al-Taqwa Tarifuha wa Fadluha wa Mahdhuratuha wa Qisas min Ahwaliha
- Author died
- 1433 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Nafais lil-Nashr wal-Tawzi
al-Taqwa: Taʿrīfuhā wa-Faḍluhā wa-Maḥdhūrātuhā wa-Qiṣaṣ min Aḥwālihā (Piety: Its Definition, Merit, Prohibitions, and Stories from Its States) is a treatise on Islamic piety and spirituality by the contemporary Jordanian scholar Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar (d. 1433 AH / 2012 CE) .
Background and Composition
The impetus for writing the book arose when al-Ashqar was invited by the Qatari satellite channel Al Jazeera to discuss the concept of taqwa (piety / God-consciousness) on its program al-Sharīʿa wa-l-Ḥayāh on 3 Shawwal 1431 AH (12 September 2010 CE) . Upon preparing the subject, he searched his personal library and local book collections for specialized contemporary studies dedicated comprehensively to the topic and found a scarcity of dedicated works, noting also that the Kuwaiti Fiqh Encyclopedia only addressed it under the heading of taqiyya (precautionary dissimulation) . He subsequently gathered and synthesized material from Arabic lexicons, Quranic commentaries, hadith collections, and classical works of ethics and spirituality, completing the manuscript in Amman, Jordan, on 18 Shawwal 1431 AH (27 September 2010 CE) . The book was published by Dar al-Nafais .
Structure and Content
The work is organized into fifteen thematic chapters (mabāḥith):
- Definition of taqwa: Examines the linguistic and technical meanings of piety, surveys Quranic verses characterizing the God-fearing (al-muttaqūn), and outlines humanity's fundamental need for piety .
- Divine right to reverence: Discusses God's exclusive right to be feared and obeyed above all else .
- The word of piety (kalimat al-taqwā): Defines the term, elaborates on its virtues, and equates it with the "good word" (al-kalima al-ṭayyiba) .
- Knowledge as a prerequisite: Argues that an individual cannot truly attain piety without knowledge of what must be guarded against .
- Prohibitions (al-maḥdhūrāt): Details the specific transgressions, spiritual perils, and pitfalls that believers must avoid .
- Means of illuminating the heart: Presents practical avenues to instill piety, including knowing God, worshipping Him alone, contemplating creation, reflecting on texts concerning the grave and the Day of Resurrection, and frequent remembrance of God (dhikr) .
- Attention to piety in Islam: Encompasses seven sub-sections (maṭālib) documenting divine commands, prophetic counsels, maxims of scholars, and poetic verses on the subject .
- Warning against self-praise: Cautions against preoccupation with advertising one's own righteousness (tazkiyat al-nafs) .
- Piety and patience: Explains the interdependence of piety and patience (ṣabr), dividing people into four categories in relation to both qualities .
- Arrogance against counsel: Addresses the gravity of the sin of those who react with sinful pride when urged to fear God .
- Founding actions on piety: Urges believers to establish all deeds upon sincere God-consciousness .
- Rejection of religious extremism: Clarifies that religious extremism and unwarranted severity (al-ghuluww) in worship are contrary to true piety .
- Mutual cooperation: Calls Muslims to cooperate in righteousness and piety (al-birr wa-l-taqwā) .
- Virtues of piety: Spans twenty sub-sections detailing the spiritual and worldly fruits of piety, including inner tranquility, divine love and acceptance, guardianship (wilāya), discernment (furqān), relief from distress, and salvation in the Hereafter .
- Biographies of the pious: Concludes with biographical accounts and narratives of devout figures across early and later generations .
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