Ethics

The Concept of Taqwa in Islam

Mindfulness of God

A wise man had three sons. He had taught them that Allah is present everywhere. He wanted to see which of his children had learnt the lesson. He gave them each an apple. He said, ‘eat this apple in a place where no one can see you’. The eldest child took the apple to his room. He closed the door, drew the curtains. He was sure no one could see him, so he cut the apple and ate it. The second child also took the apple to his room, opened the cupboard, went inside, and closed the door behind him. He was sure no one could see him there, so he cut the apple and ate it. The youngest son went to his room, but he could not cut the apple. He knew Allah was there. He went to the forest, to the top of a mountain, near the river but he knew Allah was there, everywhere. He went home, gave the apple back to his father, and said there is no place where Allah does not see me. The father was happy that his youngest son had learnt the lesson.

In Islamic tradition, the consciousness of God is referred to as taqwa and is considered to be the most central ethical concept of the Qur’an occurring over 250 times in different forms. Pious, virtuous, righteous, God-fearing, God-wariness, etc. have all been used to define this concept. It is this very consciousness of the Almighty that unites all believers in their devotion and prayer. It is the constant feeling of the presence of God within that a believer finds his source of morality. It is taqwa that pushes a believer towards righteousness…