Dear Muslims!
One day, our Prophet (saw) said to his Companions, “I know such a verse that if people embrace it, it will be enough for all of them.” Then, he recited the following verse, “Whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out.”[i]
Through these words of his, the Messenger of Allah (saw) teaches us that the way out of all kinds of problems and hardships, as well as to attain happiness in this world and in the Hereafter is taqwa.
Taqwa is the consciousness of keeping our Lord’s pleasure alive. It is the desire to demand His love. It is the lifelong endeavor to live responsibly.
Dear Muslims!
The first level of taqwa is the kalimat al-tawhid, which is the essence of Islam. In other words, it is to say لَا اِلَهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.” Muslims who have taqwa confirm it through their hearts and acknowledge it through their tongues. They have faith in Allah (swt), who has created us from nothing, and in the Prophet (saw), who taught us the religion. They love Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) more than anything and anybody else.
The second level of taqwa is obedience to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw). As stated in the Holy Qur’an, the noblest one in the sight of Allah is the one who has the most taqwā (i.e., consciousness and fear of Allah, piety and righteousness).[ii] Devotion and obedience can be ensured through embracing taqwa.
The top level of taqwa is to remove everything from our heart except Allah (swt). The Prophet Muhammad (saw) pointed his hand at his chest three times and said, “This is where taqwa is.”[iii]
Dear Believers!
So, let us embrace taqwa that will increase our value in sight of Allah (swt) and make our faces brighter in this world and in the Hereafter. Let us keep away from being rebellious against our Lord, engaging in affairs to invoke His wrath, and showing up before Him with darkened faces on the Day of Judgment. Let us not forget that Allah the Almighty (swt) views those having taqwa as His allies. He (swt) heralds that for the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.[iv]
[i] Darimi, Riqaq, 16; Talaq, 65/2.
[ii] Hujurat, 49/13.
[iii] Muslim, Birr, 32.
[iv] Yunus, 10/62-63.
FRIDAY KHUTBA OF TOKYO CAMİİ “TAQWA (PIETY): BEING CONSCIOUS OF MAINTAINING ALLAH’S PLEASURE“.(PDF)