A reading of the Quran will demonstrate the great importance of taqwa, how pleasing it is to Allah and how Allah responds to the muttaqeen. Note in particular the following blessings and benefits from taqwa:[1]
(1) Guidance from the Quran is received by the muttaqeen:
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
“This is the book concerning which there is no doubt, a guidance for the muttaqeen.” (Qur’an 2:2)
(2) Allah’s special closeness, help and supports comes to those who have taqwa:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوا۟
“Verily, Allah is with those people who have taqwa.” (Qur’an 16:128)
(3) Allah gives His loyalty, protection and support (wilaayah) to the muttaqeen:
ۖ وَٱللَّهُ وَلِىُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
“Allah is the protector and ally of the muttaqeen.” (Qur’an 45:19)
(4) Allah loves the muttaqeen:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
“Certainly, Allah loves the muttaqeen.” (Qur’an 9:4)
(5) Allah gives the muttaqeen a criterion or signs (furqaan) to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad and what is beneficial from what is harmful:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن تَتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
“O you who believer, if you have taqwa of Allah, He makes for you a criterion [to judge between right and wrong] and shall remit from your sins and forgive you.” (Qur’an 8:29)
(6) Allah provides beneficial solutions and ways out from difficulty and confusion for those who have taqwa:
“For whoever has taqwa of Allah, He makes for him a [beneficial] solution and way out [of difficulties].” (Qur’an 65:2)
(7) Allah provides for the muttaqeen from avenues that they did not even imagine:
وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًا
وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ
“For whoever has taqwa of Allah, He makes for him a [beneficial] solution and way out [of difficulties] and He provides for him from sources he never imagined.” (Qur’an 65:2-3)
(8) Allah makes matters easy for the muttaqeen:
ۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِهِۦ يُسْرًا
“For whoever has taqwa of Allah, He makes matters easy for him.” (Qur’an 65:4)
(9 and 10) Allah forgives the sins of the muttaqeen and makes their reward greater:
وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِۦ وَيُعْظِمْ لَهُۥٓ أَجْرًا
“For whoever has taqwa of Allah, He will remit his sins from him and will enlarge his reward.” (Qur’an 65:5)
(11) Allah only accepts deeds from those who have taqwa, if a deed is not done with tagwa it will not be accepted:
إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
“Allah only accepts deeds from the muttaqeen.” (Qur’an 5:27).
(12) Prosperity and success comes to the muttaqeen:
وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“And have taqwa of Allah so that you may be prosperous and successful.” (Qur’an 2:189)
(13) Allah gives glad tidings in both this life and the Hereafter to the muttaqeen, and that, in fact, is the greatest of rewards:
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ يَتَّقُونَ لَهُمُ ٱلْبُشْرَىٰ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
“For those who believed and had taqwa is glad tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. [That is the word of Allah] and verily there is no changing the word of Allah. And that is the great success.” (Qur’an 10:63-64).
(14) The muttaqeen will be entered into Paradise:
إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّـٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ
“Verily, for the muttaqeen are gardens of delight with their Lord.” (Qur’an 68:34)
(15) The muttaqeen will be spared the Hell-fire,
وَإِن مِّنكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا ۚ كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِيًّا ثُمَّ نُنَجِّى ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوا۟
“There is not one of you but will pass over it [Hell]; this is with your Lord a Decree which must come to pass. Then We will save those who had taqwa.” (Qur’an 19:71-72).
(16) The muttaqeen will have the special blessing of being seated in the seat of sincerity, near to Allah, the Omnipotent King:
إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى جَنَّـٰتٍ وَنَهَرٍ فِى مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍۭ
“Verily, the muttageen will be in the midst of gardens and rivers, in a seat of sincerity, near the Omnipotent King (Allah).” (Qur’an 54:54-55)
(17) The muttaqeen will be given the honor of being above the rest of creation on the Day of Judgment:
زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ۘ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ
“This worldly life has been made alluring to the disbelievers while they ridicule those who believe. And those who have taqwa will be above them [the disbelievers] on the day of Resurrection.” (Qur’an 2:212)
(18) All fear of punishment and grief will be removed from the muttaqeen:
فَمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
“Those who have taqwa and righteousness shall have no fear upon them nor shall they grieve.” (Qur’an 7:35)
The Key to Taqwa
Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi states that the key to attaining taqwa revolves around ten matters.[2] If a person takes these matters seriously the result should be a true taqwa in his heart:
(1) Fear of punishment in the Hereafter;
(2) Fear of punishment in this world;
(3) Hope for reward in this world;
(4) Hope for reward in the Hereafter;
(5) Fearing the reckoning and accounting of one’s deeds;
(6) Feeling shameful that Allah should see oneself performing deeds
that are displeasing to Him;
(7) Being thankful and feeling grateful for all of the bounties that Allah
has bestowed on the person;
(8) The true knowledge of reality, of Allah, His names and attributes, as Allah says: “Those who truly fear Allah among His servants are only the people of knowledge” (Qur’an 35:28)
(9) Having a great deal of respect for the greatness of Allah;
(10) Being sincere and truthful in one’s love for Allah.
[Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi by Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, Vol 1, p. 581-584]
Notes:
[1] Cf., Muhammad in Juzayy al-Kalbi, Kitaab al-Tasheel li-Uloom al-Tanzeel (Beirut: Daar al-Kitaab al-Arabi, 1983), vol. 1, pp. 35-36. Al-Fairoozabaadi adds a few more to those mentioned above, see Muhammad al-Fairoozabaadi, Basaair Dhawai Tamyeez fi Lataaif al-Kitaab al-Azeez (Beirut: al-Maktabah al-Ilmiyyah, n.d.), vol. 2, pp. 301-303.
[2] In Juzayy al-Kalbi, vol. 1, p. 36.
