What is Taqwa? Specify in maximum detail.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

• Allah Commands us to have Taqwa (righteousness, piety) in many verses of the Quran. Allah Says (what means): {O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].} [Quran 3: 102]

• {O mankind, fear your Lord. Indeed, the convulsion of the [final] Hour is a terrible thing.} [Quran 22: 1]

The Prophet also recommended Taqwa in many Ahadeeth. He said: “Be careful and follow Allah's Commands perseveringly wherever you are; whenever you commit a sin, follow it up with a good act which wipes off the sin. Deal with people kindly and with good contact.”

Imam Ibn Rajab said: “Taqwa means that a person should make a fence between himself and that which is harmful. Taqwa (fear) of Allah means that a person should make a fence between himself and between Allah's Punishment, anger and displeasure by doing all that He has ordered and abstaining from all that He has forbidden.” [Jami’ al-‘Uloom wal-Hikam]

While explaining the verses (which means): {O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared} [Quran 3: 102], Ibn Mas’ood said: “He (Allah) should be obeyed, should not be disobeyed; He should be always mentioned and should not be forgotten and He should be thanked and ingratitude should not be shown to Him.” Imam Al-Hasan al-Basri said: “The pious is the one who abstains from the prohibitions and practices only the good acts.” ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib said: “Taqwa means fearing Allah, acting according to the Quran and Hadeeth, being content with what is little, and preparing for the Day of Judgement.” Ibn Rajab said: “The complete Taqwa is practicing obligations, avoiding prohibitions and doubts.” Most probably doing desirable acts and avoiding undesirable acts is also from Taqwa.

Allah Says (what means): {Alif, Lam, Meem. This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith].} [Quran 2: 1- 4]

Details of Taqwa could only be mentioned here in brief: we say that Taqwa is fearing Allah as He should be feared by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden. The Highest degree of Taqwa is doing desirable acts besides obligations and avoiding undesirable acts along with forbidden ones out of love for Allah and desire to please Him in all things and desire not to offend or displease Him in any way.

Taqwa is purifying oneself from all bad acts. Taqwa is a state of the heart felt by the heart rather than pronounced by the tongue. Taqwa is accepting all the Commands of Allah and His Prophet behaving according to these Commands, fearing Allah in secret as well as in public, at night time as well as during the day, in darkness as well as in the light. Since Allah knows what is apparent and what is hidden.

Whoever fears Allah as he should be feared and fears His Punishment he is a pious person (i.e. a person who has Taqwa). A true believer lives always between the fear of Allah's Punishment and the hope of Allah's Mercy; i.e. he fears His Punishment and hopes for His Mercy. The main characteristics of pious persons are that they do not set up partners with Allah and do not want to show their acts of worship to people. Because the supreme objective of pious people is to be sincere to Allah Alone in all their activities, since they desire only Allah's pleasure.

The other characteristic of pious persons is that they hasten to ask forgiveness of Allah whenever a sin occurs, as Allah Says about them (what means): {And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy. And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous. Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good; And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers.} [Quran 3: 132- 136]

The pious people always give alms and spend their money for good causes. They restrain their anger, pardon all people, do good and show kindness for men, always seek forgiveness from Allah, and avoid knowingly doing wrong acts. If they happen to commit a sin they feel guilty and make sincere repentance. In addition, they observe the rights of people and do not do injustice to them.

Allah knows best.