The firm believe in the Lord of the Universe and constant consciousness of worshipping Him alone is called Thaqwa. The technical word meaning of Thaqwa is to be careful or to be protected.

The belief that anything that Allah, Lord and Owner of this world and the hereafter, mandated us to do is beneficial to mankind and that which is forbidden is always harmful is known as Thaqwa in Islam.

The Holy Qur’an introduces to mankind with the following verses:

“This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)).” (2:2)

The Qur’an also teaches us living with thaqwa implies worshipping our Lord:

Whatever Allah allowed and guided us with through the Holy Book are the best for us. Good food and drink, decent ways of earning, virtuous sexual relationships, beautiful clothes, neat and tidy homes, right medicine and treatments, affordable vehicles are all allowed for us.

The Holy Qur’an is revealed to us through the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Holy Qur’an explains the mission of Prophet Muahmmad (peace be upon him):

This verse makes it clear that anything that benefits mankind is made lawful and those that are forbidden are actually harmful. However, some of us are attracted to the forbidden ones and stay away from the allowed and beneficial ones. That’s the reason why some of us are fine with consuming alcohol, fornication and homosexuality that causes disasters and bad deeds.

The Holy Qur’an says:

Say (O Muhammad SAW): "(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are AlFawahish (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge." (7:33)

Some deeds can be identified easily as bad while others are not that easy to identify; sometimes they are hidden. However, a person with thaqwa considers everything that is forbidden by Allah as bad and they stay away from it. That’s the way try to be free from sins.

Thaqwa is more than just deeds. It is a state when we consider and give priority to Allah commandments above our thinking and thoughts in our day to day living. Its when our life is completely submitted to the will of Allah.

Allah’s will is applicable to an individual, a family or a society as a whole. That’s the greatness of His law and no one can repudiate that.

“Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah Alone - Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan (i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allahs sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet SAW in a perfect manner), and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help, etc.): and forbids Al-Fahsha (i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right, etc.), and Al-Munkar (i.e all that is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds, etc.), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression), He admonishes you, that you may take heed.” (16:90)

“Verily! Allah commands that you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due; and that when you judge between men, you judge with justice. Verily, how excellent is the teaching which He (Allah) gives you! Truly, Allah is Ever All Hearer, All Seer.” (4:58)

“It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allah, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masakin (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and gives the Zakat, and who fulfill their covenant when they make it, and who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.) in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are AlMuttaqoon” (2:177)

Islam’s view of piety and righteousness is clear here. The purpose of man is to accept what is right and act upon it to make his life more meaningful and effective. Accepting what is good and right, and staying away from bad according the Guidance from Allah purifies man.

There are some who accepts the ideas of Islam and rejects what it forbids; however they may not be believers. Telling truth, giving charity, staying away from alcohol and robbery are some of the examples of such deeds. These benefit the individual, their family and society. However, they cannot be considered pious and righteous according to Islam.

Pious and righteous ones are those who do good deeds and stay away from bad deed for the sake of Allah to please Him and to get His blessings. Our deeds are based on our intentions and innocence. Verses regarding charity, their validity and they become invalid makes this point clear:

“Those who spend their wealth in the Cause of Allah, and do not follow up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury, their reward is with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than Sadaqah (charity) followed by injury. And Allah is Rich (Free of all wants) and He is Most-Forbearing. O you who believe! Do not render in vain your Sadaqah (charity) by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His likeness is the likeness of a smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people. And the likeness of those who spend their wealth seeking Allahs Pleasure while they in their ownselves are sure and certain that Allah will reward them (for their spending in His Cause), is the likeness of a garden on a height; heavy rain falls on it and it doubles its yield of harvest. And if it does not receive heavy rain, light rain suffices it. And Allah is All-Seer of (knows well) what you do.” (2: 262 – 265)

These verses are self explanatory and do not require more explanation. The value of charity is according to a person’s intention, sincerity and innocence for the sake of Allah. This is true for any other deeds. There are many verses and saying of the Prophets that point to this fact. A well known one is:

"The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for." (Sahih Bukhari)

To conclude, there is purity in our thinking, thoughts and deeds while asleep, awake, in secret or in public; only if we believe in and act according the Will of the Lord of Universe who see and knows everything we do.

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