[2] Piety is the name of heart and mind being affected and impressed by the Divine Greatness and Glory, as an effect of which the spirit of man becomes full of fear of Allāh, and its inevitable result is that engrossment in worship and prayer increases. It is impossible that heart may be full of Divine fear and there be no manifestation of it in actions and deeds. And since worship and submission reform the heart and nurture the spirit, purity of heart increases with the increase of worship. That is why in the Qur’ān “taqwā” (piety) has been applied sometimes to fear, sometimes to worship and devotion and sometimes to purity of heart and spirit. Thus in the verse “wa iyyāya fattaqūn” (and Me you fear [16:2]), taqwā implies fear; in the verse, “ittaqu'l-laha ḥaqqa tuqātihi” (worship Allāh as He ought to be worshipped [3:102]), taqwā implies worship and devotion; and in the verse “wa yakhsha'l-laha wa yattaqehi fa-'ulāika humu'l fāizūn” (24:52), taqwā implies purity of spirit and cleanliness of heart. In the traditions taqwā has been assigned three degrees. The first degree is that a man should follow the injunctions and keep aloof from prohibitions. The second degree is that recommendatory matters should also be followed and disliked things should be avoided. The third degree is that for fear of falling into doubts one may abstain from the permissibles as well. The first degree is for the common men, the second for the nobles and the third for high dignitaries. Allāh has referred to these three degrees in the following verse : On those who believe and do good, is no blame for what they ate, (before) when they did guard themselves and did believe, and did good, still (furthermore) they guard themselves and do good; and Allāh loveth the doers of good. (Qur’ān, 5:93) Amīr al-mu’minīn says that only action based on piety is lasting, and only that action will blossom and bear fruit which is watered by piety because worship is only that wherein the feeling of submissiveness exists. Thus, Allāh says : Is he therefore better who hath laid his foundation on fear of Allāh and (His) goodwill or he who layeth his foundation on the brink of a crumbling down with into the fire of Hell; . . . (Qur’ān, 9:109) Consequently, every such belief as is not based on knowledge and conviction is like the edifice, erected without foundation, wherein there is no stability or firmness while every action that is without piety is like the plantation which withers for lack of watering.

[1] In some versions after the words “man abdā ṣafḥatahu lilḥaqqi halaka” the words “`inda jahalati'n-nās” also occur. In that case the meaning of this sentence would be that he who stands in face of right dies in the estimation of the ignorant.