The Holy Qur'an is a book of guidance for all of humanity. Some verses of the Holy Qur'an were revealed to address a particular issue that occurred in the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Some verses of the Holy Qur'an serve as a direct message from Allah to the believing Muslims, regardless of their time in history or geographical place. Muslims should pay great attention to these verses. In several instances in the Holy Qur'an, Allah, glorified is He, explicitly calls out to the believers, {O you who have believed}. Seven times in the Holy Qur'an, Allah instructs the believers to have taqwah. Taqwah is one of those Arabic words that cannot be translated exactly into English. To have taqwah means to fear Allah; it means to have piety. A believer who has taqwah is constantly aware of the presence of Allah. A pious believer looks not to what the people would think or say about him/her, but this believer cares more of how he/she acts and behaves in the sight of Allah. It is taqwah that stands between the believer and sin. A four-year old girl spilled a platter of food on to the kitchen floor; there is grease and tomato sauce everywhere. Her mother rushes in. None is in the house except mother and child. If her in-laws were present, the mother would have calmly wiped it up and reassured her frightened daughter. But now, they are alone in the house. The mother is so angry because it took hours of work to prepare that meal and now it's splattered on the floor. The mother's taqwah is what prevents her from hitting her daughter or even scolding her. Because of taqwah, the mother rushes over to hug her daughter, and she says, "It's OK. It was an accident. Will you help me clean it up?" Muslims should pay close attention to the messages in the Holy Qur'an that were meant for them. Each time Allah calls on the believers to develop taqwah, Allah also couples taqwah with another command in the same verse. Which are the seven verses in which Allah reminds the Muslims to have taqwah? What other lessons did Allah teach the Muslims in those verses? We will review the verses that have the same beginning: {O you have believed, fear Allah}. The first verse: {O you have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should believe.} (Chapter 2, verse 278) Interest is prohibited in Islam. An economic system based on interest increases the gap between rich and the poor; it makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. According to an article in The Guardian, "The richest 62 people are as wealthy as half the world's population." "In Islam, a person has to earn what he seeks to obtain. The lender of money does nothing thereby to entitle him to anything other than the money lent. In interest transactions there is no division of profit between the two parties on the basis of equality. A person lends his money to someone as a loan on the condition that the borrower has to pay a certain amount of money in addition to the principal within the given time period," wrote Zahid Zamir, faculty member with the Department of Business and Accounting at York College of the City University of New York. The second verse: {O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]} (Chapter 3, verse 102) It is very important to be sincere and to remain steadfast in our faith no matter what tribulations we may face. Whatever comes our way, we pray to Allah to keep us in the fold of Islam. The scholars say that in our last moments, as death nears, a Muslim may experience a final test. Shaytan whispers evil to the dying Muslim and tries to trick him/her into abandoning the religion of Islam. That is why it is recommended to repeat this supplication, "Oh Allah! Turner of the hearts, turn my heart towards your deen." The third verse: {O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.} (Chapter 5, verse 35) So fearing Allah or having taqwah, guarantees success for the believer. The fourth verse: {O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true.} (Chapter 9, verse 119) Honesty and truthfulness are admirable qualities of a good, pious Muslim. Not only should I strive to be honest under all circumstances, but I should also look for the company of those who are honest and truthful. The traits of friends rub off on one another. As the great scholar Imam Al-Shafi'e said in his poem: "I love the righteous, although I'm not of them Perhaps I shall receive intercession through them And I hate he who trades in sins Although we are both dealing in the same trade." The fifth verse {O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice.}(Chapter 33, verse 70) Again, having taqwah is equated with speaking the truth and dealing with people fairly and justly. How many of us have truly tried to incorporate honesty and justice in our lives? The sixth verse {O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of the His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.} (Chapter 57, verse 28) In this verse having taqwah and fearing Allah is coupled with believing in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This verse is very promising to the Muslims. If Muslims filled their hearts and consciousness with taqwah or piety, the rewards are mercy and forgiveness from Allah, and a light and radiance in the life of the believer. The seventh verse {O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Aware of what you do.} (Chapter 59, verse 18) What have we prepared for tomorrow? The tomorrow in this verse does not mean the future in this world or our retirement plan. The tomorrow in this verse means the Day of Judgment. How we can prepare for this tomorrow? We can prepare through acts of worship and acts of goodness: prayer, fasting, reading the Holy Qur'an, defending the weak, helping the poor, giving to orphans, speaking kindly, being good to our neighbor, visiting the sick. The richness and depth of the meaning of the world taqwah as used in the Qur'an amazes me. Read those verses again and again, and reflect on the messages in the Holy Qur'an which state, {O you who have believed, fear Allah [have taqwah].}
