Bismillah alhamdulillah  وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا

The danger of lacking piety – (al-Wara)

In authentic hadith in the collection of Ibn Majah (4245) and classified as sound by Shaikh al-Albaani RA in al-Saheehah…

Narrated from Thawbaan (RA) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “I certainly know people of my ummah who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of Tihaamah, but Allah will make them like scattered dust.”

وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا In Surah al-Furqan: 25:23 Allah says “And We shall turn to whatever deeds they (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust. their deeds become scattered dust.”

Thawbaan RA said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, describe them to us and tell us more, so that we will not become of them unknowingly.

He said ﷺ: “They are your brothers and from your race, worshipping at night as you do, but they will be people who, when they are alone, transgress the sacred limits of Allah.”   

In other words, when they are alone—in solitude—they commit sins. In public, they appear to be good Muslims, but in private, their actions tell a different story.

Ibn Hajar al-Haythami (may Allah have mercy on him) explained this as a person appearing outwardly righteous while secretly violating Allah’s limits. Even committing minor sins in private, he noted, is considered serious and he quoted this hadith as evidence.

Scholars mention this hadith stating the danger of missing piety – al-Wara

This is because a person who habitually puts on a show of righteousness while hiding their sinful behavior causes greater harm and misguidance to others. Such a person lacks true piety and does not fear Allah.

يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ إِذْ يُبَيِّتُونَ مَا لَا يَرْضَىٰ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطًا

“They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allah, and He is with them when they spend the night in discussing things that He does not approve. And Allah is ever Encompassing of what they do.” — Surah An-Nisa 4:108

This verse refers to the hypocrisy of people who commit sins or plot evil in secret, thinking they are safe as long as people don't see them—forgetting that Allah sees everything.

Dear brothers and sisters, to understand and to overcome this issue - today’s reminder is about a noble quality: Al-Wara‘– cautious piety.

About al-Wara - الورع

Al-Wara’ means avoiding even the doubtful, out of fear of falling into what is forbidden. It is one of the highest levels of God-consciousness -at-Tqwa.

The Prophet ﷺ said:     "دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبك"

    “Leave what causes you doubt for what does not cause you doubt.”     (Tirmidhi – Hasan Sahih)

And he ﷺ also said:     "الحلال بيّن، والحرام بيّن، وبينهما أمور مشتبهات..."

    “The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters that many people do not know about...”     (Bukhari and Muslim)

Examples From Quran

The exact word "الورع" (al-wara‘) does not appear explicitly in the Qur’an. However, the concept of al-wara‘ — meaning avoiding doubtful matters, being cautious to please Allah, and staying away from sin or even its grey areas — is strongly rooted in Qur’anic teachings. It falls under the broader umbrella of taqwa (تقوى), which is repeatedly emphasized in the Qur’an.

Here are some Qur’anic verses that embody the spirit of wara‘, even if they use the word taqwa or similar concepts.

🔹 1. Surah Al-Hajj (22:30) ذَٰلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَاتِ ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦۚ

"That [is so]. And whoever honors the sacred ordinances of Allah—it is best for him in the sight of his Lord..."

(22:30)

 A person with wara‘ is someone who honors Allah’s boundaries — not only avoiding sin but even avoiding what may disrespect Alah’s limits.

 🔹 2. Surah Al-Imran (3:102) يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ

"O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared..." (3:102)

To fear Allah “as He should be feared” involves going beyond the minimum — this is the very essence of wara‘.

🔹 3. Surah Al-Mu’minun (23:3) وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ ٱللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ

"And those who turn away from vain talk..." (23:3)

Wara‘ includes leaving things that don’t benefit the soul — even if they are not sins — like idle speech or distractions.

Examples From Hadith

When the Prophet ﷺ saw his young grandson Al-Hasan take a date from the charity (sadaqah), he said:

    "كِخ كِخ، أما علمتَ أنّا لا نأكل الصدقة؟"

    “Kikh! Kikh! Don’t you know that we do not eat from charity?”     (Sahih Muslim)

He ﷺ gently removed it from the child’s mouth — teaching him wara‘ from a young age.

The story of Umar Ibn AbdilAiz the 5^th Khalifa

Umar ibn Muhajir narrated that a candle was lit for ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz while he was dealing with the needs of Muslims. When he finished, he blew it (Baitul maal) out and lit his own lamp.

That level of cautious piety they maintained— and then look at us and our own dealings today. We need to ask ourselves: How do we handle the authority we’ve been given? Do we use it rightly—or do we misuse it? Wallahu mustaan – May Allah help us all. Ameen ya Rabb 

How it differs from At-Taqwa vs al-wara – cautious piety

Wara‘ is a higher level of taqwa. It means avoiding not only the haram (forbidden) but also the doubtful or questionable matters, even if they are not clearly haram — just to stay on the safe side and please Allah.

The virtues or the benefits of Al-Wara

·         Protects one’s religion and dignity

·         Keeps the heart pure and cautious – gain self-satisfaction in positive manner

·         Leads to Allah’s love – as the Prophet ﷺ said:

    "ازهد في الدنيا يحبك الله، وازهد فيما عند الناس يحبك الناس."

    “Renounce/leave the world and Allah will love you; renounce what people possess, and people will love you.”     (Ibn Majah) may Allah give us the correct understanding. ameen ya Rabb.

WE spoke about the danger of lacking piety – al-wara; Al-Wara’ means avoiding even the doubtful, out of fear of falling into what is forbidden. It is one of the highest levels of God-consciousness -at-Tqwa.

وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا

In Surah al-Furqan: 25:23 Allah says “And We shall turn to whatever deeds they (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust.”

Al-Wara‘  today’s world:

In today’s world, constant exposure to shameless content, especially through social media, can gradually destroy our values and normalize indecency. 

To protect ourselves and our families, we need al-waraʿ (a kind of cautious piety that keeps us spiritually awake.)

It means being mindful of Allah, even when no one’s around, and making choices that come from a sincere, clean heart.

And Waraʿ is not about extremism, but sincere spiritual awareness.

May Allah grant us the Taufeeq. Ameen Ya Rabb.

Being mindful when you’re alone Is the truest test of sincerity. It shows that you worship Allah, not an audience. And it protects your deeds from becoming like “scattered dust” on the Day of Judgment.

O Allah, make us fear You as if we see You. Make us happy through Your obedience and never ruin us through disobedience to You.

O Allah, make our private life better than our public life.