander, the word
taqwa is used in the Qur'an over 100 times.
According to the
Oxford Dictionary of Islam, the word
taqwa and its derivatives appear "more than 250 times" in the Qur'an.
The imperative form of taqwa is found in the phrase Ittaqullah ("fear God" or "be aware of Allah"), which is in a number of verses.
Benefits of Taqwa in the Quran
The Quran says there are benefits of taqwa. Sura
at-Talaq Q.65:2-3 says that God will give
Muttaqin solutions to their problems.
According to Sura al-Anfal Q.8:29, to Muttaqin, God will give them or conscientious intellect by which they can differentiate between right and wrong.
Hadith
Definitions
The word “Taqwã” is derived from the verb waqã (), which literally means to preserve, protect, safeguard, shield, etc. The Arabic word taqwa means "forbearance, fear and abstinence."
Some descriptions of the term from Islamic sources include:
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"God consciousness ... piousness, fear of Allah, love for Allah, and self restraint".
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"God-consciousness or God-fearing piety", "virtue", "wariness".
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Fear of Allah, "being careful, knowing your place in the cosmos". "Proof" of Taqwa is the "experience of awe" of God, which "inspires a person to be on guard against wrong action" and eager to do the things which please Allah.
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literally "to protect". In general, to protect yourself "from the Wrath of Allah" by not "indulging in things that Allah forbids".
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"a high state of heart, which keeps one conscious of Allah's presence and His Knowledge." Taqwa motivates the person who possesses it "to perform righteous deeds" and avoid forbidden activities.
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According to Erik Ohlander, in Quranic Arabic, taqwa refers to fear of God in terms of protecting oneself from displeasing God.
Theological interpretation
According to Tafsir ibn Kathir, the root meaning of taqwa is to avoid what one dislikes. It was reported that Umar bin Khattab asked Ubayy ibn Ka'b about Taqwa. Ubayy said, "Have you ever walked on a path that has thorns on it?" Umar said, "Yes." Ubayy asked, "What did you do then?" to which Umar replied, "I rolled up my sleeves and struggled." Ubayy said, "That is taqwa, to protect oneself from sin through life's dangerous journey so that one can successfully complete the journey unscathed by sin."
Fiqh
In at least one popular work of
fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), the "Book of Taqwa", (i.e. the section on taqwa) deals with "knowledge of what is
Haraam (forbidden),
Makruh (discouraged) and doubtful" in an assortment of matters beyond "the pillars of Islam". These include: foods, dress, things having to do with sex ("private matters"), kinds of sporting contests, music, gossip, bad mouthing, bad company, beard trimming, etc.
Sufism
Taqwa is an important concept in
Sufism.
The 10th-century Sufi scholar Al-Qushayri, in his Epistle ( Al-Risala al-Qushayriyya), writes about three parts of taqwa: "full trust in God with respect to what has not been granted to him; full satisfaction with what has been granted to him; and full patience with respect to what has eluded him."
In Sufism, taqwa has several degrees. The first degree or rank is that of the common people. This rank shuns anything associated with God. In other words, the common people participate in taqwa by simply avoiding shirk. The second degree or rank of taqwa are the elect who shun sins. The final rank is that of the prophets who avoid attributing acts to anyone other than God — "in other words, their fear comes to them from Him and is directed to Him."
The master-disciple relationship is one of great importance within Sufi practice. Taqwa is greatly valued within this relationship. God-fearing piety is seen as great religious devotion because it allows for "unhesitating obedience for the order's superior." In other words, if one can blindly follow his master, then he should be able to blindly follow God. Taqwa then leads to a lack of questioning authority, for the disciple submits to those with greater power than him. This submission reminds the disciple of God's power making the disciple a more devout worshipper of God.
See also
[Berger, Lutz. " Fear of God and Hope (for God's mercy) (in Sufism) ." Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE. Edited by: Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson. Brill Online, 2013. Reference. Augustana. 26 April 2013]
["Taḳwā." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill Online, 2013. Reference. Augustana. 26 April 2013]
[ "Taḳwā", Encyclopaedia of Islam (2012).]
[ Essential Hanafi Handbook of Fiqh, A Translation of Qazi Thanaa Ullah's Ma La Budda Minhu, by Maulana Yusuf Talal Ali al-Amriki, (Kazi Publications, Lahore, Pakistan), p.150-168]
[Erik S. Ohlander. "Fear of God (taqwa) in the Qur'an: Some Notes on Semantic Shift and Thematic Context." Journal of Semitic Studies 50.1 (2005): 137-52. Print.]
[126. Qušairī, ʻAbd-al-Karīm Ibn-H̲awāzin Al-. Al-Qushayri's Epistle on Sufism: Al-Risala Al-qushayriyya Fi 'ilm Al-tasawwuf. Reading: Garnet Publ., 2007. Print.]
[128. Qušairī, ʻAbd-al-Karīm Ibn-H̲awāzin Al-. Al-Qushayri's Epistle on Sufism: Al-Risala Al-qushayriyya Fi 'ilm Al-tasawwuf. Reading: Garnet Publ., 2007. Print.]
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