http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/06/taqwa-piety-and-spirituality.html
Taqwa; God consciousness
A tribute to Marylou Ghyst and Petra Weldes
Taqwa, piety, or spirituality can be expressed both
externally and internally. In the picture to the far right is Rev. Petra Weldes,
possibly representing you and I, the common people who achieve piety within us,
and without having to abandon the day to day life. The expressive form of piety
is chosen by a few religious men and women through the costumes and the
beards. Pluralism is about the essence
of what you do; finding peace within and with others regardless of the format
you chose. To claim that one is better
than the other takes away any degree of piety you may have. Spirituality and
arrogance are inversely proportional to each other.
I am dedicating this column to two of my favorite
spiritualists, who lead a common life like you and I. Rev. Petra Weldes, who
and I had extensive discussions about asking the religious leaders to the parliament of world’s religions, had that
happened, to wear clothes and look like everyone else, and hence dedicated to
her.
The person who caused me to write this is Rev. Marylou
Ghyst, I am pleased to acknowledge Marylou, our Christian Member of the World
Muslim Congress, please note our membership is inclusive. We are a part of the
large family of faiths and we are all in this together to create and shape a
world that God willed; to attain the balance and Harmony between all elements of his creation.
Marylou’s major contribution to this forum is religious inquiry, which we
appreciate, encourage and admire; it is an expression of freewill that
God endowed to each one of the human beings. And because of her inquiries, we
have been able to independently think and find the resources to support it. It
is easy for Muslims to answer Muslims, or Christians to answer Christians, but
difficult for anyone to share or understand the nuances and the cultural
references. Marylou has succeeded in that endeavor.
The first act of humanity began with free will, Adam was
offered that choice, which he blundered, but God was not unhappy about it, nor
did he scream at him or told him to go to hell for disobedience; instead God
offered him more choices and we are here today, living with it. Thanks to Adam.
Marylou
wrote, “Hi Mike, Just curious about something. The word "Taqwa"
meaning God consciousness -- I was under the impression that Muslims believed
God is outside the universe and therefore God consciousness is unattainable.
Do I have the wrong information? Blessings, Marylou.” in reference to my note,
“A good Hindu is a good Muslim, is a good Christian, is a good Jew, is a good
Sikh.....when you reach Taqwa, the God consciousness, humans don't
appear with religious labels..”
Taqwa means many things to many people. Islam is not a monolithic
religion; we do have diversity of opinion, that we have come to accept, but
don’t admit. Indeed, Islam is about
freedom but the followers are not completely free, if they were, the
differences would have transformed into multiple denominations as in Christianity.
Every Prophet, Messenger and a peace maker had the special knowledge about
spirituality, but more importantly they understood human nature, they were
great psychologists. Prophet Muhammad was
indeed a master psychologist, he understood human nature, and initiated religious
practices in the form of rituals that will help an individual achieve piety and
humility, thus peace within and peace with others.
He further wanted the people to understand that the
diversity is God given, and to keep the religious arrogance out, (its human to
be arrogant), he prophesized that his followers will group themselves into
72/73 tribes (a metaphoric number to denote many) and advised each one to race
in doing good deeds; the actions that benefit others without any return.
The concept of Taqwa
exists in every religion - the Hindus call it Krishna consciousness, or Brahma,
the idea of becoming a part of God, or lost in Godliness or God like, when you
do not have conflicts with any one, all is yours and you belong to all. There
is no barrier between you and the creation. Indeed, that is the un-expressed
goal of every religion.
Jesus said, follow me, and Allah in Quraan said to submit to his will and
Krishna says surrender to me - all are asking to become a part of the system to
keep it functioning cohesively and out of free will.
Since my focus of this article is Taqwa, it is important to note, rather
critical, that Islam is about behavior and not your costume or external
manifestation.
“Taqwa is a concept
in Islam that is interpreted by some Islamic Scholars as God consciousness. It
has many understandings and interpretations. Taqwa may mean piousness, fear of
Allah, love for Allah, and self restraint.
Taqwa allows a person to be constantly aware of both God's presence and
attributes and a reminder of their relationship and responsibility to God as
His creation and servant. The scholars explain that the way to taqwa is through
obedience of God, avoiding disobedience, and striving to stay away from
doubtful matters. “
Wikipedia:
According to Tafsir ibn Kathir, the root meaning of taqwa is to avoid
what one dislikes. It was reported that Umar bin Khattab asked Ubay ibn Kaab about Taqwa. Ubay said, "Have you
ever walked on a path that has thorns on it?" Umar said, "Yes."
Ubay asked, "What did you do then?" to which Umar replied, "I
rolled up my sleeves and struggled." Ubay 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."
Ibn Abbas said about verse 2:5 in the Quran,
"guidance for the Muttaqin", that it means, "They are the
believers who avoid shirk with Allah (swt) and who work in His
obedience." He also said that Al-Muttaqin means, "Those who fear
Allah's (swt) Punishment, which would result if they abandoned the true
guidance that they recognize and know. They also hope in Allah's (swt) Mercy by
believing in what He revealed
“And We have sent down to you the Book as an
explanation of everything, a guidance, a mercy and glad-tidings for those who
submitted themselves to Islam.” [TMQ 16:89]
So let us understand the true meaning of Taqwa.
In contrast to the distorted picture that people have today, the Qur’an and
Sunnah defines the idea of taqwa as protecting oneself from the Hellfire by
following the orders of Allah (swt) by doing what He (swt) has commanded and
avoiding what He (swt) has forbidden. Many ayat in the Qur’an point to this:
“And unto Allah belongs all that is in the
heavens and all that is on earth. And, verily, We have recommended to the
people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear
Allah, and keep your duty to Him, But if you disbelieve, then unto Allah
belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is
Ever Rich, Worthy of all praise.” [TMQ An-Nisa’ 4: 131]
Taqwa comes from the word 'waqiya', which means
to protect. It is protection from the Anger of Allah (swt) and His (swt)
punishment. This is why Taqwa is used to describe the performing of actions,
which pleases Allah (swt) and abstaining from all actions that displeases Him
(swt).
Taqwa in essence means god consciousness, being
conscious of Allah (swt) in all our actions and affairs.
Dr.
Ibrahim Syed of Islamic Research Foundation international, Inc., in Louisville
writes, “It is hard to translate Taqwa
into the English language. To me Taqwa is achieving Nobility, humility,
generosity, forgiveness, service to mankind, animals and plants, compassion,
mercy, etc.etc.”
I wrote a note about
Taqwa during Ramadan. “True fasting is self-purification; and from this
comes a rich inner life that brings about values such as justice, generosity,
patience, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and empathy -- values that are
indispensable for the success of the community.” And the values that brings
closer to the godliness or God consciousness: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/spirit-of-ramadan_b_939961.html
Mike Ghouse is committed to nurturing the pluralistic values embedded in
Islam and invites discussions with an open mind. Together, we can learn to be a
productive citizen to our family, community, nation and the world - thus
serving God’s purpose of peace; Islam the verb. Please visit www.MikeGhouse.net and if you have the time, connect with 5 other websites and 30 blogs on a variety
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