FAITH AND HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

FAITH AND HUMAN BEHAVIOUR True Faith Explained I SLAM can be summed up very briefly: Fear of God (taqwa) and benevolence towards others. Taqwa means piety, which is, leading a life of caution and restraint in this world. The object of all the teachings of Islam is to produce the spirit of piety in every action. Those imbued with taqwa always keep in view the will and pleasure of God in every task they perform. Their lives are based on truthfulness and honesty. No worldly loss diverts them from the path of truth. The Quran describes those whose lives are marked by taqwa in these words: ‘Virtue means believing in God, the Last Day, the angels, the Book and the prophets; the virtuous are those who, despite their love for it, give away their wealth to their relatives and to orphans and the very poor, and to travellers and those who ask [for charity], and to set slaves free, and who attend to their prayers and pay the alms, and who keep their pledges when they make them, and show patience in hardship and adversity, and in times of distress. Such are the true believers; and such are the God-fearing.’ (2: 177) Those who possess taqwa firmly believe that God sees everything. This inspires in them a strong desire to perform good deeds and a hatred for all things evil. Such thinking induces righteous conduct and taqwa thus becomes the foundation of all good deeds. Once an individual becomes a God-fearing person, his life changes completely. He becomes careful to avoid that which will lead him to Hell, and is desirous of anything which will make him deserving of Paradise. He loves and fears God above all. Fear of God and consciousness of the eternal destiny of humankind make one extremely cautious in dealing with fellow men. It is then clear that mistreating others would mean exposing oneself to the fire of Hell. Arrogance is never an option, for in human interaction every man is supported by the power of God and His angels. Neither is injustice an option, for he knows that eventually he will have to answer Faith in God Almighty transforms the believer completely. It shakes his human soul. His entire being is engulfed in the fear of God. This fear is manifested in all his dealings with others.