Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbī al-Mālikī said in his dictionary of terms from the introduction to his Tafsīr (exegesis):
“The meaning of “Taqwa” is fear, clinging to obedience to God and abandoning disobedience to Him. It is the sum of all good.”
And in his commentary, he states:
Concerning its benefits derived from the Qur’an, and they are fifteen:
- Guidance, because of His words “guidance for the muttaqīn (the people of taqwa)”;
- Help, because of His words “Truly, Allahis with the people who have taqwa”;
- Close friendship [with God], because of His words, “Allah is the close friend of the muttaqīn”;
- Love, because of His words, “Truly Allah loves the muttaqīn”;
- Covering over [of wrong actions], because of His words, “If you have taqwa of Allah He will make for you a discrimination and He will cover over for you your wrong actions”;
- A way out from unhappiness, and provision from where one does not expect, because of His words, “Whoever has taqwa of Allah He will make a way out for him and provide him from where he does not expect”;
- Facilitation of affairs, because of His words, “Whoever has taqwa of Allah He will make ease for him in his affair”;
- Full covering over of wrong actions and magnification of rewards, because of His words, “Whoever has taqwa of Allah He will cover over his wrong actions and magnify a reward for him”;
- Acceptance of actions, because of His words, “Allah only accepts from the people of taqwa”;
- Success, because of His words, “Have taqwa of Allah in order that you might succeed”;
- Good news, because of His words “For them there is good news in this world and in the next”;
- Entrance into the Garden, because of His words “Truly, there are for the people of taqwa with their Lord Gardens of bliss”;
- Salvation from the Fire, because of His words “Then We will save the ones who had taqwa”.
There are ten things which awaken taqwa:
- Fear of punishment in the next life;
- Fear [of punishment in] this life;
- Hope of worldly reward;
- Hope of the reward of the next world;
- Fear of the reckoning;
- Shyness and bashfulness before the gaze of Allah, and this is the station of fearful watchfulness (muraqabah);
- Showing gratitude for His blessings by obeying Him;
- Knowledge, because of His words, “They only fear Allah, of His slaves, the ones who have knowledge”;
- Exalting and honouring His majesty, and it is the station of awe;
- Sincerity in love for Allāh, because of the words of the one who said:
“You disobey God while you make apparent that you love Him,
This, by my life, in analogy is a marvel.
If your love were sincere you would obey Him,
Truly, the lover towards the one he loves is obedient.”
And to Allah be attributed the good of the one who said:
“She said, and she had asked about the state of her lover,
‘For Allah’s sake, describe him and do not omit nor exceed!’
I said, ‘If he had feared death from thirst,
and you had said, “Stop! don’t approach the water!” then he would not have approached.'”
There are five degrees of taqwa:
- That the slave should protect himself from kufr (covering over the truth), and that is the station of Islam.
- That he should protect himself from acts of disobedience and forbidden things, and it is the station of turning or repentance (tawbah);
- That he should protect himself from doubtful matters, and that is the station of caution or carefulness (warā’);
- That he should protect himself from even those things that are permitted, and that is the station of doing without (zuhd);
- That he should protect himself from the presence of other than Allah in his heart, and it is the presence of witnessing (mushāhadah).
