On God-Consciousness

We always hear the word Taqwa. In fact, it is mentioned in the Quran in more than 60 locations, and its derivatives, have also been mentioned in more than 190 locations. The question let to ask is, “What is Taqwa?” and “How can I attain Taqwa?”

It’s a timely question to ask, we know that one of the fruits and benefits of fasting is to attain and increase Taqwa. Fasting is an exercise of Taqwa. As we fast throughout the day, our body urges us to eat and drink. Our hearts, however, resists these temptations, out of love and obedience to Allah. By abstaining from food and drink, which is halal and also a necessity for our bodies, we build the inner strength we need to abstain from haram.

There’s often a number of meanings and definitions for the word Taqwa. Essentially it means “awareness of God” or “piety,” but has sometimes been translated as “fear of God,” though not with the usual meaning of “fear.”

In order to gain Taqwa, we need to repent to Allah constantly, especially with sins that we repeatedly commit, and we need to fight our Nafs so we don’t go back to that sin. As well as, increasing our worship and consciousness in Allah.

The obeying of the great Lord is, of course, not confined to only fulfilling religious actions, but being moral in every aspect of life, as observed in the following verse of the Quran: “O, you who believe! When you hold secret counsel, do it not for sin and wrong-doing, and disobedience towards the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) but do it for Al-Birr (righteousness) and Taqwa (virtues and piety), and fear Allah unto Whom you shall be gathered.” (58:9)

From this verse it indicates that Taqwa means a lot more than just piousness: it is the combination of our beliefs, self-awareness, and attitudes. It is a reminder to stay on the path of uprightness, decency and knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is about having Lord consciousness in terms of knowing and obeying all His orders including not only fearing Him but also acting in all His directions.

In the Quran, Allah Almighty says: “And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him ease in his matter.” (65:4). Whoever has Taqwa, Allah makes matters easy for him in this world as well as the hereafter. This does not necessarily mean that the person will not face difficulty, but through the blessings of his Taqwa, he is guaranteed ease and the strength to bear these difficulties without losing faith or hope by Almighty Allah. The reward of facing these difficulties will be given by Allah in the hereafter.

The Prophet (ﷺ) himself used to ask Allah to grant him taqwa. Ibn Masood reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would supplicate: “Allāhumma innī as’alukal-hudā wat-tuqā wal-ʽafāfa wal-ghinā“. (O Allah, I ask you for guidance, taqwa, chastity, and self-sufficiency.)

May we continue to hold strong to our faith.

 

MAB halaqah member