TAQWÂ

Taqwâ is to fear Allâh Ta‘âlâ, abstain from sins and the things that may lead to humiliation, and to restrain the Nafs (lower self) from unlawful acts. A person with Taqwâ trying to fulfil his religious duties is called Muttaqî.

A person asked Hadrat Abû Hurayrah (radiyallâhu anhu): “What is Taqwâ?” He said: “Have you ever walked on a thorny path?” The man said: “Yes, I have.” Abû Hurayrah (radiyallâhu anhu) asked: “How did you walk there?” The man replied: “By abstaining from being pricked by them.”

Abû Hurayrah (radiyallâhu anhu) said: “Then, abstain from sins just like you did from the thorns, that is Taqwâ.”