بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
You enter a dark room for the first time. If you don't know what's inside, you'll bang on furniture, fall, get hurt, get lost. This is exactly the same as the person who has no knowledge in this life. You don't know what فتنة can hurt you. You might hold something thinking its a pillow, but it's a cat instead - and it scratches you. In the Dunya you might see things which seem good, but you'll get hurt by it. You won't be able to distinguish between good and bad. This is the importance of knowledge in having Taqwa.
"(Samiri) said: "I saw what they saw not, so I took a handful (of dust) from the hoof print of the messenger [Jibrael's (Gabriel) horse] and threw it [into the fire in which were put the ornaments of the Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) people, or into the calf]. Thus my inner-self suggested to me."
"Verily, the Muttaqun will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs (in the Paradise)"
Allah praises Taqwa and those who practice it profusely in the Qur'an. In [2:2]:
"This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun"
Allah says that there's no doubt in the Qur'an, and that it's only a guidance for المتقين. This means that if a person doesn't practice Taqwa, he won't be guided by the Qur'an, because he's following his desires.
What does it mean when we say the Qur'an will be a guidance for you? You'll know right from wrong; it'll change you.
So many people read the Qur'an but there's no effect on them. Because "هدى للمتقين".
Who are المتقين?
"Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of what we have provided for them"
"And who believe in (the Quran and the Sunnah) which has been sent down (revealed) to you (Muhammad Peace be upon him ) and in [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.] which were sent down before you and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter. (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds, Paradise and Hell, etc.)."
There are two factors to Taqwa:
1) العلم - Knowledge
"الذين يؤمنون بالغيب"
We have to know about Allah, the Unseen, the Angels, the Qadar, the Day of Judgement. This is the kind of knowledge which will increase us in Taqwa.
2) العمل - Action
"يقيمون الصلاة و مما رزقناهم ينفقون"
"They are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and they are the successful."
Those are the successful ones.
We need Taqwa and the Qur'an to be successful.
When you apply Taqwa, there'll be so much fighting within yourself. Before you produce any action or utterance there's a struggle inside.
If you don't fight within yourself, you'll be like a machine, just doing the good deeds without feelings. The moment you introduce Taqwa, you might find yourself slowing down outwardly, but you're not slowing down - you're being truthful. Allah appreciates your struggle.
Abu Bakr didn't precede everyone in Paradise due to excessive amount of prayer and fasting, but because of the Taqwa in his heart.
The Importance of Knowledge in having Taqwa
You enter a dark room for the first time. If you don't know what's inside, you'll bang on furniture, fall, get hurt, get lost. This is exactly the same as the person who has no knowledge in this life. You don't know what فتنة can hurt you. You might hold something thinking its a pillow, but it's a cat instead - and it scratches you. In the Dunya you might see things which seem good, but you'll get hurt by it. You won't be able to distinguish between good and bad. This is the importance of knowledge in having Taqwa.
E.g. People who innovate in the religion. They are doing good deeds, thinking that'll it take them into Paradise, although it's causing them to become farther from Allah. And this is because it's not based on knowledge. They think that this is how they practice Taqwa.
E.g. Someone wants to make تفكر over the universe. He says he'll admire beautiful ladies because it's the creation of Allah.
If knowledge is correct knowledge, it'll take us to the stage of العمل:
Where is the place of العمل? The Heart
Before you produce any act of worship, any utterance, any feeling, behind the curtains there has to be a struggle.
Between whom? Knowledge; The Truth; قال الله و قال الرسول vs Your Self
Think of your self as a house that's already furnished. The فطرة (Natural Disposition), your هواء (Desires), and your nature are all there. And then you've got some of your parents furniture, some of your husbands, some of your culture's, etc. You're around them and with time and experience you begin to change and adopt some of their characteristics.
And there are insects - termites, cockroaches, ants, in this house. These are the sicknesses.
Allah, because He is الرب, nurtures us. And the best way of nurturing is through العلم - Knowledge. And if you really want Taqwa; learn knowledge along with evidences.
We learn, for example, about covering. In our heart we have desires, sicknesses, worry about what society will think of us, etc. The knowledge we learn comes. Inside our hearts there's a fight between the knowledge and all these desires, sicknesses, worries.
If there's a fight, then one must win in the end. If the Hadith and the verses overpower your desires and sicknesses, and there's "سمعنا و اطعنا", and you submit to Allah - in a blink of an eye, all this furniture will be removed and the house will be beautiful. You've practiced Taqwa.
Who knows about the fight that's going on inside? Allah.
No one else knows what the other person is going through. This is something very secret. Sometimes people may not understand the outer actions of the Muttaqi, because he's having a battle inside. And when the battle is over, you open the doors, and the truth will be apparent. The moment you submit inwardly, Allah will make your outer body submit as well.
Take the attitude of the Magicians with Musa عليه السلام as an example. Musa said in [20:61]:
"Musa (Moses) said to them: "Woe unto you! Invent not a lie against Allah, lest He should destroy you completely by a torment. And surely, he who invents a lie (against Allah) will fail miserably."
The truth came to them, and they had so much garbage in their hearts. Within them there was a fight between all this rubbish and the truth. But because they were truthful, this word affected them, and Allah guided them. They submitted outwardly, and stood up in front of Pharoah in Verse 72:
"They said: "We prefer you not over the clear signs that have come to us, and to Him (Allah) Who created us. So decree whatever you desire to decree, for you can only decree (regarding) this life of the world."
One sentence was a means of changing them.
And then look at the attitude of Samiri after he knew the truth. His self overcame it. In Verse 96:
General Examples of العمل - Practicing Taqwa
E.g. "If you are alone with a man in a room, the Shaytan will be the third"
A lady is in a rush and wants to go back to her hotel room, but there's a man in the lift. In seconds there's a battle occurring inside her. On one side she has the truth, on the other she's worried about being late, etc. She doesn't go in the lift. She practiced Taqwa.
As soon as she practiced Taqwa another empty lift opened for her. The lift stops on a floor before hers, and there's a man who wants to enter. She'll see him thinking and debating with himself whether to enter or not, just like she did, and he'll desist, just like she did.
Allah will make you see the fruits of your Taqwa almost immediately. This is how much Taqwa protects you.
And it's Allah who makes us do Taqwa. Who reminded you of that Hadith at that moment? Never ignore your inner battles. And don't let yourself be under pressure by the desires of people.
E.g. Obedience, especially to your husband is بركة for you.
You and your husband are sitting in the car. He wants to stop at the petrol station and then drop you home. You want him to drop you home first, and then take you to the petrol station. If there's no obedience, even in something little, you'll find that everything will become complicated. There'll be traffic, and problems, and fights. If you have Taqwa, you'll see بركة, even in that small matter. It just requires a little fight inside, but we tend to ignore it.
E.g. Someone is naturally an angry person. Inside he struggles during an argument whether to shout or not to shout. He ends up shouting. At least there's a fight going on inside - it's better than shouting without struggling. And this fight is called Taqwa. Allah appreciates.
How to Practice Taqwa
In [51:15-16]:
"Accepting what their Lord has given them. Indeed, they were before that doers of good."
How can I make the struggle within easy? Taking whatever Allah gives you
"سمعنا و أطعنا" makes Taqwa very easy.
What has Allah given us?
1) الشرع
a) الأوامر - Commandments
b) النواهي - Prohibitions
2) الأقدار - The Decrees
3) المباحات - The Permissible
We are surrounded by the above. We need to practice Taqwa in all of them. In the beginning we need to fill our system with knowledge, so we know how to practice Taqwa.
الأوامر - Commandments
How do I practice Taqwa with commands? "سمعنا و اطعنا"; especially with commands I dislike.
a) Commands you Dislike
E.g. I don't like to cover myself because of my desires, the culture, the people around me, etc. I fight inside and struggle against myself to do what Allah loves, and this is Taqwa.
If you're struggling inside, and it still doesn't show on the outside, you still have some Taqwa inside. A person who doesn't struggle at all, and makes some excuse to avoid practicing it, isn't considered a Muttaqi. And the true Muttaqi says, "سمعنا و اطعنا"
And if people try to force you to wear it, you're not considered a Muttaqi either. You can't fight inside because people are already fighting on the outside. That's why there's no compulsion in religion; because there's no room for Taqwa then. So whenever you command others, command them gently, because you don't know what struggle they're going through.
And this struggle comes with knowledge. When you gain knowledge, you'll start practicing Taqwa.
b) Commands you Like
We start seeking knowledge, and then we get addicted. Don't think that loving it is the end of the story. We need to practice Taqwa while we attend.
How? By renewing your intention.
Sometimes we pray and do obligations out of habit.
E.g. You have a praiseworthy characteristic which Allah loves and commands us with. You don't need to struggle to do it, but you need to have Taqwa in renewing your intention and doing it for the sake of Allah.
That's why we need knowledge. We need to constantly remind ourselves of the virtues of seeking knowledge and performing good deeds.
النواهي - The Prohibitions
E.g. You hear that backbiting is Haraam. In [49:12]:
"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful."
In your heart you want to talk about so-and-so, and this command comes.
How do I practice Taqwa? You have to hate the Haraam, deny it in your heart, and stay away from it. If you know that people in a certain gathering backbite, don't go there. Don't ever go near something that'll make you fall into sin.
If you fell into the sin, practice Taqwa through repentance.
Sometimes your mother backbites someone else to you, or someone in your house is backbiting. You can't avoid it. How do you practice Taqwa? You can't avoid the people, so jump over them. Advise them, change the subject, etc.
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