What is Taqwa?

• Taqwaa= God- conscious. The root of Taqwa means to remain steadfast and vigilant in honoring Allah’s guidance and by means of that commitment seek protection from all that is evil, corrupt, and destructive in the world.
• By having taqwa, you cultivate your own strength of character. When you strive to develop your character according to the Quran and sunnah, it is apparent in your integrity and actions, and you will be seen as Muttaqi in the eyes of Allah

How Allah define being God- Conscious in the Quran

“It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the east or West; but it is righteousness to believe in God and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which you have made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing (God-conscious).” [Al-Baqarah 2:177, Translation: Yusuf Ali]

What we learn from this Ayah is this:

“This verse puts into perspective the ritual-based Islam that we practice versus the substance and goal-based Islam, which the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions practiced. Proponents of the ritual-based Islam would have us believe that once the rituals are done properly, meticulously, and sincerely we are guaranteed salvation in the Hereafter. The Qur’an clearly rejects this view of Islam in the verse cited above.” -Islamcity explanation. This basically means prayer is not enough, but your actions outside of that matter as well.

1. Establish belief in the pillars of Iman

2. Donate to family, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slave, out of love for Allah. Why these people? Because these people don’t have any protection/ support from society, cannot work, or do not earn enough.

3. Be steadfast in prayer. Not just pray- but be steadfast- which means establish a consistent routine.

4. Practice regular charity. Not donate alone- but do it regularly. When you care about how you are spending your money, and are conscious of how Allah wants you to do it, then that is a sign of Taqwa.

5. “To fulfill the contracts which you have made” This basically means to keep your word to stay honest. Muslims must honor their word and their commitments.

6. To be Firm and Patient during periods of pain and suffering. Being conscious of Allah reminds us that we are not alone in our troubles, and to have patience because surely Allah will help us. There are people that go through hard times and stop believing in God as a result- but we should have more taqwa during difficulty to establish peace and patience.

Only the people that follow these requirements will be seen as God- Conscious to Allah.

By remaining mindful of the qualities I mentioned, we will be seeing as Mutaqi by Allah. And “verily Allah loves those who act aright (Muttaqeen)”

Why is it important to have Taqwa?

For example, when walking through thorns, you will lift your dress up and walk cautiously the whole way through. That represent Taqwa. Taqwa is to go through life cautious and conscious that you don't step into anything that Allah doesn’t like. With everything you do, you should think “what does Allah say about this?”

• Your relationships with your family, friends, your love life is all affected by this.