''Taqwa'' ( ar, تقوى '' / '') is an Islamic term for being conscious and cognizant of God, of truth, "

piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...

, fear of God."Nanji, Azim. "Islamic Ethics," in ''A Companion to Ethics'', Peter Singer. Oxford: Blackwells,n(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" — are called ''muttaqin'' ( ar, لْ المُتَّقِين ').

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: *"God consciousness ... piousness, fear of Allah, love for Allah, and self restraint". *"God-consciousness or God-fearing piety", "virtue", "wariness". *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. *literally "to protect". In general, to protect yourself "from the Wrath of Allah" by not "indulging in things that Allah forbids". *"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. *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. Ubay 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."

Taqwa and the Qur'an

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 Quran mentions a number of virtues that cultivate taqwa or that taqwa cultivates in a person: Q.2:283 mentions the keeping of trusts (''amana''); Q.3:76 faithfulness (''al-wafa''); Q.3:186 patience (''al-sabr''). Q.7:96, Q.10:63-64, Q.39:10 relate taqwa to the good life (''hasanat'') on this earth besides reward in the hereafter. Q.65:3 relates taqwa to material ease in this life even where the believer does not expect it. The

imperative form The imperative mood is a grammatical mood that forms a command or request. The imperative mood is used to demand or require that an action be performed. It is usually found only in the present tense, second person. To form the imperative mood, ...

of taqwa is found in the phrase ''

Ittaqullah ''Ittaqullah'' ( ar, اتقوا الله) is an Arabic word or word-phrase composed of the words "Ittaqu" (the command or imperative form of the word ''taqwa''), and "Allah". It is found in several verses in the Quran The Quran (, ; Standar ...

'' ("fear God" or "be aware of Allah"), which is in a number of verses.

Taqwa and 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 Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

. The 10th-century

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

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 irectedto Him." The highest rank are those who distance themselves from everything that separates them from God, for one of the main goals in Sufism is to get closer to God, because in Sufi thought the state of being separate from God is a privation equivalent to the torments of

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

. 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.

References

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 The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is an encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies published by Brill. It is considered to be the standard reference work in the field of Islamic studies. The first edition was published in ...

'' (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. * {{cite book , author1=Ames Ambros , author2=Stephan Procházka , title=A Concise Dictionary of Koranic Arabic , publisher=Reichert Verlag , year=2004 , isbn=3-89500-400-6 , page=294

External links

Canonical definition of those who have Taqwa in The Qur'an Sura 2 Signs 2-5
Islamic theology Quranic words and phrases