The term "taqwa" (piety/God-consciousness) appears 251 times in the Quran. It is a central and exalted concept for understanding Islam, one that shapes our daily lives. Taqwa encompasses moral, character, behavioral, and economic dimensions.
Linguistically,
taqwa means safeguarding something from harm or danger. It is an endeavor to
keep oneself protected from that which is wrong or impure. In its simplest
sense, the essence of taqwa is "fear"—specifically, the fear of
anything that leads to sin. It entails fortifying oneself through total
obedience to Allah, thereby shielding oneself from His punishment. Taqwa acts
as a fortress, protecting an individual from actions or omissions that could
invite divine retribution. It is described as the pinnacle of human
achievement—the state of being the most noble of human beings (Al-Hujurat: 13).
According to Sayyid Qutb, taqwa is a sensitivity of the heart, a refinement of
feeling, and a constant, cautious vigilance against the "thorns"
encountered in life.
In
the context of one’s relationship with Allah (hablul minallah), the
character of a person who possesses taqwa includes believing in the unseen
(Al-Baqarah: 3–4), establishing prayer, spending from one’s provisions for the
sake of others, maintaining certainty in the afterlife, restraining anger,
being inclined to forgive, and promptly repenting upon committing a wrong.
Furthermore, in terms of economic life, it is characterized by sound economic
conduct. Thus, a person of taqwa possesses noble character and enjoys a robust
economic standing—a reality that aligns with Allah’s promise. "If the
people of the countries believed and were devout, We would surely bestow upon
them blessings from the heavens and the earth (in the form of wealth,
prosperity) (Al A'raf: 96). And, all dimensions of worship are steps
towards advancing piety. The Koran contains the keys to achieving success, one
of which is piety.
We
know this hadith very well: Work hard for your world as if you will live
forever, work hard for your afterlife as if you die tomorrow. Allah prefers
Muslims who are strong in faith and economics to Muslims who are weak.
Successful humans and communities are those who have noble character and
receive abundant wealth from Allah. So, piety is one of the reasons for the
decline in fortune. Taqwa is the key to sustenance. Whoever is pious is
promised that he will be given sustenance from an unexpected direction [Ath
Thalaq: 2-3].
Yes,
we must be as confident as possible in the truth, awesomeness and magic of the Quran
and Sunnah in showing the way of business. According to the book "Dare
to be Rich, Dare to be Taqwa", the Koran and Sunnah are the
"highway" that will make you rich. For those of you who want to be
rich without limits with the blessings, mercy and grace of Allah, the Al-Quran
and Sunnah are the most real, clear, faithful and true guides in taking your
business to the gates of unlimited success (unstoppable success), achieving
great success and indescribable happiness, not only in this world but also in
the afterlife.
As
a fruit of piety, a pious man will receive Allah's grace (At Taubah: 4), Allah
will always be with his steps and thoughts (An Nahl: 128), benefit from what is
read in the Koran (Al Baqarah: 2), be free from Satan's interference (Al A'raf:
35), be accepted for his deeds (Al Maidah: 27), and find ease after
difficulties and find a way out after difficulties (Ath Thalaq: 2 and 4). Taqwa
has direct implications for social life (muamalah). In a society whose members
are devout, security will emerge in society, peace, justice and the spread of
peace. The characteristics of a pious person are fulfilling the pillars of
faith and Islam, keeping promises, being honest with Allah, himself and humans
and maintaining trust. He loves his brother as he loves himself. A pious person
is someone who never hurts or is unjust to others, acts fairly when angry and
pleased, repents and always makes forgiveness to Allah.
Muamalah
matters are very serious. We should be much more careful in our relationships
with humans. If we wrong someone and that person doesn't want to forgive us,
what can we do? Even praying and fasting as much as possible cannot erase the
hurt we have caused. Hasn't it ever happened that a person was released from
such long agony of torture after his mother forgave him?
At
least the following five reasons can prove how serious the issue of muamalah
is. First, the proportion between social verses (muamalah) and religious verses
(mahdhah) in the Koran and hadith is 100 to 1. For example, in Surah Al
Mukminun verses 1-9, the characteristics of a believer are that they pray
fervently, avoid doing useless actions, keep their mandate and promises, and
protect their honor from immorality. Second, with the muamalah principle, it is
permissible to postpone or shorten individual worship if the time coincides
with corporate worship. Third, worship that contains a social aspect is
rewarded more than worship that is individual. The value of congregational
prayer is 27 times greater than that of praying alone.
Fourth,
related to kifarat. Mahdhah worship that is imperfect or invalidated because it
violates certain taboos is compensated for in the form of something related to
a social problem. Regarding husband and wife during fasting, they may be
compensated by freeing their slaves, those who are unable to fast may be
compensated by paying fidyah, and those who are not in ihram may be compensated
by slaughtering a camel and dividing the meat. Finally, fifth, good deeds in
the social sector receive greater rewards than sunnah worship. "Would you
like me to tell you what degree is more important than prayer, fasting and
sadaqah? The friend answered: of course. Namely reconciling two quarreling
parties."
In
the hadiths of Bukhari and Muslim there are several hadiths relating to this.
From Abu Hurairah: "A person who tries to help widows and the poor is
likened to a person who fights in the way of Allah, a person who wakes up
praying all night and is like a person who fasts without stopping."
How important is family and friendship relations, and reconciling disputes, so
that people who break friendship relations will not enter heaven. Furthermore,
from Ibn Umar: "A Muslim is a brother to another Muslim. ... whoever is
able to fulfill his brother's wishes, then Allah will also be pleased to
fulfill his wishes. Whoever relieves a Muslim of one hardship, Allah will
relieve one of the hardships among the hardships on the Day of Judgment.
Whoever covers the faults of a Muslim, then Allah will cover his faults on the
Day of Resurrection."
Still
relevant to this, a hadith from Abdullah bin Amru states that the best
qualities in Islam are giving food and greetings, as well as someone who saves
Muslims with his tongue and hands, moreover helping people to get a job. So,
friends, don't insult a workshop owner, for example, who is able to employ
several people and guarantee the livelihood of his workers' families, even
though he doesn't attend the mosque all the time.
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