Islamic views on piety

Piety (Sawab) in Islam is considered to be one of the most important Islamic ethics. Piety is normally referred to as Taqwa in the Arabic language, which is derived from the root ‘waqaya,’ meaning ‘to safeguard’ or ‘to abstain.’ In Islamic terminology, this is defined as the act of restraining oneself from disobeying the commands of Allah. Pious acts of self-restraint or self-control, wherein an individual abstains from committing a sin, are believed to bestow virtue upon that individual. These acts of abstinence are considered the result of the individual's overall capability for self-restraint. No single act itself constitutes piety; piety describes possessing the power of self-control.[1] Allah tells us in Quran that he does not differentiate between people expect on "taqwa."

Meaning

Piety has been defined in various ways by different people and among whom are as follow:

  • “Taqwa(piety), means to be conscious of the existence of Allah, acting toward pleasing Allah, fear Allah and seek protection from the anger of Allah and His punishment. This protection is realized by doing what Allah commands, and refraining from everything that Allah forbids. In brief, this protection is realized by obeying Allah which emanates only from the correct and strong belief in Him. This belief comprises the genuine love of Allah as well as the genuine fear of Him….”[2]

Also other define it as thus:

  • “Taqwa(piety) is .. a religious belief...which is important in Islam. Taqwa… in Islam is one of the interpretations of Islamic insight people would understand…that is…surrender to the will of God. Surrender to the will of God is basically what Taqwa is… " [2]
  • “Taqwa(piety) is whereby a Muslim intentionally evades actions that lead to Allah`s fury and displeasure and at the same time deliberately undertakes steps and acts that will gratify Allah as mentioned in Suratul Al-Imran. In other words, it permits a person to be always conscious for both Allah's all-encompassing knowledge and characteristics and a reminder of their relationship and responsibility to Allah as his creation and servant. Hence, the way to Taqwa is through obedience of Allah, avoiding disobedience, and striving to stay away from doubtful matters” [2]
  • When Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq was asked to elaborate on the meaning of the word, ‘Taqwa’(piety), he replied, “Submit to the command of Allah and do not go near the prohibited.” It means that one should endeavor to fulfill all the commands of Allah and abstain from the prohibited things.[3]

in another place he define piety as thus: "Piety is that Allah does not miss you in the place where He has commanded you to be,and does not see (find) you where He has forbidden you from." [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ayatollah Ibrahim, Amini (2014). Self building. Author house, Bloomington. ISBN 978-1-4918-4881-4.
  2. 1 2 3 "Implications of Piety (Taqwa) on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) from Islamic Perspective: A Study of Professionals in Southeast Asia=2010".
  3. ↑ AbdulHussein, Dastghaib (2004). Greater sin. Ansariyan. ISBN 9789644386060.
  4. ↑ Sayyid Abbas, Sadr-'amali (2014). A Bundle of flower. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781312522206.
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