by Khadija Husain

Created on: July 14, 2008

The concept of Taqwa in Islam is one of the central tenets of beliefs intended to serve as a guide to daily living for Muslims everywhere. Quite simply the Arabic translation of Taqwa is "God consciousness". In other words, Taqwa is supposed to serve as an awareness of God during each action taken by Muslims each and every day. Taqwa has erroneously been translated as the "fear of God" by various sources over the years. However, that limiting definition does not do justice to the beautiful concept of Taqwa that is supposed to serve as the guide to the routine Muslim life. In fact the idea that Muslims should "fear" God has no valid basis in Islam. Muslims are supposed to be guided by the love of God, and the willingness to obey what God has mandated in the Quran, the Muslim holy book, as good behavior and to avoid what is forbidden..

The Quran according to Islamic belief is the definitive and final word of God preceded only by the Torah and the Bible. In the Quran, the idea of Taqwa is mentioned extensively as the way Muslims should live their lives in order to please God and attain success in this world and the hereafter. In fact, verse after verse in the Quran states that the path to happiness and fulfillment in this world is letting Taqwa guide daily decisions. In addition to the immense benefits of incorporating Taqwa in every action, it is stated in the Quran that, "God
delivers those who have Taqwa to their salvation. Evil does not touch them and they do not greive" (39:61).

Other verses of the Quran speak to the fact that God loves those who have Taqwa (9:4), and God is with those who have Taqwa (16:128). Muslims are further exhorted to have Taqwa in the Quran in order to achieve honor, "Surely the most honored of you, has the most Taqwa" (49:13).

The idea of the importance of Taqwa brought forth in the Quran are also further reiterated in the collection of Prophet Muhammad's sayings known as Hadith. One such saying is "Have Taqwa wherever you are and follow up a bad deed with a good one and it shall erase it; and behave toward people in a gracious manner". It is clear from this Hadith that having Taqwa is considered to be something worth striving for and incorporating into daily life. It is through Taqwa that Muslims will be able to modify their behavior in accordance with the teachings of Islam as laid down by God in the Quran.

In conclusion, Taqwa emphasize the importance of this particular Islamic tradition of living one's life with a full consciousness of God. This will result in a life filled with honor, free from difficulty and the path to salvation. For this reason, Muslims believe that being aware of God or having Taqwa is a surefire way to avoid misguided decisions and ill advised actions.

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