Allah Loves Piety

Reading time: 1 minute

Umar ibn Khattab said to Ubay: “Ya Ubay, what is taqwa?”

Sayyiduna Ubay (RadiaAllahu anhu) replied: “Ya Amir al-Mu’minin, if you were to walk through a very narrow, very thorny path, how would you walk?”

Sayyidina Umar (RadiaAllahu anhu) said: “I would walk very carefully. I would gather my clothes very closely to me. I would step very carefully so that I would not get hurt or scratched by thorns.”

Sayyiduna Ubay then said: “Ya Amir al-Mu’minin, that is exactly how taqwa is.”.

( Tafsir ibn Kathir, Surah Al Baqarah, Verse: 2, vol. 1 pg. 255 )

An age-old debate revolves around defining Taqwa - does it mean fearing Allah or being conscious of Him?

And if we fear Him, how do we love Him simultaneously?

The distinction is simple: while fear of worldly things drives us away, fearing Allah brings us closer.

Nevertheless, defining Taqwa merely in terms of fear is inadequate. It’s more about merging the fear and love of Allah.

After all, we genuinely fear losing His love, primarily through actions that displease Him.

Each day, we can learn how to maintain Allah’s love through moral consumption. Just like we abstain from physically consuming anything that breaks our fast during Ramadan, we should also refrain from spiritually consuming anything that nullifies Allah’s love in our daily lives.

Our efforts to stay pious and the intention to please Allah is what draws His love towards us.

Are we exemplifying through our deeds that we yearn for His pleasure?

The most significant consequence of sin is not punishment but the distance it creates between us and Allah.

In essence, Taqwa is our steering course back to Allah.

In tricky moments, we stop saying or doing things displeasing to Allah, proving that we value His love above all.

Finally, remember that the best way to be loved by Allah is to fear losing that love.

May Allah continue to imbue us with Taqwa, which keeps us in His favor.

 Reflection:

How can you tread more carefully today and be mindful of Allah?

What did you think of today's reflection?

Share your reflections in the poll.

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Reply

or to participate.