“And be on your guard against the Day when no soul shall...

For this reason, fear of Allah means fearing the punishment which derives from man’s reprehensible deeds. In any case, in regard to the meaning of piety [ taqwa ], fear [ khawf ] is implicitly implied in its meaning on account of its origin, and for this reason it can also interpreted as fear of Allah. Sometimes, piety refers to a habit or second nature which arises in man as a result of repeated abstinence and refraining from sin. When man abstains from sin once, it is not said that he is pious.

However, when he constantly abstains from sin so much so that keeping aloof from sin becomes his habit and second nature, others say that he is pious. For this reason, sometimes piety is applied to the fountainhead of a deed, which is fear of Allah, and sometimes it is applied to a spiritual and divine state which arises in man as a result of repeated abstinence from sin.

Imam ‘Ali ( ‘a ) defines piety [ taqwa ] as a spiritual and divine state which prevents man from sin and deviation and counts fear of Allah as one of its effects: “O creatures of Allah! Certainly piety has saved the lovers of Allah from committing the unlawful and put His dread in their hearts so that their nights are passed in wakefulness and their days in thirst. Therefore, they achieve comfort through trouble and abundant watering through thirst.

They regarded death to be near, so hastened towards (good) actions. They rejected their desires and kept death in sight.”[^4] Elsewhere, he states: “The responsibility for what I say is guaranteed and I am answerable for it.

If a person takes past experience (given by Allah to peoples) as a mirror for the future, he is prevented by piety from falling into doubtful actions.”[^5] Indeed, piety is the greatest asset which helps man seek the path of prosperity as he traverses the course of life which is filled with fears and hazards. Piety aids man on this sea full of dangerous and turbulent storms with horrendous waves of affliction and sin.