Q306 :What does ‘Ittaqo Allah’ mean? The term is
often translated as “fear God”. Do people worship God and do good deeds
out of their love to Him or because they fear Him?
A306 : The Arabic term “taqwa”, the root from which
the verb you have mentioned is derived, means “to be on one’s guard” or
“to ward off” something that is unpleasant or has some bad or evil
associations. When the term is used in a way which refers to God, then
the warding off is immediately understood to refer to “incurring His
wrath”. Thus, we should always fear displeasing God and doing what
incurs His displeasure. This is because we expose ourselves to His
punishment which is too severe indeed. What Muslims should actually
guard against is doing what God has forbidden them, for that is
certainly evil. God has forbidden us only what is harmful and what is
evil. The translation of ‘Ittaqo Allah’ as “fear God” is, as you say,
rather inadequate, but it is probably the best that translators can do,
considering the associations which each language gives to its terms.
If you want the best explanation of the term ‘Ittaqo Allah’ then I
refer you to Verses 4 and 5 of the second surah of the Qur’an. These
may be translated as follows: “This is the Book, no doubt: a guidance
to the God-fearing, who believe in the unseen, attend to their prayers,
and spend in charity a part of what We have provided them with; who
believe in what has been revealed to you as well as what has been
revealed before your time and have firm belief in the hereafter. It is
these who follow their Lord’s guidance; it is these who shall surely
prosper.”
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )