The (Hunting Thoughts) Program and Piety
The International Academy Institute for Training presented the program (Thoughts Capture), on Thursday, corresponding to the 17th of Ramadan in the year 1442 AH at exactly ten o'clock in the evening, and the guest of the program was Dr. Saif Al-Nasr, via live broadcast on Zoom (ZOOMand on YouTube with the ACADEMION International Training Institute.
At the beginning of the thought, Dr. Al-Nasr clarified the aspects of piety in the Holy Quran where He said: (And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out* And will provide for him from where he does not expect) He also said: (إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ) He also mentioned that piety is: protection, which is preservation and safeguarding, as Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, said: A servant does not reach the reality of piety until he leaves what troubles his heart, and Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The completeness of piety is that you fear Allah until you leave what you see as permissible out of fear that it may be forbidden.
Dr. Al-Nasr pointed out that the pious are: those who fear what Allah has forbidden them and fulfill what is obligatory upon them, and piety is not just fasting during the day and praying at night, but piety is in leaving what Allah has forbidden and fulfilling what Allah has made obligatory, and whoever is granted goodness after that is indeed good upon good.
Dr. Al-Nasr affirmed that piety is obeying commands and avoiding prohibitions, and it has three levels: the first: to avoid eternal punishment by disavowing polytheism, the second: to avoid everything that incurs sin from action or inaction, even minor sins, the third: to refrain from anything that distracts the heart from Allah, as He said: (O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared) and among the people are those who protect themselves from eternal punishment by achieving monotheism and following the Prophet, peace be upon him, and among the people are those who protect themselves from punishment and accountability by increasing acts of obedience and commands and avoiding prohibitions, and among the people are those who add to that with recommended acts and other things that fall under the term piety.
Dr. Al-Nasr added the definition of Talq ibn Habib for piety, which is: and piety is, in its essence, working in obedience to Allah with faith and seeking reward, and leaving what He has forbidden with faith in Allah and fear of His punishment, and every action must have a beginning and an end, so the action cannot be obedience and a means of getting closer until its source is faith, and the motivation for it is pure faith, not habit, desire, seeking praise, status, or anything else.