Allah عزوجل has stated in the Holy Quran:

Surely, Allah loves those who fear Him.
The Holy Quran states that Allah loves Muttaqeen (those people who have Taqwa). We keep listening to the word “Taqwa”, off and on in the speeches of Ulama, but ‘what Taqwa really is’?
Allamah Raghib Al-Isfahani states the definition of Taqwa:
To protect your Nafs (i.e. yourself) from the impurity of sins (is Taqwa).

This is the basic formula of becoming a pious person. Taqwa is attained by abandoning forbidden acts. A Muslim who tries to protect himself from sins will never leave a Fard, Wajib, or Sunnah Muakkadah, and he will never get indulged in a forbidden act; instead, he will try to act upon Mustahab [preferable] acts and abandon even those that are Makrooh (disliked by Shariah).

Sayyiduna Abu Yazeed Bustami has stated: Muttaqi is the person whose every statement and every deed is (purely) for Allah.

A person who fears Allah will always try to refrain from committing disobedience. In this way, he ensures that his entire life is spent perfectly in accordance with the teachings of Islam. A Muttaqi (pious person) not only cares about HuqooqUllah (the rights of Allah) but also pays special attention to Huqooq-ul-Ibaad (the rights of people). He neither harms or cheats someone nor does he violate the rights of the weak and the poor; moreover, he also refrains from hidden sins such as jealousy, backbiting, evil presumptions, hatred, arrogance, malice, etc.

Taqwa is not a single state; instead, there are many levels of Taqwa:

1. To protect the Nafs (oneself) from Kufr (unbelief) and Shirk (polytheism).

2. To protect the Nafs from major sins.

3. To protect the Nafs from minor sins.

4. To protect the Nafs from something that is contrary to Sunnah.

5. To protect the Nafs from something that is contrary to Aula (something that is preferable).

6. To protect the Nafs from ما سوی اللہ (the entire creation).

A Muslim should first analyse his own state, and determine the level of Taqwa he is having at present. He should then make constant efforts to reach the next levels of Taqwa throughout his life.

Let’s make a firm intention of striving continuously to adopt Taqwa, get to its higher levels, and continue our journey towards becoming a better Muslim till the last breath of our life.

May Allah accept our acts of worship, and may He bless us with the highest level of Taqwa. Aameen

Written By: Sir Usama Naqqash

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