What is Taqwa?

What is Taqwa?

(Fear of Allah) It Is Taqwa

He then explains it in detail. A man is all alone and nobody is there to see him so there is no apparent obstacle to prevent him from committing a sin. It is there, in the loneliness, that he feels like doing a sinful act. But he tells himself, "although no man can know what I do but my Allah sees me. One day, I will stand before Him." He then abstains from the act. It is for this man that the two Gardens are promised, and for those like him. The behaviour of this man is called Taqwa (piety, righteousness, God-fearing). Taqwa is defined as "the awe of Allah that prompts man to abandon the most pressing
demand of his base desire to sin." He thinks that although no one watches him the One Who sees all sees him too. The aim of all pious teachings and of Shari ah is to grow in man the fear that he will have to stand before Allah.

The Taqwa Of the Companions

It was this behaviour that the Holly Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم had grown in his noble Companions رضي الله عنهم. The result was that if anyone happened to commit a wrong, he would become restless and would not be peaceful until he had the prescribed Shari ah punishment applied to him and until he had sought forgiveness of Allah sincerely and repented to Him. The wrong-doer would approach the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم
and ask him to sentence him and get the mark erased from him. Therefore, only fear of Allah in the hearts, and the thought of the Hereafter and the presence before Allah can wipe out crime from the world. Every other plan will fail.

The Greatness Of Allah

Allah does not tell us in this verse that one should fear Hell, or the chastisement, or the Fire, but. He has said that he should fear the standing before his Lord.

In other words, he should recognize the greatness, the majesty of Allah and he should realize that Allah may or may not punish him against the sin. But, the real question is how would he stand before Him with the sin against his name? If anyone recognizes the greatness of someone and esteems and respects him then, even if he knows that he will not punish him, he stands in awe of Him and will not do anything against his wishes lest he have to face Him after doing the wrong. This is taqwa when the attitude is in relation to Allah.