Fear of God Helps Maintain
High Principles
Fear of God (taqwa) means leading a principled life, that is, controlling one’s desires and curbing all negative impulses.
Fearing God (taqwa) means leading a life of restraint in this world. Restraint means controlling one’s desires and curbing all negative impulses.
Umar Faruq once asked another Companion of the Prophet what it meant to go in fear of God. The Companion replied, “O Leader of the believers, have you ever walked along a path which is lined on both sides with thorn bushes?” When he received a reply in the affirmative, the Companion asked what he had done on this occasion. Umar replied, “I gathered my clothes about me and walked carefully along the path.” The Companion remarked, “That is how one goes in fear of God.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 1/164)
The present world is a testing ground. Here, to put a person to the test, many thorns are strewn everywhere, such as all kinds of negativity, and having to deal with frivolous people who have issue, which do not merit serious attention. Then there are worldly attractions which distract us. There are also unpleasant circumstances or factors which disturb us mentally and cause us to deviate from the path of virtue.
All these things are like thorny bushes on both sides of the road. At all times there is the fear getting of entangled in these bushes. And then, instead of going forward, one is deterred there.
In such a situation the wise person is one who traverses worldly paths by gathering his clothes about him. And then instead of being embroiled in unpleasant things, he goes on advancing by avoidance of adversity. In all situations he is careful to exercise total self-control. He has to opt for the path of avoidance rather than tread the path of entanglement.
Human beings have been created upright by nature. If nothing bars a person’s way, he will, on his own, walk in the right direction. Therefore, a person must not let unnatural obstacles hinder his onward progress. In consequence, by the power of his own nature, he will take the right direction until he meets his Lord.
