Concepts of Piety

(TAQWA)
"Taqwa can be compared to walking through a narrow path with thorny
bushes on both sides and a person passing through it tries his level best to
save his clothes from being torn. The thorns are the sins and the clothes is
one's Imaan."
Taqwa comes from arabic root word waqa which means fear and
abstinence. Taqwa is a high state of the heart, which keeps one conscious of
Allah's presence and His Knowledge, and it motivates him to perform
righteous deeds and avoid those, which are forbidden.
Taqwa is the only force that can turn life in to the right path and restrain
man from evil.
Allah says in Surah Al-Hadid, "O you who believe! Have Taqwa (fear) of Allah
and believe in His Messenger; and He will provide you with a light by which
you will walk."
Surah ash shams when you talk about piety you talk about nafs. Whenever
someone does something wrong regardless of their faith and whether they
have studied revelation or not something inside them tells them that this
act is wrong and they feel bad about it. The one who continually rebels
against Allah (swt) has programmed themselves to ignore this feeling and
their guilty conscience.

The criteria for judging any human being in the sight of Allah is not color, race,
gender, wealth or age it is surely taqwa, piety and righteousness. The only way
human can be superior to another is by taqwa. It is said in Surah Hujuraat, And
the most honored in the sight of Allah is the person who has taqwa.
Hazrat Umar (A.S) said, Have taqwa and fear Allah, and he will protect you.
Those who have taqwa gain the pleasure and love of Allah. Because of taqwa
Allah forgives your sins and increases your reward. Those who have taqwa Allah
keeps them on the straight path and prevents them from deviation.
Surah Al Baqarah, O human kind, worship thy lord who created you and
created those people who came before you so that you may learn taqwa.
Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, I advise you to havetaqwaof Allah Taqwaor
fear of Allah, is one of the most important concepts found in the Quran and
sunnah. It could be described as the foundation of the religion.In fact it is the
same advice that all the Prophets have given to all of mankind fear Allah.
A person has to have taqwa in his life he should have pure intentions and
righteous deeds to gain Allahs favor in this world and the hereafter.

Guarding the tongue from

backbiting

And the worst of all sins are those that are greatest in harm and danger to
humanity.
Among the destructive major sins is backbiting. Backbiting or gheeba is to
speak spitefully
about a person behind their back about their weakness, wealth, family,
physical
appearance, sin etc. Backbiting is not done by tongue alone, it can also be
done with the
eyes, hands and other movement such as imitating a physical weakness.
It is narrated by the Holy Prophet (PBUH): Backbiting is talking about
somebody which if
he/she heard would grieve them.' Hence, it is not allowed to talk about
somebody in his
absence . Even if what was narrated was true. If it was not true, then it would
be a bigger
sin and it is called buhtan. Even listening to backbiting is a sin. Prophet
(PBUH) once said to
Imam Ali (RA), O Ali! When someone hears the backbiting of his muslim
brother
committed in his presence, yet he does not rally to His assistance despite
being capable of

Shunning suspicion
Suspicion means to believe in something without proof and Shunning is
strictly prohibited
In Islam. Not knowing the source of information and then accusing a
fellow Muslim
brother/sister of something can lead to slandering which is even worse
than backbiting.
The Prophet (PBUH) said: Do you know what is meant by backbiting?
They said, Allah
and His Messenger know best. He said, To say something about your
brother which he
dislikes. One asked, Even if what I say is true about my brother? He
replied, If such
defects you say are true about him, then you have backbitten him, and if
he doesnt have
what you say, then you have committed slander against him.
There is a verse in Quran: Avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed,
some assumption is
sin. And also due to the saying of the Messenger, (PBUH), Avoid
suspicion, for airing

Shunning mockery
Let not a people ridicule another people; perhaps they may be better than
them.
Teasing and contemptuous language and behavior directed towards a
person or thing is called
mockery. Mockery is srtickly prohibited in Islam
There is a sin that sweeps amongst us, a sin that many take lightly, a sin
that is laughed at, a
sin that could very well pull someone to Hellfire: It is the sin of insulting
others.
Let not a people ridicule another people; perhaps they may be better than
them.
Perhaps the one that is being made fun of is more beloved to Allah.
Subhaan Allah, let us
remember this if we ever try to make fun of someone, perhaps Allah loves
them and does not
love us. Imam Al-Bayhaqee narrates in Shu'ab al-Eemaan, that Rasul Allah
sal Allaahu alayhi
wasallam said,"Verily those people that make fun of people for them a
gate of Jannah will

Lowering gaze from forbidden

things
Lowering the gaze means restraining the gaze and not allowing it to
wander or dwell upon
anything.Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
Look not with your eyes ambitiously at what We have bestowed on
certain classes of them
(the disbelievers), nor grieve over them. And lower your wings for the
believers (be
Courteous to the fellow believers)
There are a number of benefits in lowering the gaze:
It is obedience to the command of Allah, which brings happiness to man in
this world and in
the next.
It prevents the poisoned arrows (of the shaytaan), which may lead to his
doom, from
reaching his heart.
It creates a heart that is devoted to and focused on Allah.
It brings light to the heart. It generates true insight which can distinguish
between
truth and falsehood, sincerity and lies.
Between the eyes and the heart there is a connection which means that

Truthfulness of the
People consider truthfulnesstongue
as only having an honest tongue However,
Islam teaches
truthfulness is far more than having an honest tongue. In Islam,
truthfulness is the
conformity of the outer with the inner, the action with the intention, the
speech with
belief, and the practice with the preaching. As Quran says :"O you who
believe! Have fear of
God and be among the truthful(Surah Tauba)
And when you speak, be just.
Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: "I order you to be truthful, for indeed truthfulness
leads to
righteousness, and indeed righteousness leads to Paradise
And God confirmed the truthfulness of these words of His Beloved
Messenger with His Own
True Word: For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women,
for devout men
and women, for truthful men and women, for patient men and women, for
humble men and
women, for charitable men and women, for fasting men and women, for

Recognizing the blessings of Allah upon

oneself in order to avoid conceitedness
The term gratitude is about expressing thanks to those who do any favor
to us .
Allah is the creator and soul sustainer of this earth and he is the soul
owner and all praise
is for him only. Gratitude helps us in focusing our minds in Allah.If one
believes that his
every ability is granted by Allah and it is His blessing, then he will never
indulge in
conceitedness as it is a sin .
From last sermon of Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) :"All mankind is from Adam
and Hawwa (Eve)
an Arab has no supremacy over a non-Arab,nor does a non-Arab has any
superiority over
an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor a black has
any superiority over a
white -except by piety and good action. Know that every Muslim is a
brother to every
Muslim and that Muslims constitute one brotherhood.

Spending ones wealth on good

rather than bad things
When we talk about spending 2 types of questions arise in our mind: What to spend and
where to spend? The answer to what to spend lies in the verse: O you who believe. Spend of
that which we have provided for you, before a day comes when there will be no bargaining,
Nor friendship nor intercession. And they are the disbelievers who are zalimun. (SurahBaqara)
Whatever remains with us after taking care of our wealth and those of dependants (after
paying zakat) is recommended to be spent. And to answer question it is said spend it in the
way of Allah, in the cause of Allah, spending in the way of Allah is called fi-Sabeelillah.
Islam condemns and discourages amassing wealth. Instead a person should spend in His way
and help those in need by means of zakat. Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. Zakat
means
to purify. In Islam Zakat means purifying your wealth for the will of Allah.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, Whoever pays Zakat on his wealth will have its evil
removed from him.
A person will be accountable for his spending on the day of judgment. As extravagancy will be
a burden on a persons deeds, the luxurious life spent on this earth will lead to a difficult life on
hereafter.

Not seeking haughtiness and pride

The disease of pride and arrogance deletes all traces of goodness and piety. This
is the worst vice in
causing havoc to Deen. It launches a direct attack on beliefs and principles. If
ignored and overlooked
for sometime it becomes fatal and incurable, and gives rise to other spiritual
maladies and vices as,
mentioned below:
1. Being deprived of truth and truthfulness. The heart becomes blind to the verse
dealing with
knowledge about Allah. Allah has said in the Holy Quran: I shall turn away
from my revelations
those who show pride in the world wrongfully. (7.146)
2. The wrath and punishment of Allah fall on the jealous person. It is narrated
that Hazrat Moosaasked Allah: Oh my Lord! Who is the most deserving of
your wrath and displeasure? Allah Taaala told him: It is he whose heart is
filled with pride.
3. Allah will put the proud to disgrace and ill-repute (dishonour) in the Hereafter.
Hazrat Hatim Asam (RA) has said: Do not die in a state of pride, greed and
arrogance. Similarly the greedy does not meet his death unless he becomes
destitute for a morsel of food and drop of water.
4. The proud renders himself liable to Hell in the Hereafter. It occurs in a Hadith
Qudsi:
Pride is My cloak and grandeur is my trousers. If anyone disputes with Me in

Maintaining with care the five prayers on

time, with proper bowing and prostration
Prayer is the best act among all acts of worship. Offering of prayers five times during
the day and night
cleanses one of his sins in the same manner as bathing five times during the day and
night makes our body
clean of all filth and dirt. It is benefitting that one should offer prayers punctually.
A person who considers prayers to be something ordinary and unimportant is just like
one who does not
offer prayers at all. The holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) has said that a person who does not
attach any importance to
prayers and considers it to be something insignificant deserves chastisement in the
hereafter.
While reciting the prayer, full meditative concentration is required. Talking or paying
attention to
surroundings is not permissible, except in emergencies. Many of us rush our
bowing(ruku)
andsujud(prostration), but it is very important to give each action its due measure.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once saw a man not completing the bowing properly,
and rushing his
prostration such that he looked like he was pecking, and he said: Were this man to die
in this state, he
would die on a faith other than that of Muhammad the likeness of one who does not

Steadfastness upon the way of

Sunnah and Jama`ah
Steadfastness in the religion of Allah is a basic requirement for every sincere
Muslim who wants to follow the Straight Path with determination and
understanding.
The present situation of the societies in which Muslims live, the types of
temptation to which they are painfully exposed and the kinds of whims and
desires, doubts and confusion which have caused religion to become something
strange, so that those who adhere to it are likened to something weird, and
people say: "The one who holds on to his religion is like one who holds on to a
burning coal. Making the one stand firm who is tossed about by the winds of
doubt and confusion is a serious matter which needs tremendous means as
befits the seriousness and difficulty of the task at hand. It is part of Allah's mercy
towards us that He has shown to us, in His Book and through the words and life
of His Prophet (PBUH) many ways of being steadfast in Islam.
Turning towards the Qur'an
Adhering to the Laws of Allah and Doing Righteous Deeds
Studying the Stories of the Prophets and Following their Example
Du'a' (Supplication)
Remembrance of Allah (Dhikr)
Calling Others to Allah (Da'wah)
Keeping Close to People who will Help Make you Steadfast
Understanding the Reality of Falsehood and Not Being Misled by It

Benefits of having Taqwa

His affairs will be purified
He will receive forgiveness for his sins.
He will receive mercy from ALLAH
Taqwa prevents you from hell fire, it is a shield. The stronger your taqwa,
the easier your way to heaven.
And the good end [Paradise] is for the [people of] taqwa(Surah
Taha:132)
Taqwa of Allah is therefore the key to staying on the Straight Path in this
life, and also, more importantly, the key to ones well-being in the
Hereafter.
"Verily Allah accepts only from those who are the Mutaqqoon (those who
posses Taqwa)." [Surah Al-Maaidah (19): 71-72]
Surah Al-Emran,"O you who believe! Havetaqwaexactly as it should be
and do not die except in the state of Islam."Imam Al-Hakim reported in an
authentic chain that Abdualh Bin Masood said, "Havingtaqwalike it
should means that Allah (S.W.T.) is obeyed with no disobedience,
remembered with no forgetfulness, and thanked with no ungratefulness.
Because verily, This world is an unbelievers paradise and a believers
prison.