The Benefits of Taqwa - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

The Benefits of Taqwa

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَفِيُّهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَخَلِيلُهُ أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ كَافَّةً بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا فَبَلَّغَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَأَدَّى الْأَمَانَةَ وَنَصَحَ الْأُمَّةَ وَتَرَكَنَا عَلَى الْمَحَجَّةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ لَيْلُهَا كَنَهَارِهَا لَا يَزِيغُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا هَالِكٌ فَصَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنِ اهْتَدَى بِهَدْيِهِ وَاسْتَنَّ بِسُنَّتِهِ وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

I start by praising Allah for indeed Allah is worthy and deserving of our praise, and I send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad ﷺ.

Why Taqwa is Repeated So Often

My brothers and sisters, if you look towards the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, you will find that certain acts of worship have been repeated more than others. If you read the Quran, for example, you will find that Allah speaks about fasting only a few times, and generally speaking Muslims don't miss fasting Ramadan. But the ones that Allah repeats often are the ones that we are lacking in the most. For example, Allah repeats over and over again: establish the prayer. And if you look at the Muslim ummah today, they are lacking in the establishment of the prayer. It is very common to find a young Muslim or an elderly Muslim that don't regularly pray their five daily prayers. So as a believer, whenever Allah repeats something to us over and over again, give special attention to that and check where you are at with regards to that specific worship.

Now, an act of worship that is repeated in the Quran often is taqwa. Have taqwa — Allah asks us to have taqwa, or tells us to have taqwa, over and over again. Allah tells us that it is the wasiyyah — that which Allah has advised, instructed, and commanded — of those who came before us, of the Prophets, and it is the wasiyyah of this ummah.

And we have instructed those who have been given scripture from the people that came before you, and yourselves, to have taqwa.

Every single Friday, most khateebs will start their khutbah — which is known as khutbah tul haja — where they will recite certain verses from the Quran, and all those verses discuss having taqwa:

O mankind, have taqwa of Allah. O believers, have taqwa — have taqwa like Allah is deserving for you to have taqwa, haqqa tuqatih.

Why is it that this is repeated so often? Because if you truly are someone that has taqwa, you're going to reach where you want to reach, which is Jannah. The Prophet ﷺ was asked: what are the two acts of worship that will guarantee you entrance to Paradise — or, where most people will enter Jannah because of what act of worship? And the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2004)

Having taqwa of Allah — being mindful of Allah, being conscious of Allah — and having good character. The Prophet ﷺ didn't say prayer. He didn't say zakat, or sadaqa, or hajj. He said the two things that will take most people to Jannah are taqwa and good character.

What is Taqwa?

So now that we know this, we have to ask ourselves: what is it to be among the people that have taqwa? إخواني في الله — to be someone that has taqwa is to protect yourself from that which will lead to the anger of Allah. To protect yourself from any path, any action, any deed, any statement that will result in the anger of Allah or in the disobedience of Allah. And also to try and do everything that Allah wants you to do.

Now you might be saying: well, that's quite difficult, because we sin. Yes, we sin. But it is the mindset, إخواني في الله. It is that you live your life according to how Allah wants you to live, and then you might slip up here and there, but you are always mindful of Allah. So when you're going to college, university, or work, or marrying, or dealing with anything, or at home, or watching television — whatever you're doing — you know, you're mindful of Allah. Meaning what? If something haram comes up on the screen, you won't look at it; you will turn away. Meaning what? If you're dealing with a transaction and it is haram, you will stay away from it. It protects you. The more you are mindful of Allah, the more it will protect you, and it will result in you doing more good and staying away from more evil.

The Four Components of Taqwa — According to Ali ibn Abi Talib

So we need to embody this act of worship. Now, the scholars of the past have explained in a nutshell what it means. And one of my favorite explanations is from the Sahabi Ali ibn Abi Talib when he said: to have taqwa means four things. And if you have these four things, insha'Allah this will protect you and you will live your life according to the way Allah wants you to live, and you will embody this beautiful instruction of Allah, and you will do that which will lead to Jannah.

And this is why, if we look at the message of all the Prophets, Allah says:

The people of Aad — they denied the messengers. When their brother Hud said to them: will you not have taqwa? So what was the message of Prophet Hud? Have taqwa. And then Allah says:

The message of the Prophets was always: فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ — have taqwa of Allah. Let Allah be the one you are thinking about, the one you are aware of, because Allah is always with you. And that is going to protect you.

The First Component: Al-Khawf min Allah — Fear of Allah

So Ali ibn Abi Talib said: the way you do this, or what this means, is number one — الْخَوْفُ مِنَ الْجَلِيلِ — you are afraid of Allah. You know that everything that you do, Allah is watching, and Allah, your creator, told you not to do it. And you are afraid of defying Allah, you are afraid of disobeying Allah. Because you know what happens to those who disobey Allah, those who defy Allah, those that went against what Allah wanted — number one being the Shaytan, who is promised that he is going to the Hellfire. You do not want to follow that path. So have fear of Allah.

And Allah says in the Quran:

So part of being a Muslim is to be afraid of Allah. Yes, Allah is the most merciful and the most kind. But Allah always tells us that we should live our lives balanced — have hope in the mercy of Allah, but also be afraid of the wrath and anger of Allah. And this is how you are balanced. If you are just hoping in Allah's mercy, then you will sin more. If you are too afraid of Allah, then you will lose hope in His mercy.

And some people, what happens to them, is they say: "Akhi, I have done so many bad things — you don't know. I have no hope; I can't go to the masjid. There is no more hope left for me." This is not allowed in Islam. So that person needs more hope in Allah's mercy — Allah forgives all sins. And the one that says: "Ya akhi, Allah forgives every sin, in sha'Allah I am a Muslim," and will be immersed in sin — he needs to be reminded that Allah does not allow His slaves to disobey Him without there being repercussions that Allah warns us about in the Quran.

So you need to be afraid of Allah. Have that balance in your life. Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that the believer is like a bird with two wings — the first one being the hope in Allah's mercy, and the second one being fear of Allah's wrath and anger. And if you lose one of them, you lose balance and you won't be able to fly.

So, إخواني وأخواتي في الله, the first thing is al-khawf min Allah.

The Second Component: Al-Amal bil-Tanzeel — Acting Upon the Revelation

And then he said: the second component of having taqwa is الْعَمَلُ بِالتَّنْزِيلِ — it is to act upon that which was revealed. Now, what was revealed? The Quran was revealed — revelation from Allah. The sunnah was also revelation from Allah. So to act upon — and I love the wording here — to act upon that which has been revealed. Not just the Quran, but also the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Because the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ was also inspired by Allah. The Prophet ﷺ didn't make it up as he went along; everything he did was inspiration and revelation from Allah. He does not speak out of his own desires or his own accord.

So if you want to be among those that have taqwa, act upon the Quran and sunnah. Meaning what? When you find that something is recommended, do it. When you find that something is obligatory, do it. When you find that the Prophet ﷺ was a certain way, try to emulate it. When you find that something is not allowed — haram or discouraged — stay away from it. Don't say: "Yeah, this is sunnah — nah, we don't have to do this." Be more proactive in acting upon the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and acting upon the verses in the Quran.

You find that Allah tells you: do not be among the liars — stop lying. You find that Allah has encouraged you to have more patience — have more patience. You realize that our sunnah is to have the best character — have the best character. Act upon that which was revealed. This is how you have taqwa, and this is how you go to Jannah.

The Third Component: Al-Qana'ah — Contentment with What Allah Has Given You

And the third thing is to be content with that which Allah has given you. As Muslims, we have been given a beautiful way of life. When it comes to worldly matters — how rich you are, how healthy you are, how good your life is — you're never told to look upwards. "Look at these people — they have more money than me," and then you will be disappointed with what Allah has given you. You're always told to look at those who are less fortunate than you. Because whatever Allah has given you, be pleased with it. Say Alhamdulillah, for there are those that have less than you.

And also remember — this world is temporary. The measurement of success is not how much you have. Because if that were the measurement of success, surely Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — who is the best of all creation — would have been the richest of all creation. And yet they would go two months in the Prophet's homes where they would not even cook anything; they would be eating dates and water and whatever else they could find. Two months where they wouldn't cook food in the Messenger's house. If wealth were a measurement of success, surely Allah would have given it to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Surely Allah would have given it to Prophet Isa and many of the Prophets who were poor with regards to worldly matters.

So be pleased with that which Allah has given you. This will give you more taqwa.

The Fourth Component: Preparing for the Day of Departure

And finally, he said: prepare yourself for the day of travelling — meaning the day that you will die. So be mindful that you will die, and that could be today, tomorrow, in a week, in a month, in a year, in ten years — Allah knows. Prepare yourself by doing what Allah has commanded you to do, staying away from the prohibitions, seeking as much forgiveness as possible. Prepare yourself for your eventual raheel — the day we will meet Allah.

If you do these four things — and I want you to remember these four things — this will instill within you taqwa. And we said that taqwa, being mindful of Allah, being conscious of Allah, is among the best ways — or the easiest ways — to enter Jannah, as the Prophet ﷺ said.

Second Part of the Khutbah

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

Brothers and sisters, as a quick summary — there are many different Sahaba and scholars that have explained what taqwa means in different ways, but they all generally say it's about doing what Allah has commanded you to do and staying away from the prohibitions, to the best of your ability. And this is very important as well — to the best of your ability. Meaning there will always be shortcomings, which is why Allah says in the Quran:

Have taqwa of Allah up to what is your ability. So if you can't do something, then that's okay. And this shows you again that Allah never asks us to do something that we cannot do.

And what were those four things? Be afraid of Allah — have fear of Allah, and this will protect you from sin. Act upon that which was revealed — the Quran and Sunnah. Be content with that which Allah has given you — there are always those who are less fortunate than you, and wealth is not a measurement of success. What success is, is how close you are to Allah, and where you end up on the Day of Judgment — may Allah make us of those that go to Jannah. And also prepare yourself for the Hereafter, for the day you will travel. These are the four components of taqwa.

The Benefits of Taqwa

Now, what are some of the benefits that we will get from taqwa? Of course you will go to Jannah — but there are also some worldly benefits. Sometimes Allah encourages us to do something and tells us: if you do it, you will get not just Jannah, not just this reward from Allah — you will get benefit now.

Allah says in the Quran: whoever has taqwa, Allah will give him a way out of his difficulty. All of us here are probably going through some sort of difficulty — whether it is small or big, whether it is financial or marital or any other thing. Allah is saying: increase your taqwa, and I will give you a way out of your difficulty. Not just that — and Allah will give you sustenance and provision and provide for you from places where you will not expect. This is the reward of taqwa — this is a reward that you will get now. Increase your taqwa, do these four things, and Allah will open up doors of rizq and provision for you.

Allah says in another verse: whoever has taqwa, Allah will make his affairs easy for him. Do you want things to go easy for you? Do you want things to go your way? Pass that test you are struggling with? Sort out that problem you had at your home? Whatever desire or thing that you want — increase your taqwa, and Allah will make your affairs easy for you.

In another verse, Allah says: if you have taqwa, Allah will give you Furqan. What is Furqan? Furqan is the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood — something we desperately need today. There are so many false ideologies and understandings that are prevalent in our society. Do you want Allah to provide you the ability to see the truth as the truth and to stay away from falsehood? Increase your taqwa and Allah will give you Furqan.

These are all some of the worldly benefits from taqwa. And what does Allah say with regards to the Akhira? — and I am going to conclude with this. Whoever has taqwa, Allah will forgive his sins, will expiate his mistakes, and Allah will increase your reward for you and make it greater.

All of these benefits — these worldly benefits, these benefits of the Hereafter — just by embodying this great ibadah, which is taqwa. I ask Allah to make us of those who have taqwa.