Author: Shoaib Ahmad Ghaznavi
Piety and Righteousness (The 3rd and Final Part)
Effects of Piety
Piety is the factor that creates a healthy mind, leading to the formation of a healthy individual. A healthy society is made up of healthy individuals, and a society composed of such individuals can be considered developed.
Piety also has several effects, including:
– Centeredness in Allah
– Control over the senses
– Control over behavior
– Patience
– Joy
– Good morals
– The ability to distinguish right from wrong
– Overcoming the ego
– Commitment
– The growth of society and unity
– Reforming relationships among people
– Doing justice and avoiding suspicion, spying, and backbiting
Piety has both worldly and otherworldly effects.
A) Worldly-Individual Effects:
1. Guidance: [هـذا بَیانٌ لِلنّاسِ وهُدًی ومَوعِظَةٌ لِلمُتَّقین] Translation: “This is a statement for the people and a guidance and an admonition for the righteous.”
2. The Ability to Distinguish Right from Wrong: [اِن تَتَّقوا الله یَجعَل لَکُم فُرقانًا] Translation: “If you fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion.”
3. Attracting Allah’s Friendship: [بَلی مَن اَوفی بِعَهدِهِ واتَّقی فَاِنَّ الله یُحِبُّ المُتَّقین] Translation: “Indeed, whoever fulfills his covenant and is pious, Allah loves those who are pious.” [اِنَّ الله یُحِبُّ المُتَّقین] Translation: “Allah loves the pious.”
4. Getting Out of Bottlenecks: [و مَن یَتَّقِ الله یَجعَل لَهُ مَخرَجـا] Translation: “And he who fears Allah will make a way out for him.” [و مَن یَتَّقِ الله یَجعَل لَهُ مِن اَمرِهِ یُسرا] Translation: “And whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out.” [فَاَمّا مَن اَعطی واتَّقی • وصَدَّقَ بِالحُسنی • فَسَنُیَسِّرُهُ لِلیُسری] Translation: “So whoever gives and fears, and believes in what is good, we will make it easy for him.”
5. An Unexpected Subsistence: [و مَن یَتَّقِ الله… و یَرزُقهُ مِن حَیثُ لا یَحتَسِبُ] Translation: “And whoever fears Allah… He will provide for him from where he does not expect.”
6. Correcting Works: [یـاَیُّهَا الَّذینَ ءامَنوا اتَّقُوا الله وقولوا قَولاً سَدیدا یُصلِح لَکُم اَعمــلَکُم ویَغفِر لَکُم ذُنوبَکُم] Translation: “O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of righteousness. He will perfect for you your deeds and forgive you your sins.”
7. Divine Tidings: [اَلَّذینَ ءامَنوا و کانوا یَتَّقون لَهُمُ البُشری فِی الحَیوةِ الدُّنیا] Translation: “Those who believe and fear for them is glad tidings of the life of this world.”
B) Worldly-Social Effects:
– Benefiting from the Blessings of Heaven and Earth: [ولَو اَنَّ اَهلَ القُرَی ءامَنوا واتَّقَوا لَفَتَحنا عَلَیهِم بَرَکـت مِنَ السَّماءِ والاَرضِ ولـکِن کَذَّبوا فَاَخَذنـهُم بِما کانوا یَکسِبون] Translation: “And if the people of the towns had believed and feared, we would have bestowed upon them blessings from heaven and earth, but they denied, so We seized them for what they had earned.”
– Enjoying Divine Help: [بَلی اِن تَصبِروا وتَتَّقوا و یَأتوکُم مِن فَورِهِم هـذا یُمدِدکُم رَبُّکُم بِخَمسَةِ ءالـف مِنَ المَلـئِکَةِ مُسَوِّمین وما جَعَلَهُ الله اِلاّ بُشری لَکُم ولِتَطمَئِنَّ قُلوبُکُم بِهِ ومَا النَّصرُ اِلاّ مِن عِندِ الله العَزیزِ الحَکیم] Translation: “Indeed, if you are patient and fearful, and they come to you from their outburst, your Lord will provide you with five thousand angels appointed in rank. And Allah has not made it except as good news for you and that your hearts may be assured therein; and victory is only from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.”
– Divine Protection and Neutralization of Enemies’ Conspiracies: [اِن تَمسَسکُم حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤهُم واِن تُصِبکُم سَیِّئَةٌ یَفرَحوا بِها واِن تَصبِروا وتَتَّقوا لا یَضُرُّکُم کَیدُهُم شیــًا اِنَّ اللهَ بِما یَعمَلونَ مُحیط] Translation: “If good befalls you, it will trouble them; if evil befalls you, they rejoice therein; but if you are patient and fearful, their scheming will not harm you in the slightest. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do.”
– Being Safe from Punishment: [واَنجَینَا الَّذینَ ءامَنوا وکانوا یَتَّقون] Translation: “And We saved those who believed and feared.”
C) Otherworldly Effects:
– Good and Pleasant End and Salvation in the Hereafter: [والأخِرَةُ عِندَ رَبِّکَ لِلمُتَّقین] Translation: “And the Hereafter is with your Lord for the righteous.”
[والعـقِبَةُ لِلمُتَّقین] Translation: “And the best outcome is for the righteous.” [… واُولـئِکَ هُمُ المُفلِحون] Translation: “…and those are the successful ones.”
[واتَّقوا الله لَعَلَّکُم تُفلِحون] Translation: “And fear God that you may succeed.”
– Huge Reward: [لِلَّذینَ اَحسَنوا مِنهُم واتَّقَوا اَجرٌ عَظیم] Translation: “For those among them who do good and fear Allah is a great reward.”
[واِن تُؤمِنوا وتَتَّقوا فَلَکُم اَجرٌ عَظیم] Translation: “And if you believe and fear Allah, you will have a great reward.”
[واِن تُؤمِنوا وتَتَّقوا یُؤتِکُم اُجورَکُم] Translation: “And if you believe and fear Allah, He will give you your reward.”
– Removal of Grudge: [اِنَّ المُتَّقینَ فی جَنّـت و عُیون و نَزَعنا ما فی صُدورِهِم مِن غِلّ اِخونـًا عَلی سُرُر مُتَقـبِلین] Translation: “Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and springs. And We will remove from their chests the hatred that is in their hearts.”
[الاَخِلاّءُ یَومَئِذ بَعضُهُم لِبَعض عَدُوٌّ اِلاَّ المُتَّقین] Translation: “Friends, on that Day, will be enemies to one another, except for the righteous.”
– Rescue from Fire: [ثُمَّ نُنَجّی الَّذینَ اتَّقَوا و نَذَرُ الظّــلِمینَ فیها جِثیـّا] Translation: “Then We will save those who feared, and leave the wrongdoers therein crouching.”
[و یُنَجّی اللّهُ الَّذینَ اتَّقَوا بِمَفازَتِهِم لا یَمَسُّهُمُ السّوءُ ولا هُم یَحزَنون] Translation: “And Allah saves those who fear Him by His reward; evil will not touch them, nor will they grieve.”
– Superiority over Unbelievers on the Day of Judgment: [والَّذینَ اتَّقَوا فَوقَهُم یَومَ القِیـمَةِ والله یَرزُقُ مَن یَشاءُ بِغَیرِ حِساب] Translation: “And those who fear Allah will be superior to them on the Day of Resurrection. And Allah provides for whomever He wills without reckoning.”
– Benefiting from Heaven and Its Blessings: [اِنَّ لِلمُتَّقینَ عِندَ رَبِّهِم جَنّـتِ النَّعیم] Translation: “Indeed, for the righteous are gardens of pleasure with their Lord.”
[اِنَّ المُتَّقینَ فی جَنّـت ونَعیم • فـکِهینَ بِما ءاتـهُم رَبُّهُم] Translation: “Indeed, the righteous will be in Paradise and bliss. They will rejoice in what their Lord has bestowed upon them.”
Therefore, whoever attains the true fear of Allah and contemplates the Hereafter has received a great blessing, and that person will enjoy a golden life! It is essential to recognize that in this world, which is temporary, whoever fears Allah will have no fear or sorrow in the afterlife; instead, they will experience perpetual happiness, joy, and security through Allah’s grace and mercy. Conversely, those who do not fear Allah in this world, who neglect the afterlife, and who are intoxicated by worldly pleasures will face great sorrow and grief on the Day of Judgment, where tears of blood may flow from their eyes for years.
The greatest and most effective factor in piety and fear of Allah is to associate with Allah’s special servants who consistently fear Him and act according to His commands. The second factor promoting piety is to study useful religious books and engage with them through reading and listening. The third factor is for an individual to sit alone and contemplate their own death, envision the rewards and punishments that await them from Allah, and reflect on their condition: what state will they be in the grave? What will occur on the Day of Judgment when all the servants are gathered? When standing before Allah and the book of deeds is opened, what will be their answer, and where will they hide?
Whoever engages in this reflection, with Allah’s will, will surely be granted piety. May Allah make us all among the pious and the righteous. Amen.
References:
1. Al-Mufradat/ Wajahat Waqi/ p. 545.
2. Sunan Al-Ramzi/ Chapters on the Description of the Resurrection…/ Chapter on What Was Said about the description of the Vessels of the Pool/ Part 4/ Page 634/ No.: 2451.
3. Al-Jami’ La Ahkam Al-Qur’an/ Vol. 1/ p. 161.
4. Surah Al-Imran/ Verse 102.
5. Surah Taghabun / Verse 16.
6. Surah Hashr / Verse 18.
7. Surah Talaq / Verse 2.
8. Surah Yunus / Verse 62-63.
9. Surah Al Imran / Verse 15.
10. Surah Sad/ Verse 49 to 54.
11. Surah Qamar / Verse 54-55.
12. Surah Hujurat / Verse 13.
13. Sahih Muslim / The Book of Musaqat / Chapter on Taking What is Permissible and Leaving the Doubtful / Part 3 / Page 1219 / No.: 107.
14. Surah Taha / Verse 113.
15. Surah Al-Baqarah / Verse 187.
16. Surah Muhammad / Verse 17.
17. Surah Ankabut / Verse 69.
18. Surah Al-Baqarah / Verse 183.
19. Surah Al-Baqarah / Verse 21.
20. Surah Al-Tawbah / Verse 119.
21. Surah Talaq / Verse 1.
22. Surah Al-Baqarah / Verse 21.
23. Surah Al-Baqarah / Verse 197.
24. Al-A’raf / Verse 26.
