2.2 Sūrat al-Baqarah: The Meaning and Scope of Taqwā (التقوى)
Read in Arabic: https://salamchinese.blogspot.com/2025/05/2.html
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Peace be upon you, dear brothers and sisters in faith! All praise is due to Allah, the Most High and Most Glorious, and endless blessings be upon our Seal of the Prophets, Muḥammad ﷺ. May Allah be pleased with all of his noble Companions.
Today we share the topic: understanding “taqwā” التقوى. The root meaning of “taqwā” carries the sense of guarding / protecting oneself. We will therefore understand it by combining three meanings: guarding, distancing, and reverent fear (taqwā).
To understand these three meanings in relation to human beings, we must know how to guard, how to distance ourselves, and how to have reverent fear—therefore we must first recognize the one who has taqwā, namely المتقى.
We will first identify what relates to a person being called a muttaqī, and then specifically analyze the meanings of guarding, distancing, and reverent fear.
Foundations from Qurʾān, Ḥadīth, and Ibn ʿAbbās
Three Qurʾānic passages mention that Allah, the Most High and the Most Great, loves the people of taqwā. Regarding our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and the matter of the muttaqī, we learn in Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī:
“If a servant wishes to enter among the ranks of the muttaqīn, then he must abandon matters that are not spiritually essential, in order to guard against falling into harmful matters.”
The scholar Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) held that the muttaqī refers to: those who distance themselves from associating partners with Allah and obey Allah; and also those who guard themselves against Allah’s punishment, follow the right path, seek Allah’s mercy, and believe in all information that comes from Allah. To understand the content of “taqwā”—including guarding, distancing, and reverent fear—we must connect it to the Qurʾān.
First Meaning Within Taqwā: Guarding Oneself
First, to understand the meaning that contains guarding/protection, we read the 6th verse of “Sūrat al-Taḥrīm”:
{يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلاَئِكَةٌ غِلاَظٌ شِدَادٌ لاَ يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُون}[التحريم:6]
6. O believers! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, overseen by formidable and severe angels, who never disobey whatever Allah orders—always doing as commanded (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
Since the verse speaks of punishments and penalties, we should read the kinds of punishments and penalties that Allah, the Most High and the Most Great, mentions in the Qurʾān.
Punishment from Four Angles
Regarding punishment, we can understand it from four aspects. For example, in “Sūrat al-Raʿd”, verse 34:
{لَّهُمْ عَذَابٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَعَذَابُ الآخِرَةِ أَشَقُّ وَمَا لَهُم مِّنَ اللّهِ مِن وَاق}[الرعد:34]
34. For them is punishment in this worldly life, but the punishment of the Hereafter is truly far worse. And none can shield them from Allah (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
Allah, the Most High and the Most Great, has prepared punishment in this world and in the Hereafter. From the grave, there begins the punishment of the grave, as we learn from ḥadīth. After resurrection there is also punishment—for example, the reckoning when receiving the records of deeds, and the reckoning when crossing the bridge, and finally the punishment of falling into the Fire. Thus, there are four steps of punishment. When Allah describes punishment, He uses different expressions; let us study them:
Different Qurʾānic Terms for Punishment (Three Types)
In Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, verses 176 to 178, three types are mentioned consecutively:
- عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ (ʿadhābun ʿaẓīm) — a tremendous/major punishment
- عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (ʿadhābun alīm) — a painful punishment
- عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ (ʿadhābun muhīn) — a humiliating, debasing punishment
{وَلاَ يَحْزُنكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لَن يَضُرُّواْ اللّهَ شَيْئاً يُرِيدُ اللّهُ أَلاَّ يَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ حَظًّا فِي الآخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيم}[آل عمران:176]
176. ˹O Prophet!˺ Do not grieve for those who race to disbelieve—surely they will not harm Allah in the least. It is Allah’s Will to disallow them a share in the Hereafter, and they will suffer a tremendous punishment (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran) .
{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُاْ الْكُفْرَ بِالإِيمَانِ لَن يَضُرُّواْ اللّهَ شَيْئًا وَلهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيم}[آل عمران:177]
177. Those who trade belief for disbelief will never harm Allah in the least, and they will suffer a painful punishment (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
{وَلاَ يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لِّأَنفُسِهِمْ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُواْ إِثْمًا وَلَهْمُ عَذَابٌ مُّهِين}[آل عمران:178]
178. Those who disbelieve should not think that living longer is good for them. They are only given more time to increase in sin, and they will suffer a humiliating punishment (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
Sūrat al-Jāthiyah and other chapters also mention these punishments. In “Sūrat al-Burūj”, verse 10, عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ (ʿadhāb al-ḥarīq) is mentioned—punishment of fire, a punishment characterized by burning:
{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيق}[البروج:10]
10. Those who persecute the believing men and women and then do not repent will certainly suffer the punishment of Hell and the torment of burning (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
For Whom Are These Punishments Prepared?
For whom are these punishments prepared? Of course, they are prepared for those who do not have “taqwā.” Whoever has “taqwā” will receive Allah’s protection and be spared the harm of these punishments. Whether pain or burning fire, these relate to the skin; we are material beings, and our bodies must worship the Lord—this is included in the content of “taqwā.”
Regarding the tremendous punishment: we know that human beings also have a spiritual dimension. If our spiritual dimension does not worship the Lord and only pursues power, fame, honor, and glory, and does not use what is gained to seek benefit in both worlds and to support the truth of the Lord—bearing witness that the Lord Himself has no partner—then that tremendous punishment will indeed befall the human spirit, because there is no reverent fear of the Lord, no taqwā.
And there is the humiliating عَذَابٌ مُّهِين (ʿadhābun muhīn): a debasing punishment characterized by lack of status and humiliation. Human beings are given a human self; the self seeks to manifest itself. If there is no feature of goodness—because the person does not do good, and does not do good through remembrance of the Lord and seeking His pleasure—then humiliation becomes an attribute.
The Lord created us as humans whose characteristics include material and spiritual aspects. If these do not accept guidance, and the basic innate disposition (فطر / فطرة, fiṭrah) that the Creator—our Lord—granted us is lost, and even the pure rūḥ (soul/spirit) that humans can possess is gone, then selfishness and lustful human nature appear. At that point there is absolutely no “taqwā.” Once “taqwā” is lost, there will be various punishments: painful punishments, tremendous punishments, humiliating and debasing punishments, and burning punishments.
How Do We Guard Against Punishments?
How do we guard against various punishments? Allah, the Most High and the Most Great, sent messengers and prophets and gave us the Book—the Qurʾān. In it are clear decisive texts in the Mother of the Book, containing how we should worship our Lord. For example, it mentions our bodily acts of worship; our spirit must pursue truth; and the self must do good. Taken together, this is true guarding.
Therefore, we should frequently study the Qurʾān and implement the Qurʾān, manifesting the attributes of the muttaqī, and not doubting the Book. Even if a person believes the Book is true, if he is heedless, then he is not a muttaqī.
Second Meaning Within Taqwā: Distancing and Shirk
The second point is to distance oneself, because taqwā also contains the meaning of distancing—of course, distancing from associating partners with Allah. Associating partners (shirk) has two situations: major shirk and minor shirk.
Major shirk is to associate partners with Allah regarding His essence and His intrinsic realities that belong to Him, and His attributes, virtues, and Most Beautiful Names. This is absolute major shirk; the person becomes a disbeliever and a denier. For example, completely not believing in meeting the Lord, and completely disbelieving in the Last Day and resurrection and those matters of the unseen. Another type is those who claim belief in the soul—such as idol worshippers—and among the People of the Book those who ascribe a son to the Lord, and those who believe that the Lord’s servants possess the right to be worshipped; all of these are major shirk.
Therefore, when understanding taqwā, one must first distance oneself from major shirk, because it is impurity.
There is also another kind of shirk: although a person knows tawḥīd—affirming the oneness of the Lord, believing in the oneness of the Lord, worshipping the Lord alone—knowing the Lord exists, and that His intrinsic realities and attributes/virtues cannot be shared—yet in behavior he cannot avoid associating partners. The smallest example is showing off and seeking reputation while doing good deeds, or even knowingly persisting in traits of deliberate wrongdoing: clearly knowing an act will not earn the Lord’s pleasure, yet being unable to restrain oneself from sinning. Clearly knowing that after sin one must repent sincerely, yet being unable to act, and even lacking the resolve to repent—this is also not from the content of taqwā.
Example of Avoiding Minor Shirk: Suspicion, Spying, Backbiting
Regarding distancing from minor shirk, we take as an example the 12th verse of “Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt” :
{يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلاَ تَجَسَّسُوا وَلاَ يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيم}[الحجرات:12]
12. O believers! Avoid many suspicions, ˹for˺ indeed, some suspicions are sinful. And do not spy, nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of their dead brother? You would despise that!1 And fear Allah. Surely Allah is ˹the˺ Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
This verse speaks about having taqwā of our Lord. In daily life, these sins occur unconsciously; to become a muttaqī one must distance oneself from these. In general, it means distancing from all forms of the unlawful, distancing from wrongdoing, distancing from pursuing falsehood and supporting falsehood—because our Lord does not love excess, nor wrongdoing, nor arrogant exultation, nor those who stir up discord, nor injustice, nor arrogance and boastfulness, nor ungrateful sinners. These are all things we must avoid; by avoiding what our Lord does not love, we attain the content of taqwā.
Third Meaning Within Taqwā: Reverent Fear, Covenant-Keeping, and Allah’s Love for the Muttaqīn
Now we connect the three verses that mention that our Lord loves the muttaqīn, in order to understand the reverent-fear component within taqwā.
First, in Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, verses 76 and 77:
{بَلَى مَنْ أَوْفَى بِعَهْدِهِ وَاتَّقَى فَإِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِين}[آل عمران:76]
76. Absolutely! Those who honour their trusts and shun evil—surely Allah loves those who are mindful ˹of Him˺ (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللّهِ وَأَيْمَانِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلاً أُوْلَـئِكَ لاَ خَلاَقَ لَهُمْ فِي الآخِرَةِ وَلاَ يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللّهُ وَلاَ يَنظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلاَ يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيم}[آل عمران:77]
77. Indeed, those who trade Allah’s covenant and their oaths for a fleeting gain will have no share in the Hereafter. Allah will neither speak to them, nor look at them, nor purify them on the Day of Judgment. And they will suffer a painful punishment (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
These two verses speak about keeping covenants with Allah, the Most High and the Most Great, and one’s own oaths. If a person does not keep the covenant with the Lord and his own oaths—since among human beings there is a human society, and one makes oaths, and commits sins by breaking them—these are traits of those who trade for a small price. Such people will receive a painful punishment in the Hereafter, because they did not guard against the destination of punishment that Allah prepared for those who lack taqwā.
Taqwā and Treaty-Keeping in Sūrat al-Tawbah
In Sūrat al-Tawbah, verse 4 mentions that Allah loves the muttaqīn. We read verses 3 and 4 together for linked understanding:
{وَأَذَانٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إِلَى النَّاسِ يَوْمَ الْحَجِّ الأَكْبَرِ أَنَّ اللّهَ بَرِيءٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَرَسُولُهُ فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِي اللّهِ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيم}[التوبة:3]
3. A declaration from Allah and His Messenger ˹is made˺ to all people on the day of the greater pilgrimage1 that Allah and His Messenger are free of the polytheists. So if you ˹pagans˺ repent, it will be better for you. But if you turn away, then know that you will have no escape from Allah. And give good news ˹O Prophet˺ to the disbelievers of a painful punishment (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
{إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتُّم مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنقُصُوكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يُظَاهِرُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدًا فَأَتِمُّواْ إِلَيْهِمْ عَهْدَهُمْ إِلَى مُدَّتِهِمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِين}[التوبة:4]
4. As for the polytheists who have honoured every term of their treaty with you and have not supported an enemy against you, honour your treaty with them until the end of its term. Surely Allah loves those who are mindful ˹of Him˺ (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
These two verses speak of the Greater Pilgrimage. Our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ performed the Greater Pilgrimage after Allah perfected the religion for humanity; therefore, we as the muttaqīn must worship Allah through the acts of worship He gave us. To obey the Messenger is to obey our Lord. It also emphasizes keeping covenants—even if a treaty is made with non-believing polytheists, it must be honored—because our Lord says He loves the muttaqīn. This taqwā contains the characteristic of religious freedom: even if some people do not live by Islam and choose a religion not pleasing to our Lord, in our interaction with them we must manifest taqwā.
In Sūrat al-Tawbah, verse 7, Allah also states that He loves the muttaqīn; it mainly clarifies:
{كَيْفَ يَكُونُ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ عَهْدٌ عِندَ اللّهِ وَعِندَ رَسُولِهِ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتُّمْ عِندَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ فَمَا اسْتَقَامُواْ لَكُمْ فَاسْتَقِيمُواْ لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِين}[التوبة:7]
7. How can such polytheists have a treaty with Allah and His Messenger, except those you have made a treaty with at the Sacred Mosque? So, as long as they are true to you, be true to them. Indeed Allah loves those who are mindful ˹of Him˺ (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
This verse particularly mentions the Sacred Mosque. These three passages all emphasize keeping covenants. Our greatest and most important covenant is certainly our covenant with our Lord: we must bear witness to the two testimonies, and the two testimonies—our prayer, our fasting, our pilgrimage, and our zakāh—are concrete protections of the two testimonies. Because they contain protection of our faith, these matters themselves contain importance; with them a person becomes a muttaqī.
A person with true faith must keep covenants between people. In faith we believe in the Hereafter, the Messengers, the angels, the Books, and the Divine Decree. Put simply: belief in resurrection and the Day when people take one another’s good deeds—whoever fell short, whoever did not keep covenants, on that day others may take away his own good deeds; with no good left to compensate for his sins—these are things that must be guarded against, and they contain the meaning of taqwā. Once a person has faith, he will naturally keep covenants among people. Therefore, the true muttaqī, in real life, manifests keeping the Lord’s covenant and keeping covenants with creation, and never breaks covenants.
Allah Being “With” the Muttaqīn
Regarding the muttaqīn, our Lord says that He is with the muttaqīn. In the last verse of “Sūrat al-Naḥl”, we learn:
{إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَواْ وَّالَّذِينَ هُم مُّحْسِنُون}[النحل:128]
128. Surely Allah is with those who shun evil and who do good ˹deeds˺ (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran).
Once He is with His servants—the muttaqīn—those who can be His servants and obtain His support will certainly not be among those who incurred wrath, nor among those astray, but among those who obtain goodness in both worlds.
When we read that taqwā involves guarding against so many punishments, and avoiding many prohibitions, and that taqwā contains keeping covenants, protecting our faith, and holding firmly to acts of worship, it may seem difficult. But when human nature receives these guidances and receives the Lord’s support, it becomes very easy.
By contrast, the one who does not guard against punishments, does not distance from prohibitions, does not keep covenants, and does not use the Lord’s good way to interact with people—such a person may appear to have some freedom, but in reality he is not free. Because the Lord will distance Himself from such a person; such a person will keep company with devils. In this world there will be humiliation, and in the Hereafter there will be various punishments beginning step by step.
Closing with the Dialogue of Two Companions
Finally, we conclude our topic by reading the dialogue of two Companions:
ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him): “What is taqwā?”
Ubayy replied: “Have you walked along a thorny road?”
ʿUmar answered: “I have.”
Ubayy asked: “How did you walk?”
ʿUmar said: “Carefully, and with great effort.”
Ubayy replied: “That is taqwā.”
This is where I conclude my sharing. We ask our Lord to guide us to become among the muttaqīn whom He is pleased with. As for anything incomplete in the explanation of the topic, or any slip of the tongue, we ask Allah, the Most High and the Most Great, to forgive, and we ask our readers for their understanding. Thank you all for sharing.
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته !
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