Reflecting on the meaning of Taqwa

1. After having been granted the grace to observe Ramadan, it is time to ask the question: What treasures have we collected from the blessed month

2. The most obvious treasure offered to us is Taqwa. As a major Islamic concept, it is inadequate to define it only by single terms like piety, self-restraint, god-consciousness etc.

3. A comprehensive definition is purported to have been given by Ali ibn Abi talib (ra), the Prophet's son inlaw and beloved companion.

4. Four aspects of the definition: a. Awe of the One possessing Majesty and Grandeur b. to act in a manner that is consistent with the revelation c. to be content with little and d. to be prepared for the day of departure.

5. God's Majesty and Grandeur is manifested in everything around us: the order of the universe etc. Apart from the apparent manifestations, we are exposed to new forms of His signs on a daily basis - thanks to scientific and medical discoveries. To be in Awe of teh Majestic One is both to fear a separation from Him and to fear the consequences of disobedience and falling from His grace.

6. To act in amanner consistent with the revelation is to translate the Awe of the Majestic One into our daily practices.

7. The Revelation is not confined to the Qur'an - it includes the Prophet's Sunnah as it is through him that we know of the explanation of the revelation. One cannot separate the Message from the Messenger.

8. The current trend to discard hadith and sunnah by some "progressive" Muslims is a weak reaction to our own inability to understand the context of the Sunnah/hadith and its application in today's world; a lack of knowledge of hadith science and methodology; and a lack of understanding of the motives and flawed methodology of orientalists who have tried to deconstruct hadith.

9. To be content with little is a simple yet profound concept, revolutionary in today's consumer society where we amass and expend without thinking of the impact on our lives as individuals and society. The concept is not only confined to individuals; it has relevance to the earth's sustainability and our own survival. A relevant question posed by those who study the earth's sustainability is : what is our ecological footprint? How much of the earth's resources do we consume? We can begin to reduce our ecological footprint with ourselves and children by reversing the attitudes of extravagance and waste.

10. To be prepared for the day of departure brings us to a unique mindset and establishes for us a new paradigm: one in which we live as an integral part of this world, yet be cognizant that we are on a journey of return to Allah and being prpeared for such an eventuality. Consider the hadith: "be in this world as if you are a stranger or wayfarer".

reflective reading of Suratul Qadr
Notes from my Khutbah at UofT on Friday, Nov. 5, 2004:

1. The Qur'an was revealed in the Night of Power. The revelation referred to here is the revelation of the entire Qur'an from the Preserved Tablet to the Lowest Heavens. The full understanding of the greatness of the night cannot be understood by the limited faculties of men; hence a measure in man’s world of the greatness of this night.
2. The revelation of the Qur'an was a momentous occasion - the beginning of more than two decades of revelation from heaven to earth, in which the archangel Jibreel was the carrier of the revelation. It was also the beginning of an incredible transformation that took place within human beings of 7th century Arabia, as well as a transformation of the world as it was then known. The story of Umm Ayman’s response when she heard of the Prophet’s death is very poignant: she lamented not the death of the noble messenger, but the loss of the Qur’anic revelation with his death, and therefore the severing of the link between heaven and earth.
3. The greatness and might of the Qur'an reflected in the verses of Suratul Hashr: "Had we sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, you would have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of Allah."
4. The heart of the Prophet, and consequently the heart of every believer has the capacity to receive the Qur'an - compare this with the Qur'an's impact on the mountain!
5. “The Night of Power is better than a thousand months” - an entire lifetime! Night of Power can be seen as a manifestation of God’s Power. But it is also a manifestation of God’s mercy – to give believers the opportunity to wipe away a lifetime of sin and to begin anew.
6. The Night of Power must be a spectacle to behold, if only human beings were able to perceive the Unseen – the angels descend, together with the Spirit (the archangel Jibreel). The bringing down of decrees by the Lord’s permission speak volumes of the relationship between Abd (Slave) and M’abud (Creator/Master)
7. Allah causes the archangel to descend on the Night of Power – the night when the Qur’an was originally brought down. Is this not enough evidence to demonstrate that the Qur’an is relevant for us today as it was in its original revelation? The splendour of the Archangel – recall the hadith in which the noble prophet saw him filling the space between the heaven and earth, and that he had 600 wings!
8. “Peace until the break of Dawn” – a gift from the Almighty. Inner peace is what we must strive for; a state free of all anxiety, worry and dependence on any except the Source of all Peace. Peace is also the desired state – not turmoil or anxiety. Peace (Salaam) cannot be achieved without Submission (Islam)
9. May Allah grant us the blessing of this night and grant us peace and security.
references:
- In the Shade of the Qur'an - Qutb, S.
- "When the night equals a thousand" - M. AlShareef