The Arabic word Taqwa means "forbearance, fear and abstinence." The Qur’an has used the word Taqwa to mean consciousness of Allah, fear of Allah, worship of Allah with sincerity and faith. It is to do one’s best efforts to live by His commands and to avoid what He has prohibited.
Muslims and other people of the Book, believe that God has sent messages and messengers to set out the laws and moral codes by which humanity should live. These messages are called revelations and the last among them is the Qur’an, God’s final word. To attain Taqwa it is important to understand the meaning of Quran.
“There is no doubt that this Book is a guide for the pious; and righteous persons who fear Allah”.2:2.
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Islam, the word Taqwa and its derivatives appear "more than 250 times" in the Qur'an. The Quran mentions a number of virtues that cultivate taqwa or that taqwa cultivates in a person.
As an element of faith, Taqwa is a purely internal and contemplative attitude of the heart. It is our response to tawhid – Allah is One, the Only Rab, and that we are conscious of Him. This is a powerful awareness that can not only help our patience in difficulties, but also gives courage during times of ethical ambiguity and humility in moments of success. Prayer is the best act after the acknowledgement of God. To keep up prayer is one of the essential features of believers, and the pious (Muttaqeen). There are numerous verses in the Holy Quran, which refer to the importance of prayer
“Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer.” (2:3,31:2-3)
Within the context of the Islamic religion, having Taqwa or the traits of righteousness is imperative because Taqwa reflects the level of a Muslim’s faith. The Holy Quran strongly emphasizes the importance of God-consciousness and complements its rewards. For example, in Surah Al-Tauba:
“Surely Allah loves those who have taqwa” (9:4).
“And if any one fears Allah, He will remove his ills, from him, and will enlarge his reward”,65:5 (18:30-31,3:57, 2:183,16:97).
Such a commandment from Allah SWT suggests the importance for Muslims to attain Taqwa in order to have a true faith as Muslims. Hence, Taqwa is considered as one of the important, recurring, and dominant elements in the Quranic verses. Taqwa plays a significant role in one's relationship with God by reminding His believers of His great power and knowledge. Taqwa also has a major role in the Sufi/Mystical part of Islam as it is one of the Stations of the Sufi Path. This station is important as it has the ability to bring one closer to God.
Imam Ghazali divides taqwa into three levels, as he considers that “Taqwa in the Quran has three meanings. First is fear and a sense of awe. The second includes obedience and worship. Third is freeing the heart from sins, which is the reality and essence of Taqwa.”
Taqwa is to save oneself from anything that causes apprehension of being harmful. Therefore, it includes the fear or apprehension of the consequences that follow from a certain act or behavior. when a person fears Almighty Allah, then he will not commit sins.
According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir the root meaning of taqwa is to avoid what one dislikes. It was reported that Umar bin Khattab asked Ubayy Ibn Ka`b about Taqwa. Ubay said, "Have you ever walked on a path that has thorns on it?" Umar said, "Yes." Ubayy asked, "What did you do then?" to which Umar replied, "I rolled up my sleeves and struggled." Ubayy said, "That is taqwa, to protect oneself from sin through life's dangerous journey so that one can successfully complete the journey unscathed by sin."
The world is full of temptations. It takes a lot of discipline to say “no” to something that is very tempting but not good. Unlike prayers, charity, and pilgrimage, fasting is an invisible act. Only Allah and the person who is fasting know whether he or she is fasting or not. Fasting is one of the best ways to attain Taqwa (2:183). Great scholars have also recommended practical steps that can be undertaken by the believer in the journey of self-purification to rid oneself of sinful behavior and inculcate Taqwa. All forms of worship, prayer, fasting, charity, and so on are part of training or means in order to attain Taqwa.
Nothing in life can be accomplished without help from the Almighty, and this is certainly true when it comes to becoming pious as well. In our prayers we are told to repeat,
“Guide us to the Straight Path.” (1:6)
Commenting on the meaning behind this verse, Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (May Allah pleased with him) states, “Guide us to the Path whose result is Your love and which reaches to Your Deen (complete code and way of life) and which would prevent us from following our lower desires or which we would take views and opinions (over Yours) which would result in our destruction.” (Masnad al-Rida)
Acquiring Taqwa is a process that takes time, and grows with the increase of faith in the hearts of a believers until they become convinced that Allah is aware of everything they do and each word they say. Taqwa is our ultimate goal and the path to peace in this life and the next.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“Indeed, actions are considered by intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intention.”