18- PIETY (TAKWA)
The
meaning of “Takwa” in the commentaries of the Koran is “to fear, to
abstain and to refrain from God”. The fear of God is a feeling, a
sensation. When a person meets a power -a force-, he is filled with awe and he
is shaken. Piety means abstaining and refraining. The essence of piety is
respect; a respect which is shown to the great. Piety descends from the
heavens just like faith.
When a human contemplates about the power of Allah –the divine greatness of
Allah, he is unintentionally shaken with awe same as he is shaken when he
looks at the open sea and the boundless sky.
He feels himself very little, unimportant on a ship in this vast sea, compared
to that greatness and majesty. He senses something in his heart and spirit.
This is a natural sensation. He feels respect for the Person who is the owner
of this majesty and greatness unintentionally.
This is a natural respect. Allah is the King, the Ruler and the Sovereign
Lord. This happens in the inner world, in the heart. This feeling is not
like the fear for an ordinary person. He senses the greatness of Allah; he
fears Him and becomes cautious. Allah is very beautiful, calm and patient and
also He is very mighty, angry and wrathful. His greatness and majesty is from
His Wrath and Might.
A person’s piety is according to the degree of his faith. “The only people
who are really afraid of Allah are the knowledgeable.” (Al-Fatir, 28)
They sense the great power and feel fear. You should not hurt the King of the
Kings even slightly. You feel the fear of God in your heart and it is not a
physical or exterior feeling. The fear of God means to see yourself inferior
in comparison to this great power and to restrict yourself due to it. Although
He is very merciful, it should not be forgotten that He is also wrathful and
He may give punishment. You ought to be cautious and not to lose self-control,
not to be spoiled by indulgence. “Satan deceives you with My mercy.”
(Fatır, 5 - Lokman, 33)
For instance: A person loves his father very much but he is also afraid of
him. Allah gave the wrathful attribution to fathers and merciful attribution
to mothers. Fathers are angry and wrathful but mothers are kind and merciful.
These attributes on the parents are the reflection of the wrathful and
merciful qualities of God on them.
Therefore, the mercy of Allah should not be misused and the commands of the
Koran should be obeyed by people.
Allah is very compassionate and forgiving but He is also very angry and
wrathful. Allah has a justice. He does not have to forgive all the time.
He may forgive or punish whomever He wills. We cannot qualify Him. He does not
have only one kind of attribute. We ought to be cautious not to commit wrongs.
If He decides to punish who is able to stop Him? “Verily the noblest
of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is the most God fearing.”
(Hujurat, 13)
You should be in conscious of this. “The only people who are afraid of Allah
are the knowledgeable”. They are the ones who know both the Person and the
Attributes of Allah. The Imam (the spiritual Leader) of the righteous is
our master Hz. Ali (k.v.). The noblest of us is Hz. Ali (k.v.). The reason
why Hz. Ali was called as “Keremallahu Vechehu” is Allah honored his
person and treated his face with respect because he was the most God
fearing person after our Prophet Muhammad (A.S.). Hz. Ali (k.v.) was the
person who has the most knowledge of Allah and who had the most fear of Allah
after the Prophet of Allah. This is accepted by Hz. Abu Baqir, Hz. Osman,
Hz. Omar and by all the Companions of the Prophet as well as the theologians.
Both exterior and interior knowledge come from Hz. Ali (k.v.).
Hz. Ali (k.v.) is the Door of Knowledge, the King of Sanctity and the greatest
Muslim -Muhammadan-. He is the Commander of the Ahl al Bayt of the Prophet. He
is the greatest leader, the pious person and the guide of the Path of the
Intercession and the People of Intercession.
HE IS THE GREATEST RELIGIOUS LEADER (İMAM-I AZAM)
KAZIM YARDIMCI
4th November, 2004
(21st of Ramadan)
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