Author’s Note

Translator’s Note

1) What Is Piety (Taqwa)

2) Stages of Piety

3) The Worth Of Piety

4) The Effects Of Piety

5) Kinds Of Piety

6) Piety And Faith

7) Piety And Monotheism

8) Piety And Prophethood

9) Piety And the Day Of Judgment

10) Piety And Imamate

11) Piety And Knowledge (Science)

12) Piety In Practice

14) Piety And Islamic Rules

15) Piety in Worshipping

16) Piety And Prayer

17) Piety And Fasting

18) Piety And the Hajj

19) Piety And Jihad

21) Piety And Society (Social Piety)

22) Parents’ Rights

23) Children’s Rights

24) Relatives’ Rights

25)Neighbors’ Rights

26) Fellow Muslims’ Rights

27) How To Socialize

28) Codes Of Society

29) Backbiting

30) Tale-Bearing

31) Accusation and Slander

32) Suspicion

33) Telling Lies

34) The Difference of Opinions and Creeds

35) Choosing of Companions

36) Oppression (Injustice)

37) Justice And Fairness

38) Hypocrisy

39) Self-Conceit

40) Piety And Speech

41) Piety and Breaking of Promise

42) What Is Promise?

43) Piety against Sins

44) Piety And Family Rights

45) Forming a Family

46) Wife and Husband’s Duties

47) Inward Piety

48) Piety and Blessings

49) Piety And Health

50) Signs Of The Pious

51) Features Of The Pious

52) Kinds Of Fear

53) The Effects Of Fear

54) The Hammam Sermon; The Pious in the Viewpoint of Imam Ali (AS)

55) Friends of Allah (Saints)

56) Night Prayer

57) Reciting the Holy Quran

58) Prostration

59) Remembrance of God (Zikr)

Examples of Taqwa (Piety) in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Ahl
al-Bayt (as)


Taqwa (Piety) Advice of Ahl al-Bayt

6) Piety And Faith
==================

One of the issues a human being has to take seriously and in the words
of some religious authorities, the question of following others is not
sufficient or as some others say one must reach certainty, is the
question of principles of religion and ideology. It is incumbent on
every Muslim and non-Muslim to deeply think about his religious
principles, that is to choose a right path, to realize that there is a
God who is the Lord of the universe and to know with certainty that
other gods are false and made by the human imagination. One should truly
realize that all beings are Allah’s creatures and before Him, he should
prostrate. In this relation, God says: ***“And I am your Lord, therefore
fear Me.”***

One should know that human beings are in need of leaders ordained by God
as prophets and Imams. He should firmly believe that he has been created
for the other world and that this world is transient. Perhaps, it is a
reference to piety when we read in narrations that faith is superior to
Islam. Imam Baqir (AS) has been reported by Hamran as saying: “I heard
the Imam says: Truly God has made faith superior to Islam in the same
way that He has made the Ka’aba superior to the Inviolable Mosque.”[^1]

The Imam (AS) then mentions different ranks of Islam and faith. On
Taqwa, the Imam says: Piety is superior to faith and certainty is
superior to piety in terms of rank. Therefore, Taqwa here is an
ideological piety, for the Imam has considered Islam as the lowest and
certainty as the highest degree while piety is in between.

[^1]: Al-Kafi, vol. 2, P. 52.


