Taqwa is the result of a discovery. Taqwa is not any physical exercise or something mysterious. Taqwa is the result of a discovery, the discovery of God. When a person begins to think and ponder, when he tries to concentrate his attention on discovering the truth, and when he discovers the truth, he realizes that there is a Creator who sustains the universe and He is the Lord of the Day of Judgment. When a person makes this discovery after a long process of thinking, the result of this discovery is taqwa. When you discover that God is Almighty, all-powerful and has all the attributes of greatness, the result is that you will find yourself helpless in comparison. You realize that I am powerless and in need of God. If God forgives me, sends down His blessings upon me, I will get Paradise. But if God doesn’t give me His blessings, I will remain deprived.
Verse 282 of Surah Baqarah says: وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ اللَّهُ “Be mindful of God; He teaches you.” This is a very important verse of the Quran. Here, understanding of the Quran is linked to taqwa. It is indeed known that understanding the Quran holds great importance. Every person wants to understand the Quran. The above verse says, If you want to understand the Quran, develop taqwa. Taqwa means fear of God. How is understanding of the Quran linked to taqwa?
What is taqwa? Taqwa is the result of a discovery. Taqwa is not any physical exercise or something mysterious. Taqwa is the result of a discovery, the discovery of God. When a person begins to think and ponder, when he tries to concentrate his attention on discovering the truth, and when he discovers the truth, he realizes that there is a Creator who sustains the universe and He is the Lord of the Day of Judgment.
When a person makes this discovery after a long process of thinking, the result of this discovery is taqwa. When you discover that God is Almighty, all-powerful and has all the attributes of greatness, the result is that you will find yourself helpless in comparison. You realize that I am powerless and in need of God. If God forgives me, sends down His blessings upon me, I will get Paradise. But if God doesn’t give me His blessings, I will remain deprived.
This thought will develop taqwa in you. What is taqwa? Taqwa is to make God your concern, to have fear of God and believe that He alone can give you success and failure. What does taqwa do? Taqwa cuts a person down to size. A human being become a person who is cut to size.
What is the meaning of being cut to size? The artificial greatness that a person attaches to himself, in the form of ego, pride, arrogance and superiority, fills a person with self-glory. These feelings go away. Because he discovers that God alone is great. I have no greatness. All greatness belongs to God. Discovery of God is to know that all greatness belongs to God. I am insignificant and nothing in comparison. This is why when a person develops taqwa, he is cut to size. Being cut to size is the door to understanding the Quran.
