Importance of Taqwa

Meaning of Hamd

Praise (hamd) is to Allah, who favored us; led us towards the right path and high value. He gave us strength and power to worship Him. His mercy and favor are great and perfect. All praises are submitted to Him with the hope that they will be equal to his mercy and favor. But they will never be equal, as the Almighty says

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّـهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ [1]

“And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful”

Meaning of Salaat and Salaam

Salaat or Salaat has many translations and is used in a variety of forms in different languages. In Urdu, it is called Durood. In English, we call it a Blessing or Salutation.

Salam follows Salaat in Muslim prayer. Salam means ‘safe.’

Salaat means differently according to one who recites it.

The Quran declares that Allah and angels recite Salaat for Prophet Muhammad r

إنَّ اللَّـهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا[2]

Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.

Allah’s Salaat is His mercy and grace to the prophet Mohammadr, and angels’ Salaat is to ask Allah to confer His mercy to the prophet. Ibn Hajr told in his work ‘Fat-hul-bari’

وَأولى الأقوال ما تقدم عن أبي العالية أن معنى صلاة الله على نبيه ثناؤه عليه وتعظيمه وصلاة الملائكة وغيرهم عليه طلب ذلك له من الله تعالى والمراد طلب الزيادة لا طلب أصل الصلاة [3]

“”The most preferential opinion is that which was mentioned previously by Abul-‘Aaliyah that the meaning of Allah’s Salaat on His Prophet is His praising and honoring of him, while the Salaat of the angels upon him, as well as other people, means that they are requesting the same thing (i.e. praise and honor) for him from Allah. However, what is intended here by their request is that of an increase in praise and honor and not the same amount as intended by the original Salaat.”

Salam is meant to ask Allah for the safety of the prophet r from all kinds of harm, injury, suffering and distress. No doubt, his safety is the protection of whole Muslims and Islam.

In short, Salaat and Salaam means to honor and praise the prophet Mohammad r, to pray for the safeguarding of Islam and Muslims, and for the protection of the holy places.

When one says Allahumma Salli Ala Muhammad, it means

Oh Allah! Praise and honor our prophet in both earth and heaven with the highest form of commemoration, and make his religion win all over the world, and preserve his legislation (Sharia ) forever.

What is Taqwa?

Piety (Taqwa) is the backbone of all good deeds. Given the fact that this book Adhkia is dedicated to someone who wants to be Waliy (true believer with high rank), the author Sheikh Zainuddeen t categorically begins the book with Taqwa, the highest character of a Muslim.

What is Taqwa or piety? Many definitions are given of Taqwa. The common one is:

امْتِثَالُ أَوَامِرِ اللهِ وَاجْتِنَابِ نَوَاهِيهِ ظَاهِرًا وَبَاطِنًا مَعَ اسْتِشْعَارِ التَّعْظِيمِ للهِ وَالهَيْبَةِ والخَشْيَةِ وَالرَّهْبَةِ مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالَى [4]

To obey the orders of Allah and avoid his prohibitions both inward and outward with honour (to Allah) and fear (from Allah).

Second Khalifah Umar t once asked Ubay bin Ka’ab t

What is Taqwa?

Ubay: Did you ever pass by a road that had thorns?

Umar: Yes

Ubay: What did you do then?

Umar: I tried my best to protect myself; I put one leg forward and another backward, fearing any thorn would hit my leg.

Ubay: That is Taqwa!

The following are some of the understandings from this answer:

One has to strive hard to maintain Taqwa

Prohibitions are like thorns.

Keeping up with Taqwa is difficult, but one can maintain it

Quran says that the way to be Waliy of Allah is to maintain Taqwa. All Awliya (plural of Waliy) are pious and righteous people.

إنْ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ إِلَّا الْمُتَّقُونَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ[5]

Its [true] guardians are not but the righteous, but most of them do not know

Taqwa always contradicts the whims of the people and their self-passions. Only by controlling one’s own whims, he/her can win the satisfaction of Allah and maintain Taqwa. Sheikh compared the man who follows the whim with a fish being trapped. Normally prey gets attracted to traps easily, and as such, there is no way out if a person is trapped, or if they are being trapped by a predator.

Ali t said:

إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ اثْنَتَانِ : اتِّبَاعُ الْهَوَى ، وَطُولُ الْأَمَلِ [6]

The most feared thing about my people is their own personal whims and lengthy desires.

These whims usually prevent man from doing good deeds and lengthy desires make the man forget life after death.