تقوى
Taqwā
God-consciousness: living mindful of God, as one who guards oneself against wrongdoing.
What it means
From a root meaning “to shield”. It is often translated “fear of God”, but it is closer to awareness and care: acting well because one knows God sees. The Quran opens by calling itself guidance for the muttaqīn, the God-conscious (2:2), and says that the most honoured before God are the most God-conscious (49:13).
Often misunderstood as
That Islam is a religion of fear.
What the sources say
The Quran joins taqwa to hope and love: “those who believe are stronger in love for God” (2:165). The Prophet taught his companions to fear God wherever they were, to follow a bad deed with a good one so that it wipes it out, and to treat people with good character (al-Tirmidhi).
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 47, listed as TAQWĀ. The definition is restated here.