God-consciousness

"If its strength increases, it also refrains from things possibly forbidden, even if not certainly so. This is called God-consciousness (taqwa), which entails avoiding what causes doubt in favor of what does not. It may lead a person to abandon permissible things for fear of impermissible ones, embodying truth in taqwa."

"Allah says in the Quran, Indeed, those who fear Allah, when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember him, and at once they have insight. This highlights that the God-fearing are protected. Imagine Satan as a hungry dog. If you have no food, you can scare it away with a shout. But if you have meat, it will not be deterred by words alone. Similarly, a heart free from Satan's sustenance can repel him with mere remembrance. However, if desires dominate, they push true remembrance to the fringes, allowing Satan to settle in the heart. For the God-fearing, Satan approaches not because of desires but due to a lapse"

"they remember, and at once they have insight. This shows that the clarity of the heart and its insight is achieved through remembrance, attainable only by those who are God-fearing. God-consciousness is the gateway to remembrance. Remembrance is the gateway to unveiling, and unveiling is the gateway to the greatest success, which is the meeting with Allah, the Exalted. The Hadith states, If God intends good for His servant, He places a preacher in his heart, as reported by Abu Mansur al-Daylami from Umm Salama."

"Ka‘b al-Ahbar said, "By the One in whose hand is my soul, to weep out of fear of Allah until my tears run down my cheeks is more beloved to me than giving charity equal to a mountain of gold." ‘Abdullah ibn Umar said, "To shed a tear out of fear of Allah is more beloved to me than giving charity of a thousand dinars." It is narrated from Hanzalah that he said, "We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he delivered a sermon that softened our hearts and made our eyes weep."

"even if it is as small as the head of a fly," is narrated by Al-Tabarani and Al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman from Ibn Mas'ud with a weak chain. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "When a believer’s heart shivers from fear of Allah, his sins fall away as leaves fall from a tree." The hadith, "No servant who weeps out of fear of Allah will enter the fire," is narrated by Tirmidhi in hasan sahih, and by al-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah from Abu Huraira."

""There is no believing servant from whose eyes a tear emerges, even if it is as small as a fly’s head, out of the fear of Allah, and where that drop touches from his face, Allah will make it forbidden for the fire to touch it. The hadith, "When the skin of a believer shivers from the fear of Allah, his sins fall away like the leaves of a tree," is narrated by Al-Tabarani and Al-Bayhaqi from Abbas in a weak chain."

"is like my superiority over the lowest man among my companions, as related by al-Tirmidhi.î Knowledge without learning and being perceptive without experience is a profound concept. Allah the Almighty said in the Quran, ìO you who believe, if you observe God-consciousness, He will grant you a criterion, meaning a light that distinguishes between right and wrong and removes doubts.î The Prophet, peace be upon him, often invoked for light in his supplications, saying, ìO Allah, grant me light, increase me in light, and place light in my heart, in my grave, in my hearing, and in my sight,î continuing with, ìin my hair, in my skin, in my flesh, in my blood, and in my bones.î"

"yourself for Allah's sake, and governing all your affairs towards His pleasure, you won't be halted for questioning, nor will someone like you from the God-fearing be thoroughly accounted. If you collect lawful wealth only to spend it in Allah's way, reflect deeply and consider well. Avoiding preoccupation with wealth and freeing the heart for remembrance, reflection, contemplation and consideration is safer for religion, easier for accounting, lighter in questioning, more secure from the terrors of the day of judgment, more abundant in reward, and elevates your status with Allah manifold. It is said among some companions that if a man were to receive gold coins in his"

"prioritized his effort in refraining and his intention over his action. If the action is hindered due to an obstacle or an excuse without fear of Allah, a bad deed is recorded for him because his intention was a voluntary action of the heart. The evidence for this distinction is what is narrated in the Sahih regarding the Hadith where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, The angel said, O Lord, that is your servant who intends to do an evil deed, and he is more knowledgeable of him. Allah said, Watch him, and if he carries it out, record it for him as it is. If he refrains, record it for him as a good deed, for he refrained for My"

"catch it while you are humble, submissive, and imploring Allah. Do not attend the circles of chatter or storytellers in the mosque, but rather beneficial knowledge that increases your fear of Allah, and reduces your desire for worldly life. Any knowledge that does not lead you from this world to the hereafter, ignorance is preferable to it. Therefore, seek refuge in Allah from unbeneficial knowledge. Increase supplication at sunrise, when the sun is at its zenith, as it sets, when the call to prayer is given, when the preacher climbs the pulpit, and when people rise for prayer, for it is likely that the"

"from the companions of the Righteous and the Messenger of the Lord of all worlds, and delayed from the bliss of those who enjoy. Opposing the ways of the God-fearing will place you among those accounted for in the terrors of the day of judgment. Reflect carefully on what you have heard. If you claim to emulate the best examples of our righteous predecessors, being content with little, abstaining from the lawful, spending for others, fearing not poverty, saving nothing for tomorrow, hating hoarding and wealth, pleased with poverty and trials, delighted by scarcity and humility,"

"not the theoretical pursuits that people have become engrossed in and called knowledge. The beneficial knowledge is that which increases your fear of Allah Almighty, sharpens your perception of your faults, increases your recognition of the worship of your Lord, decreases your desire for the world, increases your yearning for the hereafter, opens your insight into the perils of your deeds so that you guard against them, and informs you of the ploys of Satan and his delusion, and how he deceives wicked scholars, exposing them to the wrath and displeasure of Allah Almighty."

"do not cut off your hope in Him in between. Abu Bakr ibn Abi Mariam saw Waraka ibn Bishr al-Hadrami in a dream and asked about his state. Waraka replied, Crying out of fear of Allah. Yazid ibn Nama narrated that a young woman who perished in a plague appeared in her father's dream. She told him, O father, we arrived at a matter of great consequence. We know but do not act, while you act but do not know. By Allah, one or two praises or one or two units of prayer in the freedom of action are dearer to me than the world and all it contains."

"while they might have less attachment to backbiting and speaking ill of others. Their fear of Allah might reach a level that curbs this weaker desire without affecting the stronger one, causing the army of fear to incite the resolve to abandon it. This sinner might say to themselves, if Satan overpowers me with excessive desire in some sins, I should not give in completely; instead, I should fight him in some sins, hoping to overpower him in some cases, making my conquering him in some acts a means of expiation for some of my sins."

"Some scholars say that the sin committed by the sinner is only atoned for when the person can commit it ten times, yet refrains out of genuine desire, crushing their lust out of fear of Allah. To make this a condition is unlikely, even though its great effect is undeniable, hypothetically. However, a weak seeker should not follow this path, as desires might be incited, circumstances might arise leading to empowerment, and reliance on eventual restraint is not guaranteed since the reigns of lust could escape control."

"Tirmidhi calls it a strange hadith, although its chain is weak. Mu'adh's hadith, advising God-consciousness and truthful speech, is reported by Al-Khara'iti and Al-Bayhaqi in Kitab al-Zuhd, and Abu Nu'aym in Al-Hilya, although Al-Bayhaqi does not include "being humble," and the chain is weak. The hadith from Anas reported by Muslim mentions a woman who approached the Prophet and asked for something, and he told her to sit wherever she pleased, and he would come to her to address her need."

""Seven people will be under the shade of Allah on a day when there will be no shade but His," including a man who remembers Allah in solitude, and tears flow from his eyes in fear of Allah. Abu al-Darda' reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Shall I tell you of the best of your deeds, the purest to your Lord, elevating you to the highest ranks, better than spending gold and silver, and better than meeting your enemy to strike their necks while they strike yours?"

"The Prophet also said, "The heaviest thing on the scales on the Day of Resurrection will be the fear of Allah and good character," as reported by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi from Abu al-Darda. A hadith narrated by Aisha about his character being the Qur'an is found in Sahih Muslim. Another interpretation of the verse "Hold to forgiveness" is to connect with those who cut you off, as reported by Ibn Mardawayh from Jabir, Qais ibn Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, and Anas with good chains of narration."

"one should not abandon the act because of incidental love for praise but should reject that aspect and focus on worship. When people cry collectively, one might be moved to tears out of fear of Allah, not ostentation. If alone, the words might not provoke tears, but communal weeping softens the heart. However, there may be instances where one pretends to cry, sometimes to show off, sometimes genuinely, fearing hardness of heart when others weep but their own eyes remain dry."

"peace be upon him. So he appeared before her as a well-proportioned man. When she saw him, she said, I seek refuge in the merciful from you if you are God-fearing. Abu al-Aliya said, She knew that the God-fearing one refrains from wrongdoing. This refutes the claim that there was an infamous immoral man among the children of Israel named Taqi, meaning God-fearing, as this is a baseless and frivolous claim."

"O Yahya? It is reported that his parents went searching for him and found him by the shores of the Jordan River. When they reunited with him, they wept at the sight of his devotion and fear of Allah. Yahya's food consisted of herbs and he would weep out of fear of Allah until his tears flowed abundantly. A narration recounts that Yahya had the most delightful food, eating with wild animals and preferring not to mix with people in their sustenance. And Allah the Exalted also said, and indeed messengers were denied before you, but they were patient over what they were denied and harmed until our victory came to them. And there is no changing the words of Allah and"

"locusts, saying, Who is more blessed than you, O Yahya? His parents once searched for him and found him by Lake Jordan. They wept over his state of worship and fear of Allah the Almighty. It is said that Yahya's food was herbs, and he would weep out a fear of Allah so much that if tar were on his eyelids, it would be torn by his tears. Yahya had the purest food, eating only with the beasts, avoiding mingling with people in their livelihood."

"It is reported that his parents went searching for him and found him by the shores of the Jordan River. When they reunited with him, they wept at the sight of his devotion and fear of Allah. Yahya's food consisted of herbs, and he would weep out of fear of Allah until his tears flowed abundantly. A narration recounts that Yahya had the most delightful food, eating with wild animals and preferring not to mix with people in their sustenance."

"his parents, including their love for him and his filial piety towards them. As for Zakat, it signifies purity of character and freedom from imperfections and vices. Taqwa, or God-consciousness, refers to obedience to Allah by following His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. Now, consider Yahya's kindness to his parents and his obedience to them, both in commands and prohibitions, and his avoidance of disobedience in word and deed."

"especially his parents, encompassing love, compassion, and dutifulness towards them. Regarding Zakah, it refers to the purity of character, free from deficiencies and vices. Taqwa, on the other hand, is obedience to Allah by following his commands and avoiding prohibitions. Yahya was described as dutiful to his parents, obedient in both command and prohibition, and refrained from being undutiful in word and deed. As Allah says, And dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobedient tyrant. Furthermore, Allah bestowed peace upon Yahya during the three most challenging times for a human being, and peace be upon him the"

"who transgressed in the Sabbath. So we said to them, Be apes despised. We made it a deterrent for what was before it and what was behind it, and a lesson for the God-fearing. In Surah An-Nisa, Allah says, Or do we curse them as we curse the companions of the Sabbath, and the command of Allah is a decree that has been executed. Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ikrimah, Qarada, and Al-Sudi, among others, explained that these were the people of Ayla. Ibn Abbas added that they were located between Madian and the Mount of Sinai. They followed the Torah's prohibition of work on the Sabbath. The fish, knowing it was a day of rest, would"

"yet another guidance, without limit. So every time the servant grows in awe of his Lord he ascends to a further guidance; he is in increasing guidance so long as he is in increasing God-consciousness. And every time he loses a step of God-consciousness, he loses a share of guidance to match it. The more mindful he is, the more his guidance grows; and the more he is guided, the more his mindfulness grows. God Most High said: There has come to you from God a light and a clear Book, by which God guides whoever follows His good pleasure to the paths of peace, and brings them out of the darknesses into the light by His leave, and guides them to a straight path."

"When repentance is mentioned alongside the performance of commanded actions, it refers to what they have described. When mentioned alone, it includes both aspects, similar to the term 'taqwa' (God-consciousness), which, when mentioned alone, implies doing what God has commanded and avoiding what He has forbidden. When mentioned alongside the performance of commanded actions, it implies refraining from the prohibited."

"the God-fearing, and that its people are those who are marked by these four qualities. The first is that one be awwab — that is, ever returning to God, from disobeying Him to obeying Him, and from heedlessness of Him to His remembrance. Ubayd ibn Umayr said: the awwab is the one who calls his sins to mind and then seeks forgiveness for them. Mujahid said: he is the one who, when he remembers a sin committed in private, seeks forgiveness for it. Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib said: he is the one who sins, then repents, then sins, then repents. The second is that he be hafiz, a keeper. Ibn Abbas said: a keeper of what God has entrusted to him and made obligatory upon him."

"for His worship: so He occupies his concern with Himself, his tongue with His remembrance, and his limbs with His service. The heart falls ill as the body falls ill, and its cure lies in repentance and abstinence. It rusts as a mirror rusts, and its polishing is by remembrance. It goes naked as the body goes naked, and its adornment is God-consciousness. It hungers and thirsts as the body hungers, and its food and drink are knowledge of God, love, trust, turning back to Him, and service. Beware of heedlessness toward the One who has set a term for your life and a limit for your days and your breaths. From all besides Him there is escape; from Him there is none."

"Likewise He has guaranteed increase of guidance to the God-fearing who follow His good pleasure, and has told us that He leads astray none but the transgressors, who break His covenant after it has been firmly bound; and that He leads astray only the one who preferred error and chose it over guidance — and then He sets a seal upon his hearing and his heart. And that He overturns the heart of one who was not content with His guidance when it came to him, who did not believe in it but pushed it away and rejected it: so He overturns his heart and his sight as a punishment for his rejecting and pushing away what he had verified and known."

"He often wept saying weep and if you cannot weep then pretend to weep when he stood for prayer He appeared like a piece of wood out of fear of Allah the Mighty and Majestic It was feared that certain narrators might have made errors in transmitting the Hadith When someone asked al-Darqoutni about this Hadith he explained that others narrated as Mursal Meaning with a missing link from Aisha, which is what is preserved. This refers to the Hadith of Abu Hazim from Abu Hurairah from Aisha Indicating it is not preserved and preferring the chain of Malik bin Migwal from Abd al-Rahman bin Sa'id from Aisha as mentioned in Tirmidhi"

"O dear one, beware the discernment of the God-fearing, for he sees the flaw in your deed from behind a veil: Beware the insight of the believer. Glory be to God — within the soul there lies the pride of Iblis, the envy of Cain, the insolence of Ad, the tyranny of Thamud, the audacity of Nimrod, the overbearing of Pharaoh, the wanton excess of Qarun, the shamelessness of Haman, the caprice of Balaam, the stratagems of the people of the Sabbath, the rebellion of al-Walid, and the ignorance of Abu Jahl. And within it, of the traits of beasts:"

"except for something added to that standpoint: namely his being a Muslim, a believer, patient, a doer of good, grateful, God-fearing, righteous, and the like. This is something beyond his merely being human. His will is fit for good, yet mere fitness does not suffice unless it is reinforced by something further — and that is divinely granted success. Just as, in seeing, the mere fitness of the eye to perceive does not suffice unless another cause is present: the light that is distinct from it."

"is the word of God-fearing. The best of creeds is the creed of Ibrahim, the finest of ways is the way of Muhammad, the best of guidance is the guidance of the prophets, the noblest of speech is the remembrance of God, the best of narratives is the Qur'an, the best of affairs are those with good outcomes, and the worst of affairs are the newly invented ones. What is little and suffices is better than what is much and distracts. A soul you save is better than a rule you cannot answer for."

"if the tree of faith and God-consciousness is planted there, it yields the sweetness of eternity; and if the tree of ignorance and caprice is planted, then such is the fruit. Return to God, and seek Him through your eye, your ear, your heart, and your tongue, and do not stray from Him by way of these four. For no one who has returned to Him by His enabling grace has returned except through them, and no one who has strayed from Him by His forsaking has strayed except through them."