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Taqwa (Piety):

Advice of Ahl al-Bayt

Examples of Piety in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah

Author(s): Sayyed Hussain Sheikh al-Islami Tooyserkani

Translator(s): Ali Akbar Aghili Ashtiani

Publisher(s): Ansariyan Publications - Qum

www.alhassanain.org/english

نصائح اهل البیت علیهم السلام

نماذج من التقوی من القرآن و السنة (باللغةالانجلیزیة)

Sheikh al-Islami Tooyserkani, Hussain,

Advice of Ahl al-Bayt; Examples of Piety in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah/ by Hussain Sheikh al-Islami Tooyserkani; Translated by Ali Akbar Aghili Ashtiani.-Qum: Ansariyan, 2009=1388.

ISBN: 978-964-219-069-0

Clothing that guards (against evil), that is the best.

(7:26)

***

Imam Ali (PBUH) has said:

“Know that people have not been entrusted with anything greater than piety which is the advice of us Ahl al-Bayt.”

Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, Vol. 12, p.155

Imam Ali (PBUH) has said:

“Certainly, fear of Allah is the medicine for your hearts, sight for the blindness of your spirits, and the cure for the ailments of your bodies.

Nahj al- Balaghah, Sermon 198

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

Author’s Note 11

Notes 12

Translator’s Note 14

1) What Is Piety (Taqwa) 15

Notes 16

2) Stages of Piety 17

3) The Worth Of Piety 18

Notes 22

4) The Effects Of Piety 23

1) Observing the Rituals (Sha’a’ir) 23

2) God Loves The Pious 23

3) Wilayah (Guardianship) 24

4) The Hereafter 24

5) Having No Fear or Sorrow (The Pious Have No Grief) 27

6) Ease of Affairs (The Pious At Ease) 27

7) Reaching A Higher Rank (Piety, A Superior Stage) 27

8) Removing Evil Acts And Forgiving Sins (Piety Removes Evil) 27

9) Piety, A Heavenly Blessing 28

10) Piety, A Solution 28

11) Piety Overcomes Satan 28

12) God Is With The Pious 28

13) Piety And Invisible Assistance 28

14) Piety And Distinction 29

15) Piety And Salvation 29

16) Piety And Divine Knowledge 29

17) Piety And Good Deeds 29

18) Piety And Nearness To God 29

19) Piety And the Day Of Judgment 30

20) Piety And The Good End 30

21) Piety And Divine Guardianship 31

22) Piety And Divine Guidance 31

23) Piety Is Never Undermined 31

24) Piety Is Never Ignored 31

25) Piety, A Wealth 31

26) Piety, Cure For All 31

27) Piety, A Divine Grace 32

Notes 32

5) Kinds Of Piety 34

6) Piety And Faith 35

Note 35

7) Piety And Monotheism 36

Notes 36

8) Piety And Prophethood 38

Notes 38

9) Piety And the Day Of Judgment 39

Note 39

10) Piety And Imamate 40

Notes 42

11) Piety And Knowledge (Science) 43

Notes 45

12) Piety In Practice 46

Notes 49

14) Piety And Islamic Rules 51

1. Taqiyyah 51

2. Ablution (Wudu’) 52

3. Prayer 53

4. Fasting 53

5. Trade 54

Piety And Trade (Business) 55

Notes 58

15) Piety in Worshipping 60

Notes 62

16) Piety And Prayer 63

Notes 65

17) Piety And Fasting 67

Notes 70

18) Piety And the Hajj 71

Notes 78

19) Piety And Jihad 80

The Virtue Of Jihad 80

Notes 82

21) Piety And Society (Social Piety) 83

22) Parents’ Rights 84

Notes 86

23) Children’s Rights 87

Notes 91

24) Relatives’ Rights 92

Notes 93

25)Neighbors’ Rights 94

Notes 94

26) Fellow Muslims’ Rights 96

Notes 97

27) How To Socialize 99

28) Codes Of Society 100

Notes 102

29) Backbiting 104

Notes 106

30) Tale-Bearing 107

Notes 108

31) Accusation and Slander 109

Notes 109

32) Suspicion 110

Notes 112

33) Telling Lies 114

Notes 116

34) The Difference of Opinions and Creeds 118

Notes 125

35) Choosing of Companions 127

Notes 129

36) Oppression (Injustice) 130

Notes 134

37) Justice And Fairness 135

Notes 138

38) Hypocrisy 139

Notes 140

39) Self-Conceit 142

Notes 145

40) Piety And Speech 147

Notes 149

41) Piety and Breaking of Promise 150

Note 150

42) What Is Promise? 151

Notes 154

43) Piety against Sins 155

Notes 158

44) Piety And Family Rights 159

Note 160

45) Forming a Family 161

Notes 161

46) Wife and Husband’s Duties 162

Love 162

Toleration 162

Wife And Husband Helping Each Other 162

Mutual Respect 163

To Avoid Bothering Each Other 163

To Be Tolerant 163

Wife and Husband’s Jealousy 163

To Forgive Each Other 163

Wet Nursing (Breastfeeding) 164

To Obey Women 165

Rights of Women 165

Marriage 165

Little Dowry 165

Notes 165

47) Inward Piety 166

Notes 169

48) Piety and Blessings 171

Notes 174

49) Piety And Health 175

Notes 179

50) Signs Of The Pious 181

51) Features Of The Pious 182

Notes 202

52) Kinds Of Fear 205

Notes 205

53) The Effects Of Fear 206

Notes 215

54) The Hammam Sermon; The Pious in the Viewpoint of Imam Ali (AS) 217

Notes 223

55) Friends of Allah (Saints) 225

Notes 230

56) Night Prayer 232

Notes 233

57) Reciting the Holy Quran 234

Benefits of the Reciting of the Holy Quran 234

How to Recite the Quran 235

Notes 237

58) Prostration 238

Anger 239

Knowledge 239

Faith with certainty 242

Greed in seeking knowledge 243

Economic and Moderation in Richness 244

Submission in Worship 244

Splendor in Destitution 244

Patience with Hardship 245

The Seeking for well-gotten Sustenance 245

Pleasure in Guidance 245

Refraining from Greed 246

Virtuous Deeds 246

Offering Thanks 247

Notes 249

59) Remembrance of God (Zikr) 251

Inadvertence 252

Notes 271

Author’s Note

Clothing that guards (against evil), that is the best.(7:26)

***

Imam Ali (PBUH) has said:

“Know that people have not been entrusted with anything greater than piety which is the advice of us Ahl al-Bayt.”

Wasa’il al-Shi'ah, vol.12, p. 155

Imam Ali (PBUH) has said:

“Certainly, fear of Allah is the medicine for your hearts, sight for the blindness of your spirits, and the cure for the ailments of your bodies.”

Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon 198

***

Most people wish they would know “what is the factor behind prosperity and happiness and what is the key to guidance and salvation?”

Many a man tries to find out “what will free him from bondage and save him from destruction?” Many a man wishes to know “what is the cure of his disease and his blind-heartedness?”

Many a man always thinks to understand “in what lies the healing of the disease of hearts, peace of mind for his fears, the illumination of his eyes and his affairs?”

Many a man is willing to reach honorable stations and to attain ease of life and safety. There are many a man whose desire is to attain honor, to get blessings, to resolve his problems, to reject evil, to accept good deeds, to overcome enemies, to have good end, to distinguish between justice and injustice, to acquire real knowledge, to obtain divine pleasure and a provision for the hereafter.

Nevertheless, they wonder what that factor is. Every group of people may consider an ideal for themselves but they will reach nowhere unless they come to know it through Islam. Piety is what Islam has introduced as an answer and it will be elaborated in the following discussions.

One must note that piety as presented by certain people is not against freedom rather it is immunity from bestial life as Imam Ali (AS) has said: “Observe piety so that you will be safeguarded.”1 The Imam has also said that piety is freedom from every servitude.

Therefore, being pious does not mean to be captive or to deny one’s freedom, rather, a pious man has freed himself from what is harmful to him and is safeguarded from all harms. When a person builds a strong house for himself or when he is in warm clothes they never say he is a captive or he has denied himself freedom, but they say it is for the protection of his life and wealth against illness and dangers.

One must note that there are two types of piety or self-restraint. Firstly a pious man tries not to expose himself to deviation or sin. He does not attend a place where God’s existence, prophethood, imamate, and the Day of Judgment are denied. He will not attend a place where people backbite others, prostitutes or women without headscarf are present. He will not go to places where people gamble, drink wine, or listen to music, and on the whole where sins are committed. Secondly, piety becomes so internalized in him that when faced with moral, socio-political, and ideological deviations, he will endeavor in a way that he will not only lose his piety but he will enjoin piety too.

Beyond doubt, both conditions are good. That is to say once a sound man attempts not to enter a polluted environment in order to keep safe, and at other times vaccinate himself so as if he enters a polluted place he will not be affected by negative factors. Nevertheless, the latter is preferable, for such an individual will never get deviated whereas in the former state, the danger of deviation is possible.

Towards the end, it goes without saying that there are numerous Quranic verses and narrations on piety.

In certain cases, the very piety has been stressed, like when it is said “Piety is the best virtue”2 , or when it is said “Piety is the strongest foundation”3 . Elsewhere, it is said “People have not been recommended to anything greater than piety”4 .

In other cases, a specific subject has been included like when it is said “Avoid small lies when talking seriously or jokingly”5 , or when it is said “Avoid open sins”.

In other cases, time is included like when it is said “Fear Allah day and night”. At other times, piety as it should be really observed, has been expressed like when it is said “… be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the case which is due to Him”. There are other interpretations of piety which will be elaborated later on in this book.

It is well to mention that all the forbidding rules in the holy Quran and narrations like the forbidden acts or such words as “You only” and its likes are true examples of Taqwa (piety and fear of Allah). If piety means self-restraint from what is bad, it has a positive connotation and is not limited to a negative aspect. It is for this reason that the holy prophet of Islam (SAW) has said that the comprehensive meaning of Taqwa is found in the words of Allah:

“Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion; he admonishes you that you may be mindful.” (16:90)

Therefore, where Taqwa means self-restraint against all evils, it has a specific meaning in relation to that subject. When dealing with ideology if Taqwa is mentioned in its aftermath, it has a meaning related to ideology, and if there is a mention of such sins as telling lies, backbiting, and slander, it means to be careful of committing sins. When Taqwa is mentioned in transaction and usury, it will certainly mean to be careful of usury and unjust transactions. On this basis, piety has been classified into different categories. When Taqwa is mentioned as a general term, it has come to mean piety and being careful of sins.

Sayyed Hussain Sheikh-al-Islami

Notes

1. Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon 232.

2. Ghurar al-Hikam (piety).

3. Ibid., (piety).

4. Wasa’il al-Shiah, vol. 12, p. 155.

5. Safeenat al-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 472.

Translator’s Note

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad and his pure progeny!

This book which discusses piety as introduced in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah and recommended by Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) was given to me for translation into English by the honorable manager of Ansarian publication, Mr. Hajj Muhammad Taqi Ansarian, a devotee of Ahl al-Bayt. For this reason, I should really thank him for his good choice.

The translation of this book is dedicated to my dear daughter Aida as well as my dear son Arya, for their love of Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT).

Ali Akbar Aghili Ashtiani

1) What Is Piety (Taqwa)

The word Taqwa or piety (to fear Allah and to guard against evil) is frequently used by laymen and experts and recommended by one group or the other. But what does it really mean? Each group has a special meaning of piety in mind. To clarify its meaning, we need to discuss the views of the lexicographers and scholars as well as those of Ahl al-Bayt and some of the mystics. Allamah Tarihi, may his soul rest in peace, has said that Taqwa in the holy Quran has several meanings as follows:

a. Fear and awe: “Me alone should you fear”1

b. Obedience and worship: “be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the care which is due to Him”2

c. Purifying the hearts from sins:“And he who obeys Allah and His Apostle, and fears Allah, and is careful of (his duty to) Him, these it is that are the achievers” 3 (Qur'an, 24:52) .

It is said that “This last meaning is the real meaning of Taqwa and not the first two meanings.” He has also said: “Taqwa originally comes from the word Waqaya meaning to ban and to keep.” It is also said that “Taqwa comes from Waqayah meaning safeguard and protect.”

Raghib says: “Waqayah is to keep something from what harms it and Taqwa is to guard self from what it fears.” He further says that speaking religiously Taqwa is to guard self against sin. Its realization depends on abandoning what has been generally forbidden and even some of the permissible acts.

Allamah Majlisi, may his soul rest in peace, says: “And Allah safeguarded him from evil, a good safeguarding. I kept myself from His chastisement and from opposing Him.”

Elsewhere he says: “Taqwa means to safeguard and etymologically, it means self-restraint. Generally speaking, it means to keep self from what harms it in the Hereafter and the more it is restricted, it will be better for self.”

An ascetic was asked what Taqwa is. He said: “What will you do if you enter a piece of land full of thistles?” The one who had asked the question said: “I will keep away myself from it.” the ascetic said: “Do the same in world, it is Taqwa.”

An Arab poet says: “Be like one who walks on a piece of land with thistles in it; he will obviously keep away from it. Take no small sin lightly, for mountains are made up of sands.”

Imam Ali (AS) has been quoted as saying: “Taqwa is to avoid sins.”

Being asked about Taqwa, Imam Sadiq (AS) said: “Taqwa is to be present in a place God has ordered and to be absent from a place He has prohibited.”

A great part of supplications signifies the same meaning: “O Allah, find me not in a place You have forbidden.”

From what we discussed, we infer that Taqwa is self-restraint and safeguarding oneself from what is against the Lord. In this way Taqwa covers all the meanings mentioned herein.

Notes

1. Qur'an, 2:41.

2. Qur'an, 3:102.

3. Qur'an, 24:52.

2) Stages of Piety

Moralists consider three stages for Taqwa:

a. To safeguard self from the eternal chastisement and from abiding in hell due to correcting one’s beliefs. When a human being tries to rectify his beliefs, to avoid atheism, to improve his belief in monotheism, prophethood, and the Day of Judgment, to adopt a right path in Imamate, to perform obligatory duties, and to leave the forbidden acts, he will save himself from chastisement and fire.

b. To avoid committing sins verbally and practically; such a meaning of Taqwa is best known to the people of religion.

c. To safeguard the heart from what keeps it busy away from truth, from the forbidden, blameworthy, and permissible acts. This is the excellent stage of Taqwa.