DR. KIRMANI’S CORNER
This section is developed through the weekly reflections of Dr. Sayed Shabbir Kirmani, our respected resident scholar. Each week, Dr. Kirmani will share his thoughts on faith, current affairs, and community matters, offering valuable insights on how Islamic teachings relate to both global and local events.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
The True Measure of Honor: A Heart of Taqwa
“O mankind! We created you from a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Truly, the most honored of you with Allah is the one who has taqwa (God-consciousness)” (Surah Al-Hujurāt 49:13)
In his luminous commentary, Tafsīr al-Mīzān, ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī unveils a truth that shatters
the idols of worldly ambition: genuine honor (karāmah) cannot be inherited through lineage,
purchased with wealth, or constructed through status. It is, instead, a spiritual alchemy—a
sacred quality refined within the soul through taqwa, that living, breathing awareness of Allah’s
perpetual presence.
The diversity of humanity, with its tapestry of nations, tribes, and cultures, is not a divine
permission for division or arrogance. Rather, it is an invitation—a cosmic summons to mutual
understanding and transcendent unity. ʿAllāmah reveals what so many overlook: true distinction
does not gleam from our outward forms but radiates from the heart’s unwavering orientation
toward its Creator. Honor, he teaches, is measured not by what the world sees, but by what Allah perceives.
The Inner Compass: Taqwa as Spiritual Navigation
Taqwa functions as humanity’s most essential instrument—an inner compass calibrated not by
social convention or personal whim, but by proximity to the Divine. It is the faculty that
transforms ordinary moments into sacred opportunities for consciousness.
When Prophet Yūsuf (Joseph) encountered temptation, his taqwa became an invisible fortress.
In that solitary chamber, with no witness but Allah, he cried out, “I seek refuge in Allah!”
(12:23)—not from fear of punishment, but from reverence for his Lord. His piety existed in that
hidden place where no earthly eye could judge him, where only his soul and his Creator bore
witness.
Thus taqwa becomes the silent force that transmutes fear into faith, transforms shame into
humility, and aligns trials with the soul’s ascent toward its Lord.
A Constant Vigilance of the Heart
ʿAllāmah illuminates a crucial distinction: taqwa transcends mere avoidance of sin. It is something far more demanding and far more beautiful—a constant, luminous awareness that every action, every thought, every whisper of intention unfolds beneath Allah’s all-seeing gaze. It is the soul’s perpetual consciousness of being known.
This sacred awareness reshapes how we move through the world. We arrive at three profound junctures where taqwa guides our every choice:
Before we speak: Do our words mend what is fractured, or do they widen the wounds? Do they
illuminate truth, or obscure it? The one possessed of taqwa weighs each utterance against the
measure of justice and mercy.
Before we earn: Do the means by which we sustain ourselves honor the trust Allah has placed
in us? Is our sustenance gathered through what is lawful and just, or have we compromised our
integrity for worldly gain? Taqwa asks: will I answer for this before my Lord?
Before we judge: Do we pause to remember that only Allah penetrates the depths of the
human heart? That intention lies beyond our sight? The one with taqwa recognizes the limits of
human knowledge and refrains from presumption.
The Radiance of a Polished Heart
The world pursues its fleeting enchantments—glittering wealth that corrodes, status that
crumbles, appearances that fade like morning dew. Yet Allah’s valuation operates by an entirely
different measure. He looks not upon our forms or our bank accounts, but upon the sanctity of
our hearts and the integrity of our actions.
This is the revolution that taqwa brings: it absolves us from the tyranny of worldly judgment and
aligns us instead with an eternal standard. The polished heart—refined through consistent
remembrance, protected through conscious obedience, humbled through awareness of divine
scrutiny—becomes a mirror reflecting the light of truth itself.
In cultivating taqwa, we do not merely refrain from transgression. We embark upon a
transformation. We become architects of our own spiritual elevation, workers sculpting the
immaterial substance of the soul until it gleams with the brilliance that Allah alone recognizes
and values.
Let us, then, commit ourselves to this sacred polishing, this cultivation of God-consciousness
that transcends all earthly measures. For therein lies true honor—an elevation that connects us
to the eternal, that sanctifies our daily struggles, and that aligns our fleeting lives with the infinite
gaze of Allah.
May we all be able to polish our hearts for the Divine….