At-Taqwa
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AT-TAQWA
DECISION AL-IMAN
A human being, as a child, lives a traditional life; an imitative life; an unguided life. Environment and Training are of no effect to this situation. Every child is naturally misguided.A misguided person is a person who does not live his life. No child can live his life. A child has no power to decide over his life.
Decision is the power to choose a way among the conflicting desires. For a child, the dominant desire overrides other desires. A child has no SELF. The self is the decision.
The decision (al-Iman) is to be determined to win the heart over to al-Aql. This is the struggle and it is not a joke.
It is the readiness and the determination to always adjust to the truth no matter how bitter it might be. It is the readiness to always take a rational decision in issues. It is the decision to avoid being a traditionalist. It is the decision to fight and gain control over oneself.
Childhood is meant to train a person in the basic skills and some fundamental facts of life.
There is no doubt that to realize this childhood objective, one needs some basic tools (more importantly) language, and arithmetic.
A person must take the decision to be in control of his heart. The decision is 'al-Iman' and the preservation is 'at-Taqwa'. Both al-Iman and at-Taqwa are not inheritable.
Every human being is deceptive and exploitative save a Muttaqi.
PRESERVATION AT-TAQWA
To plan and move on the path of al-Iman is known as moving on the straight path ( َ.A Muslim has to constantly bring the decision to the mind in order not to forget. As-Salaat is designed to help a Muslim remember his decision and therefore remain guided. What a good prayer to ask Allah to preserve one onto the right path at every time of Salaat!
A decision that is not remembered is a decision that is never taken.
Planning and Execution
A Muslim (knowing the target) plans to meet the target. It is like a business man who sets out for a target. A normal person evaluates his present situation, looks onto his target in life, and then draws a gradual but steady program to meet the target.As the program has to be realistic, so he has to be determined to execute it. What is the use of a program that is not executed? They call it ideal!
Contemplation, Study of al-Qur'an, Learning, As-Salaat, Az-Zakaat, and As-Sawm are designed to assist a Muslim in planning and execution.
Assessment
Every human being has just a heart and a mind. It is not possible for any human being to watch himself while he is active.Assessment is a process whereby a person looks onto his activity by bringing it back to the mind. A person can only assess what has already taken place.
The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate ones activities to see whether he has been acting according to the program and to evaluate the successes and the failures.
Programs are designed on expectations which might just prove out to be wrong. Living a practical life is the test of ones knowledge and progress. Life of permanent seclusion deprives a person of this opportunity and it is therefore irrational. A Muslim does not live a secluded life because he needs the society to test his progress. There is no problem with temporal withdrawal to assess and plan against the future.
It will be a good suggestion to give 1/3 of ones wakeful time to active at-Taqwa.
Self-accounting is known as .
As-Salaat and all other practical activities of life are designed to help in taken account of oneself.
Most of us today are regulated by the society. Let us be out of sight and our behavior is different. A Muslim lives a realistic life and he is regulated by al-Aql. A Muslim fears none and seeks the pleasure of none but Allah.
'La ilaha illa ' is the peak of knowledge. When you anchored yourself to it, you become free to explore the world and do whatever you like with life.
As life keeps the body from disintegrating into ordinary matter, at-Taqwa keeps the heart from being assimilated into the careless and misguided society.
In the same way that a leper has to be vigilant to prevent any damage to his body, so a Muslim has to be vigilant over his heart.
What more, the heart is not fixed with a strong alarm like pain to outrightly sound alarm at the point of deviation.
To keep fit, at-Taqwa is indispensable.
A person must be very selective of friends and be serious with his life. There should be no permanent friend or enemy. At-Taqwa determines who becomes and remains a friend or enemy.
It is good that one reserves a day (at least) in every month during which he is cut from all activities and concentrates only on himself. It would be the time to take account of all the activities throughout the month.
It is easier during every Salaat to look onto the activities before that Salaat. It is a good habit to asses oneself weekly. Life is not a joke it is just the opportunity we have to determine our faith.
Periodic assessment of oneself gives a person an opportunity to gain a deep insight into the making of life. The drama becomes more evident as one travels on the vertical axis of life. The higher a person goes up the tower of life, the better view and understanding.
The person who can bring the universe into focus would no doubt understand some underlying wisdom which is not evident to an ordinary person.
Now that the ball is on the field, it is either a person watches it closely or a slight negligence and Satan has scored a goal.
One should be careful of all suggestions that enter the mind. The soonest a deviating suggestion is rejected the better. You have been warned!
Anybody who does not associate with you on the basis of at-Taqwa is a potential Satan and a threat; one should be vigilant of such persons.
The purpose of at-Taqwa is to preserve us against the negligence of the majority. In the Hereafter, this is not a necessity because there is no joker in al-Jannah.