Reflect your Taqwa in your deeds:
Once you build the Taqwa in your heart (become cognizant of, and fear Allah in all your affairs), you should start practicing it in your actions. The sahaba and salaf used to exert themselves in ensuring that their actions reflected the Taqwa in their hearts. It’s said that Ibn Omar (r.a.) used to stay awake the whole night if he missed a prayer in congregation (because he knew (through the Taqwa in his heart) Allah’s pleasure associated with one praying in congregation). Imam Ghazali mentioned that we let ourselves (our nafs) off the hook when it (our nafs) is our biggest enemy and is more likely to rebel against our own selves (Ihya’ul ulum al-din, 4/381).
About ensuring that we bring Taqwa in our actions, Abu Dhar (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.), said:“Fear Allah wherever you may be; follow up an evil deed with a good one which will wipe (the former) out, and behave good-naturedly towards people”
[Al-Tirmidhi].
Condition yourself to inculcate Taqwa:
We have to condition ourselves to fear Him by observing and reflecting more about our existence, our vulnerability as humans in this ocean in which we are journeying, and about the end that each one of us will meet soon. We should also become avid learners about what pleases Allah and what displeases Him and take that seriously. This observation and learning will enable us to learn new truths that can help us condition our states and hearts to inculcate the required Taqwa in our hearts.
Parting Words
Let’s ponder over Quran’s last verse that was revealed to the prophet (s.a.w.s.) (agreed to by many scholars, including ibn Kathir). It says: *“And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly (Surah Al-Baqara: 281).”*
Remember, we are what we are – with the rewards and punishments from Allah and His mercy on us – based on the level of our faith in Him and the Taqwa in our hearts. Sometimes we forget the connection between how our lives turn out to be and the One who makes it all happen. Once you remind yourself of that, remember the power bestowed by Allah on you as regards “free will” and how you can use it to influence the quality of your own lives. As long as you respect the limits that He has set for us (through the Taqwa in your heart), you can earn the blessings that He has promised for you, both in this life and in the hereafter.
We should, therefore, not delay to take a strong decision to increase our Taqwa.
As Allah says in the Quran:
*“Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa” [al-Hujrat 49:13].”*
– End
Reference 1: From the essay of al-Wasiyyah al-Jaami’ah li khayr al-Sunya wa’l-Aakhirah
Reference 2: “Taqwa: The Provision of Beleivers. Compiled by Aby Maryam Majdi, Al-Firdous Ltd)