Author: Shoaib Ahmad Ghaznavi
Piety and Righteousness (Part One)
One of the indispensable principles governing social relations in Islamic society is piety. Piety has many individual, social, spiritual, and material effects, each of which in turn has a significant impact on improving relations between individuals in society. Piety leads to spiritual and material success in humans; if individuals in a society are equipped with piety, many of society’s problems will be solved, and an ideal society will be created.
On the other hand, the lack of piety can corrupt and break all levels of social relations.
The teaching of piety is one of the fundamental teachings of Islam. The meaning of piety is that a person should have certainty and belief in the Hereafter and in the rewards and punishments there and should fear divine punishment, avoid all ugliness and wrongdoing, and act on the commands of Allah.
That is, we should fulfill the rules and issues that Allah has made obligatory upon us and observe the rights of the servants that He has made necessary for us. We should avoid things and issues that are forbidden and impermissible, and we should always be afraid of His punishment.
Definition of Piety (Taqwa):
Taqwa literally means piety, and in this context, it is a tool by which a Muslim gains the power to not commit sin in their speech, actions, and behavior. Taqwa is one of the attributes of the true servants of Allah. This word is from the root «وقی» which means to keep and protect an object from what causes it harm and harassment.
Raghib Isfahani writes: Taqwa, in the terminology of Sharia, means to protect the soul from what leads a person to sin, and this is achieved by abandoning some permissible things. In a simpler sense, Taqwa is the same as avoiding the dangers of the development of the soul, self-control against sins and doubts, and abandoning the set of prohibitions so that piety becomes internalized.
As in a hadith narrated by Atiyyah bin Urwa (may Allah be pleased with him), a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: No servant has attained the status of a righteous and pious person until they abandon that which is free from defects, out of fear of that which is defective.”
Allama Qurtubi writes: Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Ubayy ibn Ka’ab: “What is piety?” He said: “O Umar! Have you passed through a farm of thorns?” He said: “Yes.” Hazrat Ubayy asked: “What did you do to pass through it?” He said: “I lifted my skirt and walked with full caution so that I would not be harmed.” He said: “So it is piety.”
The call to piety is repeatedly taught in the Holy Quran: [يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا الله حَقَّ تُقاتِهِ وَلا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ] Translation: “O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except while you are Muslims.”
[فَاتَّقُوا الله مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا] Translation: “So fear Allah as much as you can, and listen to all His commands and decrees and obey.”
[يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا الله وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا الله إِنَّ الله خَبِيرٌ بِما تَعْمَلُونَ] Translation: “O you who have believed, fear Allah and let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.”
It is clear from the Holy Quran that those who fear Allah and live their lives with piety will be blessed with divine mercy in this world as well, and Allah will help and support them.
[مَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّه يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا * وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ هَيْثُ لا يَحْتَسِبُ] Translation: “And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect.”
It is evident from the Holy Quran that those who are pious are the friends and lovers of Allah, and they will not fear anything, nor will they grieve.
As it is also said in the Quran: [أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِياءَ الله لا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ * الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكانُوا يَتَّقُونَ * لَهُمُ الْبُشْرى فِي الْحَياةِ الدُّنْيا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ] Translation: “Be aware, indeed, the friends of Allah, there is no fear for them, nor will they grieve. Those who believed and were pious, they are the true tidings in the life of this world and in the hereafter.”
Some of the good things and blessings that will befall the pious on the Day of Judgment are mentioned in the following verse: [قُلْ أَ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْ ذلِكُمْ لِلَّذينَ اتَّقَوْا عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْري مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهارُ خالِدينَ فيها وَأَزْواجٌ مُطَهَّرَةٌ وَ رِضْوانٌ مِنَ الله وَ اللَّه بَصيرٌ بِالْعِبادِ] Translation: “Say: Shall I inform you of something better than that? For those who fear Allah, there are gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and purified spouses and approval from Allah. And Allah is Seeing of His servants.”
It is mentioned in Surah Sad in this regard: [وَإِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ لَحُسْنَ مَآبٍ * جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ مُفَتَّحَةً لَهُمُ الْأَبْوابُ * مُتَّكِئِينَ فِيها يَدْعُونَ فِيها بِفاكِهَةٍ كَثِيرَةٍ وَشَرابٍ * وَعِنْدَهُمْ قاصِراتُ الطَّرْفِ أَتْرابٌ * هَذَا مَا تُوعَدُونَ لِيَوْمِ الْحِسابِ * إِنَّ هَذَا لَرِزْقُنا مَا لَهُ مِنْ نَفادٍ*] Translation: “And surely the pious will return to eternal gardens. They have opened wide for them the gates, leaning there, seeking therein abundant fruit and wine, and near them will be women who lower their gazes, equal in age to one another. This is what you are promised for the Day of Reckoning. Indeed, this is Our provision; there is no decline in it.”
In the Holy Quran, the pious and the righteous are promised that they will attain a special status and closeness with Allah.
The last verse of Surah Al-Qamar is as follows: [إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَنَهَرٍ * فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ مَلِيكٍ مُقْتَدِرٍ] Translation: “Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and rivers, in a seat of truth near their Lord, All-Powerful.”
In the Glorious Quran, this declaration has also been made that the path and standard of honor and glory are only dependent on piety. [إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ الله أَتْقاكُمْ] Translation: “Indeed, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you.”
Piety and avoiding divine prohibitions are of great importance and have many effects and blessings in the worldly life and the hereafter of the pious person. Just as contemplation is a way that familiarizes man with the truths of the world of existence, piety is a way that enables man to observe the truths and secrets of the world. The fewer material desires one has and the more one’s heart is directed towards Allah, the more innate knowledge flourishes, and inner worship becomes more evident. Therefore, the pious person observes and finds religious knowledge clearly. But the impious person sinks into such darkness that even if all the divine verses are presented to him, he will not see anything. Therefore, if a person follows the path of piety and purity of soul, he will both see the secrets of the world and easily walk the straight path.
It was narrated from Hazrat Nu’man (RA) that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Indeed, what is lawful is clear, and what is unlawful is clear, and between what is lawful and unlawful are things that are similar to what is lawful or unlawful in some ways, and many people do not know these similar things. So, whoever keeps himself from doubts has preserved his religion and honor, and whoever falls into doubts and does not avoid them falls into the forbidden, like a shepherd who lets his camels roam around the pasture and then approaches the pasture to graze. Be aware that every king has a special pasture that he has set aside for himself. And know that the forbidden area of Allah is His forbidden things. Undoubtedly, there is a piece of flesh in the human body that, if saved, the whole body will become good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body will become corrupt. Know that this is the human heart.”
So, what causes piety is avoiding and staying away from the circle of the forbidden; it is the same as avoiding the doubts and the boundaries between the lawful and the forbidden. A kind of fear and piety is also included in the meaning of piety, which is the fear of departing from the path of servitude and obedience to the truth since, in this case, the individual considers himself to be damaged and fears the consequences of the path he has chosen.
In a more precise definition, it can be said that piety is the insight that a person, by possessing it, considers himself superior to committing speech, behavior, or even thoughts that reduce his human dignity. Accordingly, piety is a kind of conscious self-control.
Continues…
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