Sidi Abdal Wahid Ibn 'Ashir defines taqwa by saying: "The summation of taqwa is avoiding prohibitions and fulfilling injunctions both inwardly and outwardly. By that it is achieved."

The great Imam al-Jurjani in his book of definitions defines it accordingly: "Linguistically it means ward off. In other words, it is to take precaution. According to the scholars of truth it is to protect oneself from the punishment of Allah by obedience to Him. It is to guard the self from Allah's punishment due to either omission of a right action or commission of a wrong action. What is intended in one's obedience is sincerity."⁹ Ibn Ashir then says: "Thus its aspects are four in number, and these for the wayfarer are the pathways of benefit."

What he means is that the four pathways of benefit are:

• Fulfilling obligations outwardly
  
• Fulfilling obligations inwardly
  
• Avoiding prohibitions outwardly
  
• Avoiding prohibitions inwardly

Thus, the wayfarer on the path to purification and success is someone committed to struggling with the four matters, which involve eight things: the heart and the seven inroads to the heart possessed by the vast majority of humanity:

• Tongue
  
• Eyes
  
• Ears
  
• Stomach
  
• Genitals
  
• Hands
  
• Feet

A human being is responsible for all of them, and if he or she is vigilant about them and struggles to guard them then he or she is on a path to achieving taqwa.

There are five stations according to Imam Ibn Juzzay al-Kalbi:

• taqwa of disbelief
  
• taqwa of enormities¹⁰
  
• taqwa of lesser wrongs¹¹
  
• taqwa of permitted matters
  
• taqwa of other than Allah¹²

Thus, every believer is at the first stage of taqwa, but the protection of Allah is strengthened by rising up in the stations. Because the vast majority of the Ummah is only at the first or the second level, we are all suffering. By having a large number of believers to commit to moving to the third and fourth levels, we will see the benefits of taqwa promised in the Qur'an.

The Benefits of Taqwa

The benefits of taqwa are innumerable and many are obviously hidden to humanity. Allah knows better all of the benefits. But many are mentioned in the Qur'an and the most salient ones are listed below:

• The rectification of one's offspring. Allah says, "As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city. There was beneath it a buried treasure belonging to them. And their father had been a righteous man. So your Lord desired that they should attain their age of full strength and bring out their treasure as a mercy from their Lord."¹³ In another verse, according to one interpretation, "Let those who fear in disposing of an estate as they would fear for their own if they left behind a weak family; let them fear Allah and speak correctly."¹⁴

• Blessings coming from above and below. Allah says, "Had only the people of the cities believed and had taqwa, We would have opened up for them blessings from the heaven and the earth."¹⁵

• Provision from Allah and a way out from our straightened circumstances. Allah says, "And whoever has taqwa, We will make for him a way out and provide for him from where he was not expecting."¹⁶

• Safety. Allay says, "And We saved those who believed in Us and had been people of taqwa."¹⁷

• The divine presence of Allah's protection. "Surely Allah is with those who have taqwa and beautify with excellence."¹⁸

• Victory. Allah says, "Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and knowingly has awe and has taqwa of Allah, those they are the victors."¹⁹

• A goodly seal to his life (meaning he dies with belief in a good state). Allah says, "Surely for the people of taqwa is a beautiful end."²⁰

• Paradise itself. Allah says, "That is the Garden and We give to whoever of Our servants had taqwa."²¹

These above-mentioned benefits should suffice for any believer to be desirous of becoming someone of taqwa.

How Taqwa is Achieved

What then is the way to achieve taqwa? There is only one way to do it: struggle (mujaahada).

Struggle is not something that suddenly comes into your life like magic. It is a move of the heart that begins to affect the limbs and it results in sincere tawba, or turning to Allah and seeking a removal of past wrongs and committing to a future that does not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Allah has commanded us as an Ummah to turn to Him together, sincerely, and this is what we must do. "O you who believe turn to Allah all of you together with sincerity in order for you to have success."²² With sincere commitment, we can accomplish this greatest of human tasks, and in the final analysis our sole purpose for being alive.

Allah's first command in His book is "O humanity, worship your Lord Who created you and those who went before you in order that you might realize taqwa." This is our purpose for being here. We must simply start, not tomorrow or the day after, but today, right now, in this moment.

The heart must make a firm commitment and never look back. The rewards are immense; the pleasure of conquering the self is second only to the subtle knowledge and pleasure of intimacy with Allah that is a result of the conquest.

What follows in this document is a simple set of exercises designed to help us set out on the path. They are difficult, but earning paradise was never meant to be easy. All things of worth are only obtained with great effort, whether the pearl at the bottom of the ocean, or the skill of a master craftsman. The pleasure of our Lord in infinitely greater than the precious stuff of this world.

First, make the commitment to these exercises and then start today with the intention to achieve their goal: taqwa.

Study the section on the heart that is taken from the scholar/warrior Qadi Abu Bakr. Internalize its meanings and ask Allah to give you success in purifying your heart. It is through remembrance of Allah, halaal work and food, and finally, guarding the seven limbs that the heart will be transformed.

Then take the seven exercises and look in your heart of hearts and see where your areas of weakness are. You may not be disobeying Allah, for instance, with your feet or private parts. If that is the case, then there is no need to do the exercises other than you should maintain vigilance in continuing to guard them. If you find that it is in the other five, then look to see which is the worst. For most it will be the tongue.

Make a commitment to guard all seven, but take the tongue as your first exercise that you will commit to mastering every day for forty consecutive days. The reason for limiting it to one exercise at a time is the hadith "This Din is easy, and no one will attempt to master all of it except that it overwhelms him,"²³

Be serious about it and announce to your friends that you are committing to this path and you need their help. Allah says, "Help one another with righteousness and taqwa; and don't help one another do wrongs and aggression." Take it seriously and don't make light of it. Express to them your deep desire to better yourself and if they are good believers they will want to join you.

Initially, you may be shocked to find that it is very difficult to break bad habits of many years, but rest assured you can. Allah does not give tasks to us that we are unable to bear. We can conquer these bad habits and destructive tendencies, and there are many great men and women of the past and even some alive today who have done so or are on the path to doing so from whom we should derive strength and courage.

Once you have truly mastered the first exercise, then be vigilant in maintaining it, and move on to the next most troublesome inroad. It may be, for instance, the eyes or for some the ears. Follow the exercise until you are ready to commit to the next.

In no way should you ignore the other six while focusing on one. We are commanded by Allah to guard all of our limbs at all times, but in order for you not to be overwhelmed, focus on one exercise at a time. You will find that by focusing on one it will actually make you more vigilant of the others also because much of what we do wrong is from our own heedlessness and each exercise is meant to make us more conscious of our actions through focusing on one at a time.

You will see the results immediately but don’t get too excited by your progress. You must be aware that Shaytan is now moving into serious counter-attack formation. He will work on the heart. He will try and instill pride in you for your efforts. He will attempt to make you think you are better than others for struggling with yourself.

Do not fall for these whisperings and you will hear them! See everyone as better than you. Do not raise yourself above anyone in the creation. If you do this, then Shaytan will then attempt to make you feel pleased with being humble. Still, don't listen. This is a path that has many pitfalls. Shaytan swore on oath and his oath is this, "I shall lurk in ambush for them on Your straight path. Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right sides and from their left sides, and You will not find most of them grateful."²⁴ He does not say he will attack us from above or from below and the secret of that is that revelation and truth come from above; and through humility and staying low and keeping our heads on the ground we open our hearts to the guidance from above. Allah has not given Shaytan authority over the Messenger's guidance or His humbled servants who follow that guidance.

You are now on the hero's journey, and success is by Allah, not through anything you do. You must see it as spiritual success (tawfiq) from Allah and this means you must increase your gratitude. It cannot be done without your effort but it is not your effort through which it is done. Recognize that paradox²⁵ and submit to it. Keep your eye on the path and feel death's presence and know that you are of the people your path is leading to even if you die before reaching them. This is why we pray, "And cause me to reach the righteous."

May Allah give us the success to be people of taqwa. May He unite the hearts of this Ummah in love of Him and His beloved Messenger, peace be upon him. May He guide us to the path of taqwa and give of the courage and the success of being among its people. May He raise from among us people who enjoin right and forbid evil out of love and not hate, out of desire for people to draw near to their Lord and not from anger in their hearts. May He remove rancor and enmity from the hearts of the believers. And our last prayer is Praise be to the Lord of all the worlds.