Piety

Perfection of moral virtues was one of the most important goals of the Prophet’s (s) mission. Human beings can succeed in life only by acquiring moral virtues, and they can manage their lives towards acquiring those virtues and thus perfecting themselves. Living morally or seeking moral virtues requires a comprehensive theoretical and practical plan. One of the best and most fundamental plans in this regard is God-wariness (taqwa), which is like a beacon guiding people through vicissitudes of life towards the ultimate destination—that is, closeness to God. The necessity of such planning is in differences between the lives of humans and animals, bearing in mind that if human beings want to be true to their nature, they must be obedient to their intellect, follow certain rules in life, and refrain from blindly following their own temporary desires. Among different concepts in Islamic ethics, God-wariness has a crucial role in humans’ achievement of their goals, so much so that it has been called the zenith of morality (Tamimi al- Amidi , 271) and without it, faith has been considered useless .