The True Essence of Piety

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah’s peace, blessings, and mercy be upon His servant, messenger, and chosen one from among His creation, our Prophet and leader Muhammad ibn Abdullah, and upon his family, companions, and all who follow his guidance.

The Command of Taqwa in the Quran

My dear listeners, today I speak to you about the obligation of adhering to Taqwa (piety) and guarding the tongue. Allah the Almighty says in His clear Book: “O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.” (Al-Ahzab: 70-71)

In this noble verse, Allah commands Taqwa and sound speech. In His great Book, Allah frequently commands Taqwa, sometimes addressing all people in general, such as in His saying: “O mankind, fear your Lord.” (An-Nisa: 1) And sometimes addressing the believers specifically, because they are more complete in obedience and more aware of Allah’s intent — such as in this verse: “O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins.” (Al-Ahzab: 70-71)

Taqwa According to the Righteous Predecessors

The righteous Salaf (predecessors) defined Taqwa as fulfilling Allah’s obligations, avoiding Allah’s prohibitions, being sincere to Allah, believing in Him and His messengers, affirming everything Allah and His Messenger have informed us of, fearing Allah’s punishment, and hoping for His reward.

The reality of Taqwa is that a person places between himself and Allah’s anger and punishment a protective barrier, by doing what Allah commands and avoiding what He forbids, seeking Allah’s reward and fearing His punishment.

One of the Salaf said: “Taqwa is to act in obedience to Allah, upon light from Allah, hoping for Allah’s reward; and to abandon disobedience to Allah, upon light from Allah, fearing Allah’s punishment.”

Another said: “Taqwa is not fasting by day and praying by night while mixing sins in between, but rather Taqwa is fulfilling Allah’s obligations and avoiding His prohibitions, and if there is additional good beyond that, then it is goodness upon goodness.”

In summary, Taqwa is fearing Allah, being mindful of Him, and glorifying Him, by doing His commands and avoiding His prohibitions with sincerity and truthfulness in action.

It is a comprehensive term that includes doing what Allah and His Messenger command and avoiding what Allah and His Messenger forbid, out of faith, sincerity, submission, and striving in all that Allah loves and is pleased with, while avoiding what angers Him.

Great Rewards of Taqwa

Allah has promised the pious much goodness, linking Taqwa to happiness in this life and the Hereafter. It is the key to every good and the cause of all success, immediate and future. Allah says, “And whoever fears Allah — He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect.” (At-Talaq: 2-3) “And whoever fears Allah — He will make for him of his matter ease.” (At-Talaq: 4) “And whoever fears Allah — He will remove for him his misdeeds and make great for him his reward.” (At-Talaq: 5) “Indeed, the righteous will be within gardens and springs.” (Al-Hijr: 45) “Indeed, for the righteous with their Lord are the Gardens of Pleasure.” (Al-Qalam: 34)

Thus, Taqwa brings relief from distress, ease in affairs, lawful provision, Paradise in the Hereafter, and safety from the Hellfire. Every believer should hasten to it, remain committed to it in hardship or ease, travel or residence, at all times. This is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised Mu‘adh: “Fear Allah wherever you are.”

Speaking Words of Justice

Allah’s saying: “And speak words of appropriate justice.” is a command to speak good words that are sound and free from what angers Allah. You, O servant of Allah, are commanded to guard your tongue and keep it away from what displeases Allah.

Sound speech is that which aligns with truth and goodness. This meaning is confirmed in Allah’s saying: “No good is there in much of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is right or conciliation between people.” (An-Nisa: 114)

It also matches the Prophet’s authentic hadith: “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, must speak good or remain silent.”

Guarding the Tongue from Sinful Speech

You must guard your tongue from backbiting, gossip, lying, false testimony, insults, obscene speech, and anything that angers Allah.

This is how the believer should act. The tongue is dangerous. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A slave of Allah may utter a word without thinking whether it is right or wrong, he may slip down in the Fire as far away a distance equal to that between the east.” In another narration: “a slave (of Allah) may utter a word (carelessly) which displeases Allah without thinking of its gravity and because of that he will be thrown into the Hell-Fire.”

This is why our duty lies in safeguarding our tongues. Although speaking justly is part of Taqwa, Allah mentioned it separately due to the great danger of the tongue, so that the believer would pay special attention to guarding it.

Whoever fears Allah and speaks justly, Allah will amend his deeds and forgive his sins. This is a reward for Taqwa and for guarding the tongue.

Taqwa Leads to Happiness 

O servant of Allah, if you want Paradise, salvation from the Fire, relief from distress, ease in your affairs, righteous deeds, and forgiveness for your sins, then fear Allah and guard your tongue.

Hasten to what pleases Allah and avoid what He has forbidden, for obedience to Allah brings all good and happiness in this life and the Hereafter, while disobedience leads to evil consequences and the anger of Allah, which leads to Hellfire.

We ask Allah, the Most High, the All-Powerful, to grant us and all Muslims success in what pleases Him, to rectify our hearts and deeds, and to guide us all to His straight path. Indeed, He is All-Hearing, Near. And may Allah’s peace, blessings, and mercy be upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

Read Also:

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• The Foundations of a Nation's Happiness

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Taken from Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz Official Website. 

Read the Article in Arabic