“Will you not fear Allah?”

“So fear Allah and obey me.”

Allah Most High also says:

“But righteousness is in one who fears Allah.”

And He says:

“Yes, whoever fulfils his covenant and fears Allah—indeed, Allah loves those who fear Him.”

And He says:

“Fulfil your treaty with them until the end of its term. Indeed, Allah loves those who fear Him.”

And He says:

“As long as they remain true to you, remain true to them. Indeed, Allah loves those who fear Him.”

He has thus made clear that fulfilling covenants is part of the piety that Allah loves. Fulfilling covenants encompasses everything commanded, for an obligation arises either from revealed law or from a stipulation, and all of this involves performing a commanded act. It constitutes fulfilment of the covenant with Allah and covenants with His servants.

Taqwā (piety) means either fearing Allah or guarding against His punishment, as He says:

“So fear the Fire whose fuel is people and stones.”

“And fear the Fire prepared for the disbelievers.”

Thus, taqwā means guarding against what is feared by doing what is commanded and refraining from what is forbidden, though it consists more in the former. This is called taqwā because neglecting what is commanded and doing what is forbidden is a means of safety from Allah’s censure, displeasure, and punishment. Its motivating force is therefore fear of sin. This differs from an act that brings benefit but whose omission causes no harm: that is a recommended act, which one may either perform or leave undone. He therefore described this as taqwā to make clear that it is obligatory and that the person concerned exposes himself to punishment by abandoning taqwā.

Secondly, we say: wherever taqwā is used to mean refraining from what is forbidden—if that interpretation is adopted—as in His words:

“Cooperate in righteousness and piety,”

concerning which some of the early Muslims said, “Righteousness means doing what you have been commanded, and piety means avoiding what you have been forbidden,” it is always coupled