By: Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (may Allah protect him)
Source: MuslimVillage
What is taqwā (God-fearingness)? ‘Allāmah Sayyid Mahmūd Ālūsī Baghdādī (Allah have mercy in his soul) quoting a couplet, defines taqwā very beautifully:
Abstain from all sins, minor and major, that is taqwā;
Never underestimate a minor sin, because mountains and rocks form from the accumulation of small pebbles.
Abstaining from all sins – major and minor – is taqwā. And one who adopts taqwā will become the Friend of Allāh (Most High). Today, when we begin to commit a sin, we say to ourselves, ‘Is this a major sin or a minor one? If it is a major sin, I should abstain from it and if it is a minor sin, then it doesn’t really matter.’ Our elders and pious predecessors have said that every sin whether minor or major is major in the sight of Allāh (Most High). Why? Because it is disobedience to the Creator: One Who has given us eyes; One Who has given us a tongue; One Who has given us ears; One Who has given us life; One Who has given us health and wealth; One Who has given us wives and children; One Who has honoured us with Īmān and One Who has created us in the Ummah of Muhammad-ur-Rasūlullāh (Allah’s peace be upon him). A Believer, one who has love for Allāh (Most High), one who intends to become a Friend of Allāh (Most High) cannot commit sins – major or minor, simply because it is disobedience to Allāh (Most High).
Abstaining from all sins, both major and minor, is taqwā. And never underestimate a minor sin. Do not think that if I commit this sin it does not really matter, it is only a minor sin. Why? Because mountains and massive solid rocks that are so firmly established on earth are a composition of small and weightless particles of dust and stones. If these worthless and tiny particles have the ability of taking the shape of a huge mountain, then, by analogy, minor sins too are potent enough to lead a person towards committing major sins.
Reward for Taqwā
How will Allāh (Most High) reward those who accept Īmān and adopt taqwā (to abstain from sins and follow the Commands of Allāh (Most High) in the light of the teachings of the beloved Rasūl (Allah’s peace be upon him))?
For them are glad tidings, in this world and in the Hereafter – there is no change in the Words of Allāh. This is indeed the supreme triumph. (10:64)
This is an extract from the booklet ‘Love & its Limits’ published by the Islāmic Da’wah Academy.
