May 31, 2018 03:55 UTC

The aim of all divine messengers was to call to piety (Godwariness). Godwariness means constant surveillance, vigilance and watchfulness over one's deeds and thoughts. A Godwary person tries to comply his deeds with the will of God. He seeks God's satisfaction and deems it more valuable than everything else.

The blessed month of Ramazan provides the ground for exercising piety and self-restraint. The material world and the devilish temptations are always there. However, it is the pious and Godwary that can stay firm in the face of the ills and hardships. They have stronger motive to abide by their beliefs. Godwariness begins with abstaining from sins that God has prohibited. Then it leads the individual to performing the divine commands. The fear that leads the faithful to abstain from sins is different from destructive and frustrating fears that we experience in life. It springs from love. In other words, the faithful fears lest his deeds will separate him from God and God pays little attention to him. As a result, Godwariness is the source of doing good deeds and shunning evil ones. Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) said, "Be Godwary as it is indeed the collection of every good." Elsewhere he said, "Be Godwary as indeed all righteous deeds converge in it."

Of course, everybody has the tendency toward righteous deeds. But the difference between the Godwary and others is that others do righteous deeds to satisfy their altruistic desire; whereas the Godwary do righteous deeds to satisfy God. That's why they try their best to conceal their acts as they know that the Creator sees them and He will reward them. From the viewpoint of the Qur'an, the most outstanding feature for a righteous deed is its purity and sincerity. It is not done as a show-off or to satisfy oneself or others. It is just for the sake of God, although it may seem a humanitarian act.

The Godwary try inexhaustibly to help others and Ramazan is the period in which such acts prevail.

One of the privileges of Godwariness is that it causes the individual to enter the divine grace and guidance. Thus, he will be able to discern between right and wrong. This has been stressed in ayah 29 of surah Furqan, "O you who have faith! If you are wary of Allah, He shall appoint a criterion for you."

 Exegetes of the noble Qur'an say that the criterion in this ayah means the tool which enables the individual to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Ayatollah Khamenei says, "If there is Godwariness there is the divine guidance too. And if there isn't Godwariness the divine guidance won't be bestowed thoroughly to the individual and the society. This fasting is the prelude to Godwariness."

 What has been promised of paradise and the rewards in the afterlife can all materialize through abstention of sins and doing of righteous deeds. Ayah 31 of surah Qaaf emphasizes this point, "And paradise has been brought near for the Godwary."

 The outcome of spiritual exercise in Ramazan should lead to attainment of piety and Godwariness.

The Gowary are virtuous people. Their speech and wearing is moderate and they walk humbly. They shut their eyes and ears to what God has forbidden. According to a hadith, the Godwary are loved by all from every creed. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution says, "Godwariness is the key to the happiness in the world and afterlife. The misled mankind, who is moaning of various kinds of personal and social hardships and pains, is suffering from impiety, neglect, heedlessness and plunging in the cesspool that his carnal desires have provided him. The state of the societies that are backward is clear. Although the advanced societies of the world are happy in some aspects- which itself originates in vigilance and alertness in some of the affairs of life- they are trapped in vacuums and fatal shortcomings which the writers, speakers and artists are stating in myriad ways."

RM/MG