Taqwa: Mindfulness Of God

Taqwa [Mindfulness Of God] is a word used over and over in the Qur’an to describe the primary characteristic of a believer: to be always conscious and aware of God-that we are always in front of Him, and that He hears and sees everything we say and do. If we really believe this, it should motivate us to be on our best behavior at all times, following the guidance provided by the Qur’an and the Prophet’s sunnah…

In Islam, whatever is good and useful is halal [permissible], whereas whatever is harmful or evil is haram [prohibited]. and because good things/actions are much more numerous than harmful ones, most things are halal rather than haram.

Islam places great stress on cleanliness. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “Cleanliness is half of faith.” [Reference: Sahih Muslim 223] Accordingly, our bodies should be kept clean, our clothing should be clean, and the inner space of our houses should be free from the dirt of both the outside and the toilet area.

-source: Suzanne Haneef, “Islam: The Path of God”, Pages 97–98 [PDF].