<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Fear of God for self-righteousness which in Arabic means Taqwa, in fact, epitomiSes the entire teachings of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him)</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">It is Taqwa that gives meaning to our simple worship rituals that otherwise would be nothing without it. Haven't we pondered what would the physical actions of salat (prayers) such as bowing and prostrating mean without a heart infused with Taqwa?</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What makes the hunger and thirst (when fasting) of a believer different from the same actions of a non-believer?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How would the physical acts of going between the two mountains of Safa and Marwa (in Haj and Umrah) become valuable in the eyes of Allah?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's the Taqwa in our hearts that provide these simple physical rituals a special meaning in the eyes of Allah.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For example, when mentioning the ritual of sacrificing animals (in Allah's name) in the Quran, Allah says, "It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is Taqwa (piety, etc.) from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you so that you may glorify Allah for His guidance to you." (Surah Al-Haj: 37).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's ensure, therefore, that our worship is not limited to empty acts but is rather adorned with Taqwa. Again, as the verse states, ".but it is the Taqwa (piety) from you that reaches Him."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A study of the Holy Quran will show that every aspect of its teachings is directed towards the creation of this spiritual condition of God-fearing in every action of the believers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Taqwa is the soul of fasting.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is said to be that spiritual condition wherein a person, believing firmly in the <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Omnipotence of Allah and His Omnipresence, has an acute urge to distinguish between virtue and vice, and a burning desire to adopt the good and to eschew the evil in order to protect himself from the displeasure of Allah. Taqwa is the only force which enables Muslims to reach the status of what is called 'world class' human beings.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">God-fearing means saving, guarding or preserving a thing from that which harms on injures it. In a religious sense it means guarding against evil or being saved from sin, and in the terminology of Shariah, connotes keeping aloof from all that is injurious to the human souls.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">(The writer is a former KT staffer)</div><div style="text-align: justify; "> </div>