Ramadhan - Rabetah

Islamic Teachings
It originates from remembering Allah and being conscious
of Him. A person who seeks to please Allah and avoid
His wrath can only do so if he or she is conscious of Allah
at all times. This is why the term Taqwa is also expressed
in English as God-consciousness.
By Maulana Sulaiman Bodiat Sahib
(Translated by Maulana Zakariya Barber)
Taqwa is one of the fundamental principles in Islam. It is
usually translated as: "Fear of Allah, piety, righteousness,
or being conscious of Allah, aware of His attributes, His
might, and power." It implies self-restraint, guarding
oneself from all sins, wrong deeds, and
injustice. Taqwa is not a passive idea. It is not merely a
feeling or an emotion. Taqwa is an active concept. It is
about performing good deeds and positive actions in
preparation for the Hereafter, the next life.
In addition, Taqwa is the only basis by which people are
considered superior to others in Islam; Almighty Allah
says: O humankind! Lo! We [Allah] have created you
male and female and we have made you nations and
tribes that you may know one another. Lo! The noblest of
you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Lo!
Allah is Knower, Aware. (Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Taqwa is something we earn by acts of faith and
obedience. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) talked about Taqwa, he said that Taqwa is
here and pointed to his heart. Indeed, Taqwa lies in the
heart. It is not something that one can measure. I cannot
measure your level of Taqwa nor can you measure my
level of Taqwa. We may judge in general by the outer
actions of people, but we cannot judge the heart.
You may say that someone does not seem to have very
much Taqwa because they are doing a lot of things that
are displeasing to Allah. Or you may say that another
person seems to have more Taqwa because he or she
seems to be doing a lot of things of which Allah approves.
We judge by the outer appearance, by what we see. But
our judgments are not perfect. They are superficial
judgments because we really do not know what is going
on inside the heart of a person.
Taqwa is not something that we can ultimately judge from
outside. Taqwa is invisible; it is a state of mind and heart.
For example, Almighty Allah says regarding
Prayers, “And establish the prayer for My
remembrance.” (Ta-Ha 20:14)
When a person is conscious of Allah, aware that He is
Ever-Watching, that person would not do the things that
would displease Allah. It is when we forget Allah that
Satan finds the opportunity to approach us, to misguide
us, and to suggest evil, and we then fall into sin.
Throughout our lives, we are in that state of constant
struggle between remembering and forgetting Allah.
Remembrance of Allah ensures righteousness, whereas
forgetting Him opens the door for sin.
Taqwa is, therefore, a concept having to do with the
remembrance of Allah, fearing Allah and avoiding His
wrath. All of this is related to Taqwa, and all of it
represents the goal or the basic principle that Islam seeks
to develop in us and which, ultimately, is the foundation of
righteousness.
If you persevere in your efforts to remember Allah and
strive constantly to develop your Taqwa at all times
passionately and sincerely, you may then achieve a
special status of being a Waliy; a close and dedicated
servant. Allah states in the Qur'an: Behold, certainly no
fear and no grief will overcome the Allah's awliyaa' -
those who believe and have Taqwa. (Yunus 10:62-63)
The statuses of the sincere servants are further illustrated
in the following Hadith Qudsi (Divine Hadith),
I [Allah] announce war against whoever takes a devout
servant of Mine as an enemy. And My servant does not
come closer to Me by anything more beloved to Me than
the things that I have made compulsory for him.
Furthermore, if My servant continues to get close to Me
by performing supererogatory acts of worship, I will love
him. In case this happens, I will be as the hearing with
which he hears, the sight with which he sees, the hand
with which he strikes, and the leg with which he walks; if
he asks Me for something, I will certainly grant his
request; and if he seeks refuge with Me, I will certainly
give it to him.
The Hadith illustrates that after doing the compulsory acts
of worship, the believer continues to come closer to Allah
by doing voluntary acts of worship until Allah loves him or
her. Each and every one of the compulsory acts of
10
Whoever Returns to Sin After Ramadhan
Yahya bin Muaadh said: The smart individual is not the one whose greatest goal is other than seeking the pardon of Allah. (The smart
individual is not the one who) seeks forgiveness with his tongue, while his heart is firmly attached to sin, and he truly intends to return to
sin after the completion of Ramadhan. This individual's fast is rejected, and acceptance is closed in his face.
Ka'b said: Whoever fasts Ramadhan while inwardly saying: Once the month is over, I will disobey Allah; this person's fasting is rejected.
And whoever fasts the month while inwardly saying: Upon completion of the month, I won't disobey Allah; this person will enter Jannah
without questioning or debate.
Issue 31 www.rabetah.com Sept/Oct 2010