PIETY

35. Piety ~ 104 ~ 35. PIETY Taqwa means piety that is, leading a life of caution and restraint in this world. Umar Farooq, the second Caliph once asked a companion of the Prophet what taqwa was. He replied, “O leader of the believers, have you ever crossed a path which has thorny shrubs on both sides?” But the companion instead of replying asked another question, “What did you do on such an occasion?” Umar Farooq replied, “I gathered my clothes close to me and moved ahead cautiously.” The companion said, “Now I know what is meant by taqwa.” The present world is a testing ground. Here, various kinds of thorns have been scattered for the purpose of testing man, such as negativity, false issues rose by non-serious people, the lure of worldly things. Besides these, there are many unpleasant occurrences, which disturb people’s minds and lead them away from the path of virtue. All these things are like thorny shrubs lining both sides of the path of life. At any moment it is feared