In response to a question on the real meaning of ‘Taqwah’, received from a young Muslim from abroad, Hazrat Khalifatullah Al Mahdi Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius offered spiritual guidance, the text of which is reproduced below for the benefit of all seekers of higher wisdom.
Ms. Nusrat Alibagh [Germany]: ‘Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarkaatuhu. Hazrat Munir Sahib,
l want to have an answer from you: what is the real meaning of ‘Taqwah’?
Answer: ‘You know in the Holy Quran Allah (swt) say: ‘Verily, the Believers are those whose hearts feel fear when Allah is mentioned, and when His signs (or revelations) are recited to them they increase their faith, and who put their trust in their Lord.’ (8:3).
The Arabic word ‘Taqwah’, denoting a
quality which is absolutely essential in the personality of the conscious
Muslim, has no exact English equivalent. ‘Taqwah’ refers to an attitude
comprised of love and fear of Allah which we may translate, for want of a
better word, as ‘God-consciousness.’
More exactly, it refers to the constant
awareness that one is always in front of Allah and that He knows everything
concerning him, even his most secret thoughts. This attitude produces within one such an intense love for Allah
that he wants to do only what is pleasing to Him; such great fear of Allah that
he tries to avoid doing anything which He dislikes, and such a keen
consciousness of Allah that he never for a single moment imagines His being
unaware of what he does, or that he will not be held accountable for all his
intentions and actions.
In the words of the Quran, the ‘Muttaqeen’ (those who
possess ‘Taqwah’) are: ‘Those
who fear their Lord in their most secret thoughts and who hold the Hour (of
judgement) in awe.’ (21:50)
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