✅Answer: Taqwa is a famous and very widely used term in the Quran and narrations.

The answer to the above question is very extensive, but to provide a brief answer, we will first give a definition of taqwa and then explain three ways to strengthen it.

✅A definition and interpretation of taqwa:

1 سُئِلَ الصَّادِقُ علیه السلام: عَنْ تَفْسِیرِ التَّقْوَی فَقَالَ أَنْ لَا یَفْقِدَکَ اللَّهُ حَیْثُ أَمَرَکَ وَ لَا یَرَاکَ حَیْثُ نَهَاک

📚 Bihar, vol. 70, p. 285

Translation: Imam Sadegh, peace be upon him, was asked about the interpretation of taqwa; he said: 'It is that Allah does not find you where He has commanded you (to be), and He does not see you in the places from which He has forbidden you.'

2 عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقاتِهِ قَالَ يُطَاعُ فَلَا يُعْصَى وَ يُذْكَرُ فَلَا يُنْسَى وَ يُشْكَرُ فَلَا يُكْفَرُ

📚 Al-Zuhd, p. 17

Translation: Abu Basir said: I asked Imam Sadegh, peace be upon him, about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted: 'Fear Allah with the fear due to Him.' The Imam said: '(This means) that Allah is to be obeyed and not disobeyed, to be remembered and not forgotten, and to be thanked and not to be ungrateful to.'

✅Three ways to strengthen taqwa:

✅Since taqwa is related to a person's actions and conduct, a very effective and important way to correct one's actions and, as a result, strengthen and increase taqwa, is to improve and truly establish prayer:

1 لَمَّا وَلَّى أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ - مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ مِصْرَ وَ أَعْمَالَهَا كَتَبَ لَهُ كِتَاباً وَ أَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى أَهْلِ مِصْرَ وَ يَعْمَلَ بِمَا وَصَّاهُ فِيهِ وَ ذَكَرَ الْكِتَابَ بِطُولِهِ إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ...وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ كُلَّ شَيْ ءٍ مِنْ عَمَلِكَ تَبَعٌ لِصَلَاتِكَ فَمَنْ ضَيَّعَ الصَّلَاةَ فَإِنَّهُ لِغَيْرِهَا أَضْيَعُ.

📚 Amali by Shaykh Tusi, p. 21

Translation: When the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, appointed Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr over Egypt and its affairs, he wrote a letter to him and instructed him to read it to the people of Egypt and act upon what he had advised in it. A part of this letter states:

'And know that every action of yours is a follower of your prayer, so whoever wastes and corrupts the prayer will corrupt other things more than it.'

يُونُسَ بْنِ ظَبْيَانَ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ حُجْزَةُ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَمَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ مَا أَدْرَكَ مِنْ نَفْعِ صَلَاتِهِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ صَلَاتُهُ حَجَزَتْهُ عَنِ الْفَوَاحِشِ وَ الْمُنْكَرِ فَإِنَّمَا أَدْرَكَ مِنْ نَفْعِهَا بِقَدْرِ مَا احْتَجَزَ وَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ مَا لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَلْيَعْلَمْ مَا لِلَّهِ عِنْدَهُ

📚 Ma'ani al-Akhbar, p. 236

Translation: Imam Sadegh, peace be upon him, said: 'Know that prayer is Allah's deterrent on earth, so whoever wants to know how much of the benefit of his prayer he has gained, should look to see if his prayer has deterred him from indecencies and abominations. Indeed, he has gained from the benefit of his prayer as much as it has deterred him from indecencies and abominations. And whoever wants to know what status he has with Allah should see what status Allah has with him.'

✅From the two narrations above, it is clear that the better we establish our prayers and observe their limits, such as sincerity, presence of heart, and prolonging the bowing and prostration, etc., our other actions will also follow the prayer, and it will deter us from abominations and indecencies, and this is the very essence of attaining taqwa.

2 قال علي عليه السلام :وَ اللَّهِ مَا أَرَی عَبْداً یَتَّقِی تَقْوَی تَنْفَعُهُ حَتَّی یَخْتَزِنَ لِسَانَهُ

📚 Nahj al-Balagha, sermon 176

Translation: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: 'By Allah, I do not see that a servant can acquire piety that benefits him until he restrains and holds his tongue.'

✅Therefore, those who wish to have beneficial taqwa must strive to protect their tongue from all incorrect speech.

3 قال أمير المؤمنين : لَا یَسْتَطِیعُ أَنْ یَتَّقِیَ اللَّهَ مَنْ خَاصَمَ

📚 Nahj al-Balagha, wisdom 298

Translation: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: 'A person who engages in disputes and arguments cannot acquire piety.'

✅If Allah wills, by abandoning disputes in all their aspects, we can move toward taqwa and reach the following state:

Ali, peace be upon him, said: 'Indeed, taqwa is the remedy for the diseases of your hearts and the sight for the blindness of your hearts, and the cure for the illnesses of your bodies, and the correction of the corruption of your chests, and the purification of the filth of your souls, and the polish for the cloudiness of your eyes, and the security for the fear of your hearts, and the light for the darkness of your obscurity.'

📚 Nahj al-Balagha, sermon 191

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