Towards Piety

Piety is older than Adam ‫عليه السالم‬. We know about the Angels firm obedience to Allaah
‫ سبحانه وتعالي‬and all the righteous possessing love and fear of The Creator.

For many, the word piety is synonymous to religion or spiritualism. This is accompanied by
the misunderstanding that religion is confined to places of worship or at best, religious
people. But what if piety made it to our homes, schools, offices, malls, etc. In challenging
times, could piety liberate us? Moreover, is there a need for us to become pious?

The Islamic term of TAQWA includes piety. It has been the adornment of the successful and
remains the secret to a rewarding life. The path to contentment that leads to inner
satisfaction baffles at times the billionaires! But mostly these restless days and sleepless
nights pinch the hearts and minds of exactly those who seek a good life in this world, period.
And this is where piety comes in.

How to live and let live piously helps redefine a good life. Many a time our admiration of
Superheroes is best kept in a closet. Just looking pretty or carrying ourselves as caring are
not much of a salvation for our souls. This is where the best of the examples of piety
through the last Prophet Muhammad ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬comforts even those seeking to live
piously in a fast world. A pious role model whose simple life was adorned with
achievements, yet humble. A man who contributed to humanity more than anyone ever.
All through piety.

So how did the noble companion, Ali ‫ رضي هللا عنه‬define piety? “To fear the Irresistible, to act
according to revelation, to be content with little, and to count the day you leave this world”
sounds as too much to digest. But it does encompass a broader understanding of piety. By
learning about God and self-reflecting on uncountable blessings, we fear being selfish and
arrogant against The Most High. By learning about the life of the last Prophet Muhammad
‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬we are able to benchmark piety. Being distant from materialism and living
for the moment, we embark on a journey of noble goals. And by preparing for our meeting
with The Creator, we start to selflessly contribute towards progress.

It is righteousness that helps us form life-long relationships and advance us towards

developing personally and professionally. Domestic and corporate environments void of
piety feel robotic and meaningless. The broad definition shared above encourages us to
seek piety in all that we do. Another noble companion, Umar ibn Khattab ‫ رضي هللا عنه‬sought
piety in all that he did through this meaningful supplication, “Oh Allaah, make each and
every of my deed upright and make it solely for You”.

So, we understand that piety is the backbone of righteousness, and piety is not what makes
us arrogant. Starting from Iblees (Shaytan), arrogance has always been the result of
righteousness without piety. Self-righteousness without piety leads to disobedience of
Allaah ‫ سبحانه وتعالي‬and remains a major source of conflict in homes and even globally.

Islam is today the fastest growing religion. What makes it so is the basic concept of piety to
God. To live righteously wherever we are, and to contribute to our communities through
piety gives us a universal purpose and empowers us to become problem-solvers
everywhere. It is piety that fuels 21st century skills and having a generation growing up with
piety positively impacts global perspectives and dynamics.

It is just mind-blowing as to how much value Prophet Muhammad ‫ صلي هللا عليه وسلم‬and each
one of his companions bring to our lives and the future. May Allaah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬make us and
our children from the pious!