Hadith on Taqwa: Fear Allah everywhere you are and have good character. English Version
Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Fear Allah wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good deed and it will erase it (the former), and behave with good character towards people.”
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1987
Hadith on Taqwa: Fear Allah everywhere you are and have good character. Arabic Version
عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اتَّقِ اللَّهِ حَيْثُمَا كُنْتَ وَأَتْبِعْ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ
1987 سنن الترمذي أبواب البر والصلة باب ما جاء في معاشرة الناس
3/526 المحدث الترمذي خلاصة حكم المحدث حسن صحيح في سنن الترمذي
Taqwa – To Fear Allah
Taqwa (Fear of Allah) is one of the most important and comprehensive Islamic concepts. The term is derived from its root “waqayya” which means “to protect.” Taqwa therefore means to protect one own self from the severe punishment of Allah by following His guidance. That is to say, “Fear Allah from His punishment.”
Some translate Taqwa as “to fear Allah”. However, fearing Allah is only one aspect of this comprehensive concept. Ali ibn Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) defines it as: “Fearing Allah, adhering to His commandments, being content with what He provides one with, and getting ready for the Day of Judgement.”
Mohammad Asad translates it as “to be conscious of Allah.” It might be better, according to some Muslim linguists, to use the transliteration of this Qur’anic term and keep it as it is.
The term has been mentioned many times both in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah the Almighty says: “O believers! Have Taqwa of Allah (fear Allah or be conscious of Allah) as is His right to have Taqwa. And die not except while you are Muslims” [Surah Al-Imran (3): ayat 102]
By the realization of Taqwa, a Muslim is granted many bounties and blessings. Among them are:
- The Love of Allah,
- A criterion by which to judge and distinguish between right and wrong
- A way out of difficulties; matters will be made easier for him/her
- Sins will be remitted
- Guidance and help to acquire beneficial knowledge, prosperity, and success.
Lessons from the Hadith on Taqwa
According to Ibn Rajab’s view as well as other scholars, Taqwa (to fear Allah) is to fulfill obligations and avoid prohibitions and doubtful matters. It is the advice of Allah to all humankind, and it is the advice
of all prophets (peace be upon them all) to their people.
Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to advise and continuously remind his Companions about Taqwa (fear of Allah) in all his talks and on different occasions. Those who define Taqwa as “fearing Allah” look at the concept as a motive, because according to early scholars, the minimum level of fearing Allah is what motivates a Muslim to fulfill obligations and keeps him/her away from prohibitions.
Taqwa (to fear Allah) does not imply perfection. Those who have Taqwa are subject to committing sins. However, if they do so, they repent right away and follow up the bad deed they have done with a good deed to wipe the bad one out, as mentioned in this hadith. This clarifies the debatable issue among some scholars: whether or not avoiding minor sins is considered an aspect of Taqwa.
Allah the Almighty and all Merciful have left the door of forgiveness open to many means by which the punishment for sin might be removed. To do good deeds right after bad ones to wipe them out is one means. This is mentioned in Surah Hud, ayat 114:
“Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds.” (Surah Hud, ayat 114)
There are other ways and means by which sins are forgiven, as stated in the Qur’an and Sunna,h such as:
- Istighfar (seeking forgiveness by supplication)
- Tubah (repentance)
- Du’a’ of Muslims for one another
- The intercession by the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam
- Performing the daily five prayers regularly and on time
- Afflictions
- The Mercy and Forgiveness from Allah
Doing Good Deeds
If we do a good deed, Allah will reward us by guiding us to do another good deed. Hence, doing a good deed will lead to doing another good deed. Doing a bad deed without regretting it or without Istighfar or wiping it out by doing a good deed will most likely lead to doing another bad deed, whether of the same type or a different type.
By doing a bad deed with the already mentioned attitude (that is, without repentance) subjects the person to repeat it again and again until the heart of that person is “sealed” and the person turns into a transgressor.
It is also an obligation that every Muslim should treat others, deal with them, and interact with them in a good manner. Ibn Rajab says in his commentary:
“Having good character is a characteristic of Taqwa”
Taqwa (fear of Allah) cannot be complete without it (good character). It was mentioned here due to the need for an explicit explanation of that point. Many people think that Taqwa (to fear Allah) implies fulfilling the rights of Allah without fulfilling the rights of humans. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
explicitly stated that he/she must deal with people in a kind manner.
This ruling is stressed in many other hadiths, of which the following are some:
“Piety and Righteousness is being of good character.” [Recorded by Imam Muslim]
“The believer with the most complete Iman (faith) is the one with the best behavior.” [Recorded by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud]
“There is nothing heavier in the scales than good character.” [Recorded by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud]
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also made Iman (faith) and good character the main basic standard for whether or not to accept a man for marriage. This clearly indicates that to fear Allah and have good character are upon us Muslims to exhibit these two.
Conclusion on Hadith on Taqwa
To fear Allah the Almighty, to adhere to His commandments, to follow a bad deed with a good deed, to wipe it out, and to deal with others in a good manner and good character are all aspects of the concept of Taqwa. We ask Allah to make us conscious Muslims who will use the lesson we’ve learnt from this Hadith on Taqwa and fear Him secretly and in public, adhere to his laws, and submit totally to HIm.
