"The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Fasting is a shield with which the servant protects himself from the Fire.”
So we should ask ourselves, after each day of fasting: Has this lasting made us more fearful and obedient to Allaah? Has it aided us in distancing ourselves from sins and disobedience? "
Fasting has been legislated in order that we may gain taqwaa as Allaah – the Most High – said:
Fasting has been legislated in order that we may gain taqwaa as Allaah – the Most High – said:
“O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed upon those before you in order that you may attain taqwaa.” [Soorah al-Baqarah 2:183].
Talq ibn Habeeb (d.100H) – rahimahullaah – said: “When fitnah (trial and tribulation) appears then extinguish it with taqwaa.” So he was asked as to what taqwaa was, so he replied: “Taqwaa is to act in obedience to Allaah, upon a light (i.e. eemaan, faith) from Allaah, hoping in the Mercy of Allaah. And taqwaa is leaving acts of disobedience to Allaah, upon a light from Allaah, due to the fear of Allaah.”
“This is one of the best definitions of taqwaa. For every action must have both a starting point and a goal. And an action will not be considered as an act of obedience, or nearness to Allaah unless it stems from pure eemaan (faith in Allaah). Thus, it is pure eemaan – and not habits, desires, nor seeking praise or fame – that should be what initiates an action. And the preparation showed, to earn the reward of Allaah and to seek His good pleasure.” So Fasting is a means of attaining taqwaa, since it helps prevent a person from many sins that one is prone to. Due to this, the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Fasting is a shield with which the servant protects himself from the Fire.” So we should ask ourselves, after each day of fasting: Has this lasting made us more fearful and obedient to Allaah? Has it aided us in distancing ourselves from sins and disobedience?
What is TAQWAA?
The concept of taqwaa is always linked to ibaadah in the Quran. ‘Ibaadah can be defined as: to do what Allah has commanded and to avoid what He has prohibited. ‘Ibaadah has also been defined as a concept that includes all actions that Allah loves and approves of, whether they are actions of the heart, the toungue or the limbs. So taqwaa is linked with doing what is correct and avoiding that which is wrong. Taqwaa is the fruit of doing the actions of ‘Ibaadah. In other words, if one does what Allah has commanded him to do, and abstains from that which he has been forbidden, he will achieve taqwaa.
Taqwaa means to cleanse or purify the heart and the soul. This fact is proven by some ayaat in Suorat ush-Shams in which Allah says:
” By the sun and its brightness, by the moon as it follows it, by the day as it shows its brightness, by the night as it conceals it, by the heaven and its wondrous make, by the earth and all its expanse, and by the soul and He Who perfected it in proportion, then He showed it what is wrong for it and what is right for it – indeed he suceeds who purifies it, and he fails who corrupts it.” [ Ash-Shams 91:1-10 ].
Allah begins this soorah by taking seven oaths. Whenever Allah begins a soorah or an ayaah with an oath, He does so to bear witness to the fact that whatever follows this oath is very important and essential for us to understand. Therfore, we should pay very close attention to what is being said, and reflect upon its meanings. To cleans one’s heart and to purify the soul, one must perform righteous actions that Allah has enjoined upon us, and our destruction lies in doing the actions that Allah has forbidden. As Allah is the Guardian and Protector of the Soul, we should do every good deed hoping for Allah’s Mercy and fearing His Punishment, having full reliance and trust in Him.
Conditions for Attaining Taqwaa
How does a person know that his acts of ‘ibaadah are helping him to achieve taqwaa ? To develop taqwaa, one must fulfill the following conditions:-
1) Ikhlaas, sincere intention that the act is performed purely for the pleasure of Allah, out of love for Him, while hoping for His reward and mercy, as well as fearing His anger and punishment if He is disobeyed.
2) To do the deed in accordance with the authentic Sunnah. To have the necessary knowledge of the ‘ibaadah that is being performed. To know how the Prophet …performed the action and proper times for the performance of that action.
Concerning Ikhlaas, it must be present both before and after performing the deed, with no riyaa or sum’ah ( doing things to be seen or heard by people ). For instance, after doing a good deed, someone tells others, ” Look at all the good I have been doing “, or ” I’m such a marvelous person because I do such and such”.
This formula, if used to achieve taqwaa, is scientific, in that if you follow it, while fullfilling all of its conditions and their rights, you will achieve taqwaa in shaa a ‘Llaah
Talq ibn Habeeb (d.100H) – rahimahullaah – said: “When fitnah (trial and tribulation) appears then extinguish it with taqwaa.” So he was asked as to what taqwaa was, so he replied: “Taqwaa is to act in obedience to Allaah, upon a light (i.e. eemaan, faith) from Allaah, hoping in the Mercy of Allaah. And taqwaa is leaving acts of disobedience to Allaah, upon a light from Allaah, due to the fear of Allaah.”
“This is one of the best definitions of taqwaa. For every action must have both a starting point and a goal. And an action will not be considered as an act of obedience, or nearness to Allaah unless it stems from pure eemaan (faith in Allaah). Thus, it is pure eemaan – and not habits, desires, nor seeking praise or fame – that should be what initiates an action. And the preparation showed, to earn the reward of Allaah and to seek His good pleasure.” So Fasting is a means of attaining taqwaa, since it helps prevent a person from many sins that one is prone to. Due to this, the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Fasting is a shield with which the servant protects himself from the Fire.” So we should ask ourselves, after each day of fasting: Has this lasting made us more fearful and obedient to Allaah? Has it aided us in distancing ourselves from sins and disobedience?
What is TAQWAA?
The concept of taqwaa is always linked to ibaadah in the Quran. ‘Ibaadah can be defined as: to do what Allah has commanded and to avoid what He has prohibited. ‘Ibaadah has also been defined as a concept that includes all actions that Allah loves and approves of, whether they are actions of the heart, the toungue or the limbs. So taqwaa is linked with doing what is correct and avoiding that which is wrong. Taqwaa is the fruit of doing the actions of ‘Ibaadah. In other words, if one does what Allah has commanded him to do, and abstains from that which he has been forbidden, he will achieve taqwaa.
Taqwaa means to cleanse or purify the heart and the soul. This fact is proven by some ayaat in Suorat ush-Shams in which Allah says:
” By the sun and its brightness, by the moon as it follows it, by the day as it shows its brightness, by the night as it conceals it, by the heaven and its wondrous make, by the earth and all its expanse, and by the soul and He Who perfected it in proportion, then He showed it what is wrong for it and what is right for it – indeed he suceeds who purifies it, and he fails who corrupts it.” [ Ash-Shams 91:1-10 ].
Allah begins this soorah by taking seven oaths. Whenever Allah begins a soorah or an ayaah with an oath, He does so to bear witness to the fact that whatever follows this oath is very important and essential for us to understand. Therfore, we should pay very close attention to what is being said, and reflect upon its meanings. To cleans one’s heart and to purify the soul, one must perform righteous actions that Allah has enjoined upon us, and our destruction lies in doing the actions that Allah has forbidden. As Allah is the Guardian and Protector of the Soul, we should do every good deed hoping for Allah’s Mercy and fearing His Punishment, having full reliance and trust in Him.
Conditions for Attaining Taqwaa
How does a person know that his acts of ‘ibaadah are helping him to achieve taqwaa ? To develop taqwaa, one must fulfill the following conditions:-
1) Ikhlaas, sincere intention that the act is performed purely for the pleasure of Allah, out of love for Him, while hoping for His reward and mercy, as well as fearing His anger and punishment if He is disobeyed.
2) To do the deed in accordance with the authentic Sunnah. To have the necessary knowledge of the ‘ibaadah that is being performed. To know how the Prophet …performed the action and proper times for the performance of that action.
Concerning Ikhlaas, it must be present both before and after performing the deed, with no riyaa or sum’ah ( doing things to be seen or heard by people ). For instance, after doing a good deed, someone tells others, ” Look at all the good I have been doing “, or ” I’m such a marvelous person because I do such and such”.
This formula, if used to achieve taqwaa, is scientific, in that if you follow it, while fullfilling all of its conditions and their rights, you will achieve taqwaa in shaa a ‘Llaah
Sources:
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