Unveiling the Virtues of a God-Fearing Life: Characteristics of a Muttaqi in Islam

 

Unveiling the Virtues of a God-Fearing Life: Characteristics of a Muttaqi in Islam"

 "الذین یؤمنون بالغیب" (Al-Ladhīna Yu'minūna bil-Ghayb)
 "those who believe in the unseen."

"Understanding the Concept of 'Muttaqi' in Islam: Belief in the Unseen and the Quran's Guidance"

The meaning of "الذین" is "those who." The meaning of "یؤمنون" is "believe." The meaning of "بالغیب" is "in the unseen." The meaning of "ب" is "with" or "in." So the verse means: "The pious one is the one who believes in the unseen."

The word "غیب" is general and refers to things like God, the soul, angels, paradise, hell, the punishment of the grave, and other matters that cannot be seen or grasped through the senses like sight, hearing, or reason. These things are included in the concept of the unseen.

The respected people of Islam, first understand the order of the verses. In the first verse, the status of the Qur'an is explained, that it is a book of certain and unchanging law sent by God. Then, the purpose of sending the Qur'an is mentioned, which is to provide guidance to those who wish to live their lives with caution and safety, reaching the goal of perfection. The Qur'an is a ready-made, straight, and secure path for them. In any case, the Quran has named its community as the "muttaqi" (pious and God-fearing). Now, the explanation of what it means to be "muttaqi" starts with today's verse, which explains that anyone who adopts five principles can become "muttaqi.”

In Islam, different groups are formed for different tasks in this world. The teacher says, "Come to study," and from that, a group of students forms. Similarly, thieves and robbers form their gangs under the name of looting. However, the Quran does not form any group based on any of these things. It says, "Hudan lil-muttaqeen," meaning I am guidance for the righteous, and my members, my group, my party are only those who want to live their lives separate from oppression, sin, and evil. After establishing this fundamental principle, the first demand that the Quran makes from this righteous group is that they believe in the unseen. You may ask why the Quran made this demand. To understand this, it is necessary to comprehend the Quran's belief regarding human life. The Quran's stance is that human life does not end at the point of death. Therefore, whatever command it gives, it does so with the understanding that human life has two parts.

One part of life is before death and another part is after death, and both of these aspects of life should be successful. O servants of God, all the conditions and events of the present life are before you, but the life after death is not visible to you. Therefore, it was necessary to first tell you to believe in the unseen, so that you may recognize things beyond this worldly life that are related to your existence but are not yet within your view. The Quran, considering the success of both worlds, has proposed a course of action for you, so that you can act upon it. There are many secrets of life. The things that humans cannot solve in any way, similarly, there are many commands in the Quran whose understanding has not yet reached human intellect. Therefore, it is said that there will be many things on which you will have to believe without seeing. In any case, by commanding belief in God, angels, heaven, and hell without seeing, the Quran has established the true foundation, after which a person's heart cannot be shaken or wavered. You need to understand this point once again. The real question in front of you is, what should your policy be in this worldly life? The Quran says that you should plan your path by considering both the visible world and the unseen world. The benefit of this approach is that your plan will be so complete that you will be successful both in this life and in the hereafter.

"How Prayer Unites Hearts and Purifies Souls: The True Purpose of Salah"

"وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ" (Wa Yuqeemoona As-Salah)

“”And they establish the prayer" 

The meaning of "و" and "یقیمون" is to establish. "صلوة" means prayer. The Quran proposed another principle for its followers, which is to establish prayer. "ایمان بالغیب" means to believe in the unseen, i.e., to believe in the message delivered through the Quran from the unseen. Understand that the Quran has designed a program for your life, considering the welfare of both this world and the hereafter. The meaning of prayer is that the hearts of the members of Islam become pure and they all come together as one body and one community. "نماز قائم کرو" means that through establishing prayer, you should organize your communities.

The meaning of prayer can be understood through an example: There is a wealthy man with three sons. One son wants to take control of all the cash and live a life of pleasure. Another son wants to become the owner of factories and cause trouble for his brothers. The third son desires to own everything and wants his brothers to live under his mercy. Since all three sons are filled with deceit, selfishness, cruelty, and greed in their hearts, it is certain that conflict and discord will arise among them. Upon reflection, it becomes clear that this is the condition of nearly all human beings in the world, as each person’s heart is filled with deceit, selfishness, cruelty, greed, and similar thoughts.

"For this reason, the entire world is filled with conflict, discord, hypocrisy, pain, and suffering. God desires that all of His servants come together and form a community. Therefore, He gives another command that all people should stand in one row, five times a day, behind one imam, facing one qibla, and present themselves before God, acknowledging their brotherhood with each other. The purpose of this measure is that every member’s heart remains constantly aware of their God, and by remembering God’s presence, their hearts are cleansed from impurities, envy, and hatred. This would create a powerful system of divine love in the world. In addition, there are many other benefits to prayer. For instance, prayer teaches people to keep their body and clothes clean, fosters love and unity within the community, and instills a sense of punctuality. Through prayer, the difference between the rich and the poor diminishes, and it prevents people from indulging in immorality and sin."

Prayer keeps the mouth, nose, ears, teeth, and hands and feet clean from dust and germs. Prayer is a gentle but excellent form of exercise. Through prayer, one learns the lesson of following an imam. The regularity of prayer teaches the nation the discipline of military life. The greatest reason behind the great successes achieved by the Prophet of God’s community was prayer.Prayer made the servants of God into one nation, purified their souls, civilized them, and filled their hearts with the love of God. Since it was a great challenge to unite all human beings into one community, removing them from betrayal and injustice, it was commanded that all people gather five times a day in prayer, acknowledging before God, "O God, You are our King, and we are all brothers." In short, the main purposes of prayer are two: one is that every person’s heart becomes completely pure, and the second is that there is unity within the nation. It is important to note that the Quran does not support the idea that physical gestures like raising hands can create internal unity within a party. The Quranic principle is that through the five daily prayers in congregation, with the fear of God and the remembrance of the Hereafter, hearts are purified from desires and deceit, making them capable of unity.