Al-Muttaqeen <> Masu taqwa
The guidance (of the Qur'an) is for the mindful believers (masu taqawa [1], Al-Muttaqeen [2]):
- Belief in the unseen --Qur'an 2:3, 67:12
- Establishment of the prayer --Qur'an 2:3
- And give from what's been provided --Qur'an 2:3, 51:57-58
- And believe in what's been sent down to Muhammad SAW --Qur'an 2:4
- And believe in what's been sent down before Muhammad SAW --Qur'an 2:4
- It is they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come! <> Su ne da yakini a can cikin zuciyarsu game da lahira! --Qur'an 2:4
Although a short definition of Muttaqeen is given in 2:2-5, the detail definition is given in verse 2:177, the usual translation of which is as follows:
- (2:177) It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East and the West (see #7 below); but the righteous is he who believes in Allah (See #1 above) and the Last Day (See #6 above) and the Angels (#8) and the Revelation (Al-Kitab - see #4) and the Prophets (see #5); and gives his wealth – however much he may cherish it — for the love of Allah, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the poor and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the freeing of human beings from bondage (see #3); and is constant in prayer (see #2), and pays the poor due (see #3) (aqamas salata wa’ataz zakata). And those who keep their promises when they make one (#9), and are patient in times of misfortune and hardship and in time of stress (#10). It is they who have proved themselves to be true, and it is they who are the Muttaqeen.
(#7) Now, perhaps one might think "(2:177) It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East and the West; but the righteous is he who believes in Allah" contradicts #1, the establishment of salah, but to me, this part is saying it is not the mindlessly rushed prayers that we unfortunately might offer at times that is righteousness, rather it is the mindful prayer with (khushoo) that counts. Khushu means calmness, serenity, tranquility, dignity and humility. One gains khushu from a fear of Allah and the sense that He is always watching. It means that one's heart stands before its Lord with humility and submission [3].
Related Dua from Surah 25: Al-Furqan
Rabbana hablana min azwajina wa zurriyyatina qurrata a'ayuoon, waja alna lil muttaqeena[4] imama.
Our Lord, grant us the delight of our eyes in our spouses and our offspring and make us a model for the God-fearing.
Ya Ubangijin mu, ka bamu farin cikin ganin abokan aure mu da zuriyar mu, kuma ka sa mu kasance misalan masu taqawa. -- #28 in The Accepted Whispers, Quran/25/74
- delight of eyes: heartfelt joy.
- This is the key dua for marital bliss and for raising happy, loving, model Muslim families. There's a clear message here that taqwa (Allah consciousness and fear of Allah) is the true foundation on which one can hope to build a happy family life.
- The 2nd part of the dua can also be translated as "make us leaders of the pious." In the context of the family, since a man is the leader of his family, the du'a really is for the piety that we become a model and inspiration for other pious people.