Learn Islam

The Meaning of Taqwaa

Its meaning linguistically is: “that you take precaution against something which you dislike and a barrier to block-off that which you dislike”, just as someone would use clothing to protect himself from cold or heat, and as he would use armour to protect himself from the arrows of the enemy, and as he would build a fortress to protect himself from the plots of the enemy, and as he would wear something on his feet to protect them from the heat and thorns and from being barefoot. Whoever has done these things then he has protected himself from these dangers. However taqwaa of Allaah does not occur through wearing clothes, with fortresses, with weapons or with soldiers. Indeed taqwaa’ of Allaah (ﻷ) only comes about through obeying Him and implementing His commands and leaving off that which He the Most High forbids from.

So taqwaa of Allaah, its meaning is: that you do what Allaah the Perfect and Most High commands you with, hoping for His reward, and that you leave off disobeying Allaah, fearing His punishment. And:

حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ
As He should be feared [3:102]

Its meaning is that someone does not leave off anything which Allaah has commanded except that he does it, and that he does not do anything from that which Allaah has forbidden from, such that he abstains from everything which Allaah has forbidden from.

Ibn Mas'ood’s Tafseer of Taqwaa

And for this reason 'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'ood (radiyAllaahu'anhu) would say - Fear Allaah as He should be feared:

"That He is obeyed and not disobeyed, that He is remembered and not forgotten, and that He is thanked and not shown ingratitude."[1]

Whoever has done this then he has feared Allaah as He should be feared.

_______________________

[1]: Its chain of narration is saheeh, and it is mawqoof to him. Ibn Mardawayh reported it, and Ibn Abee Haatim in his tafseer, and Al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (2/294), mawqoof and not marfoo', and Ibn Katheer rahimahullaah said, 'And what is most apparent is that it is mawqoof'. Look in Zaad-ul-Maseer of Ibn-ul-Jawzee (1/431) Soorah Aal-e-'Imraan, and Ibn Katheer (1/396)

[from wujoob-ut-tathabbut min al-akhbaar wa ihtiraam il-'ulemaa - 'The Obligation of Verifying the Reports and Honouring the Scholars' by Sh Saalih al-Fawzaan hafizahullaah.]

Virtues of Surath Al-Baqarah and Surath Al-Imran

Imam Ahmad said that Abu Nu'aym narrated to them that Bishr bin
Muhajir said that Abdullah bin Buraydah narrated to his father,
"I was sitting with the prophet(s) and i heard him saying

(( Learn Surat Al-Baqarah, because in learning it there is blessing,
in ignoring it there is sorrow, and the sorceresses cannot
memorize it.))

Abu Hurairah (r) reported: The prophet (S) said, "It is also charity to utter a good word."
[AL-BUKHARI & AL-MUSLIM ]