There are different kinds of servants of Allah in the world. Such as the believing servants, the disbeliever servants, the hypocrisy servants, etc. The believing servants are those who sincerely believe in Allah and His Messenger and believe in the Hereafter. And those who disbelieve do not believe in the word of Allah. And the hypocrites show to believe in Allah openly, but they deny Him through their hearts and their deeds, and they also disbelieve in the Hereafter. Among the believing servants, the most respected and beloved servants to Allah are the Muttaqee servants. Allah Ta’ala has reserved for such servants a great reward in this world, and in the Hereafter. Verily, such servants have many admirable qualities.
So I will present some valuable information about them that will make their identity clear to you. And I will also mention a few verses of the Qur’an and some Hadiths about them, which will highlight their status to you. So let’s know first who Muttaqee servants are?
Who are Muttaqee servants?
Imam Jalaluddin Al-Suyuti (Rh) has mentioned in his book of Tafsir that, Muttaqee servants refer to the people who run towards Taqwa (the fear of Allah) by obeying His (Allah’s) commands and forsaking forbidden deeds. [Tafsir Jalalain, Surah al-Bakarah, verse 2]
Ibn ‘Abbas (RA) said about Muttaqee servants:
Those who stay away from Shirk (i.e., to associate anyone with Allah), Major sins, and obscenity are Muttaqee servants. [Tafsir al-Baghawi, volume 1, page 60]
Abu Yazid al-Bastami (Rh.) said: Muttaqee servants are persons when they speak, they speak for Allah and when they act, they act for Allah. [Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Surah al-Bakarah, verse 2]
Basically, those who hold fast Taqwa in themselves are called Muttaqee servants. And Taqwa is to do what Allah has commanded and to forsake what He has forbidden. [Majmu’ al-Fatawa, volume 3, page 120]
What are the qualities of the Muttaqee servants?
They have many qualities. Their most notable qualities are: – They accept the words of Allah and His Messenger without hesitation and believe in every word of them. They perform the prayer (Salah), pay the obligatory charity, give Sadaqah (non-obligatory charity), and believe in the Hereafter. In this regard, Allah Ta’ala said:
“Who believe in the unseen, establish Salah, and spend out of what I have provided for them. And who believe in what has been revealed to you, (O Muḥammad), and what was revealed before you, and have sure faith in the Hereafter. Those are upon (right) guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are successful.” [Surah Al-Baqarah, verses 3 – 5]
They have more qualities. For example, they refrain from sin and unrighteous deeds, and they also put others away from sin and forbidden work. If they ever commit a sin or wrongdoing, they become soon ashamed of what they have done, seek forgiveness from Allah, and turn back from their sin quickly to good deeds. They do good deeds themselves and encourage others to do good deeds.
Because Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
“A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and thrown in the Hell. Then his intestines will come out, and he will go around as a donkey goes around a millstone. The people of Hell will gather around him and say: O so-and-so! What is wrong with you? Didn’t you use to order us to do good deeds and forbid us to do bad deeds? He will reply: Yes, I used to order you to do good deeds, but I did not do them myself, and I used to forbid you to do bad deeds, yet I used to do them myself.” [Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 3267]
Muttaqee servants do not harm, don’t hurt anyone, and they contain patience in danger. And they are always grateful to Allah, and they are humble. At the same time, they seek the welfare of the people, and they are steadfast in obedience to Allah and His Messenger.
What did Allah Ta’ala say about the Muttaqee servants?
Allah Ta’ala said many things about their works and their status. Some of the sayings of Allah Ta’ala about them are:
“Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but (real) righteous is one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets. And (who) gives wealth ‘in spite of love for it’ to relatives, orphans, the needy, the (destitute) traveler, those who ask (for help), and (gives wealth) for freeing slaves. (And who) establishes Salah and gives zakah; (those who) fulfill their promise when they promise; and (those who) are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are Muttaqee.” [Surah al-Bakarah, verses 177]
“And it will be said (in the Hereafter) to those who feared Allah, What did your Lord send down? They will say, (That which is) good. For those who do good in this world is good, and the home of the Hereafter is better. And how excellent is the home of the Muttaqee (servants)! Gardens of perpetual residence, which they will enter, beneath which rivers flow. They will have therein whatever they wish. Thus does Allah reward the Muttaqee (servants).” [Surah An-Nahl, verses 30 – 31]
Allah Ta’ala further said
“Say, Shall I inform you of (something) better than that? For those who fear Allah (i.e., Muttaqeen) will be gardens with their Lord beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and (will be there) purified spouses and pleasure from Allah. And Allah is All-Seeing of (His) servants. Those who say, Our Lord, indeed we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Those who are the patient, the true, the obedient, those who spend (in the way of Allah), and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.” [Surah Ali’Imran, verses 15-17]
“Indeed, Allah is with Muttaqee servants and those who are doers of good.” [Surah An-Nahl, verse 128]
“O mankind, indeed I have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is he who has the most Taqwa of you. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing and Aware. [Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 13]
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will (then) give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you, and Allah is the Most Forgiving and Merciful.” [Surah Al-Hadid, verse 28]
Allah Ta’ala has mentioned some excellent qualities of them in the Quran
In this regard, Allah Ta’ala said: “And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden (i.e., Paradise) as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for Muttaqee servants. Who spend (in the cause of Allah) during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people – and Allah loves the doers of good; And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves (by transgression), remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins – and who can forgive sins except Allah? – and (who) do not persist in what they have done while they know. Those – their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens (i.e., Paradise) beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally, and excellent is the reward of the (righteous) workers.” [Surah Ali’Imran, verses 133-136]
What is Taqwa in Islam?
Taqwa is an important quality of Muttaqee servants. No one can be Muttaqee without this quality. In the definition of Taqwa, Talaq bin Habib (Rh) said: “Taqwa is to act according to the obedience of Allah, to expect Allah’s mercy according to the light from Allah. Taqwa is to forsake disobedience to Allah, to fear Allah’s punishment according to the light from Allah.” [The Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, volume 7, page 182]
Explaining the definition of Taqwa more clearly, Shaikh Husayn ibn Muhammad Al-Mahdi (Rh) said:
“And it (Taqwa) means obeying all His (Allah’s) commands and forsaking the things that are forbidden by Him. Full Taqwa includes performing essential tasks and avoiding dubious and forbidden acts. Even after this, sometimes it includes performing the Mustahabb deeds (Desirable good works) and avoiding the Makruh deeds (Disliked works). And this is the highest level of Taqwa.” [Soud Al-Afkar fi Al-Adab wa Al-Akhlaq, volume 2, page 75]
Verily, Taqwa stays in the heart of humans. If one’s Taqwa increases, then his heart becomes healthy and good. And if one’s Taqwa decreases, then his heart begins to get spoilt. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that,
“Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body; if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good, but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt. Know, and that is the heart.” [Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 52]
What did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say about Taqwa?
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Don’t be envious of each other, don’t bid him out for raising the price, don’t nurse aversion or enmity, don’t enter into a transaction when the others have entered into that transaction, and be as fellow brothers and servants of Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. Taqwa is here, (and while saying so) he pointed towards his chest thrice. It is a serious evil for a Muslim that he should look down upon his brother Muslim. All things of a Muslim are Haram (forbidden) for another Muslim: his blood, his wealth, and his honor.” [Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2564 a]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked: ‘What most admits people to Paradise?’ He (peace be upon him) said: “Taqwa and good manners.” And he was asked: ‘What most leads people to Hell?’ He (peace be upon him) said: “The Two hollows: The mouth and the private part (i.e., abusing these two things).” [Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 4246]
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also said: “Have Taqwa (fear Allah) wherever you are, and follow an evil deed with a good (i.e., do the good deed immediately after evil deed), it (i.e., the good deed) wipes that (i.e., evil deed) out, and treat the people with good behavior.” [Jami’ At-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 1987]
The ways to achieve Taqwa
- Keep trying hard to obey Allah Ta’ala and His Messenger (peace be upon him).
- Practice Nafl (additional) fasting according to the sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him).
- Continue to strive to achieve all the qualities that Allah Ta’ala has mentioned in the Quran for the Muttaqee servants.
- Hold fast to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and stay away from Bidʻah.
- Keep trying hard to stay away from all kinds of sinful deeds, big or small.
- Contemplate deeply about Allah’s revelations and signs. If you do not understand any verse of the Quran, don’t neglect to go wise Muslim scholar and ask him.
- More and more remember Allah, and recite the Qur’an frequently if you have a chance to do it.
- Maintain good relationships with good and honest people.
- Study the biographies of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him).
- Do not despise others and do not consider yourself better than others.
May Allah forgive us all sins and Mistakes and include us in the Muttaqee servants. And grant us Tawfiq to remain steadfast in obedience to Allah Ta’ala and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Ameen.
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