Muttaqi means the person who adopts taqwa. And taqwa is to follow what Allah orders and to avoid what Allah forbids. In this way, a muttaqi attains the pleasure of Allah by observing what is obligatory and avoiding what is prohibited. Thus he deserves Paradise in the Hereafter and escapes from Allah's wrath and displeasure.

In taqwa there is a meaning of caution. Full vigilance and awareness is needed to obey Allah's commands and avoid His prohibitions. One day, Hadhrat Umar r.a. asked Hadhrat Ubai Ibn Ka'b to tell him about Taqwa.

He said, have you ever travelled through a thorny path?

He said, of course.

He said, how did you pass through that path?

He said, at that time, folding my clothes, I passed very carefully.

He said, that is taqwa. (Tafsir Ibn Qathir, Surah Baqarah, verse 3(

By taking this precaution, a person can be accepted by Allah as a successful believer. He becomes the noblest person in Allah's sight. He gets many benefits from Allah. A person needs to acquire many qualities to become a complete Muttaqi. The Qur'an has highlighted the qualities of the muttaqi. Al-Qur'an has mentioned these qualities in different places in different contexts. I will try to highlight some of those qualities below with a brief explanation, in-sha-Allah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran-

الٓمّٓ،ذٰلِكَ الْكِتٰبُ لَا رَیْبَ فِیْهِ هُدًی لِّلْمُتَّقِیْنَ،الَّذِیْنَ یُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِالْغَیْبِ وَ یُقِیْمُوْنَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَ مِمَّا رَزَقْنٰهُمْ یُنْفِقُوْنَ، وَ الَّذِیْنَ یُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِمَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْكَ وَ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ وَ بِالْاٰخِرَةِ هُمْ یُوْقِنُوْنَ،اُولٰٓىِٕكَ عَلٰی هُدًی مِّنْ رَّبِّهِمْ وَ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُوْنَ.

This Book has no doubt in it - a guidance for the God-fearing, Who believe in the Unseen, and are steadfast in Salah (prayer), and spend  out of what We have provided them; And who believe in what has been revealed to you and what has been revealed before you; and they have faith in the Hereafter. It is these who are guided by their Lord; and it is just these who are successful. In this verse Allah mentioned five qualities of a muttaqi. They are

1- He believes in the unseen.

2- He performs salah perfactly.

3- He spends out of what Allah gave them

4- He believes in the Quran and the books revealed before it

5- He has faith in the hereafter.

Those who were able to acquire these qualities are on the right path and successful in the light of the Quran. In another verse Allah says,

لَیْسَ الْبِرَّ اَنْ تُوَلُّوْا وُجُوْهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَ لٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ اٰمَنَ بِاللهِ وَ الْیَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِ وَ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِ وَ الْكِتٰبِ وَ النَّبِیّٖنَ وَ اٰتَی الْمَالَ عَلٰی حُبِّهٖ ذَوِی الْقُرْبٰی وَ الْیَتٰمٰی وَ الْمَسٰكِیْنَ وَ ابْنَ السَّبِیْلِ  وَ السَّآىِٕلِیْنَ وَ فِی الرِّقَابِ وَ اَقَامَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَ اٰتَی الزَّكٰوةَ وَ الْمُوْفُوْنَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ اِذَا عٰهَدُوْا وَ الصّٰبِرِیْنَ فِی الْبَاْسَآءِ وَ الضَّرَّآءِ وَ حِیْنَ الْبَاْسِ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ الَّذِیْنَ صَدَقُوْا وَ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُوْنَ.

Righteousness is not (merely) that you turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteousness is that one believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Book and the Prophets, and gives wealth, despite (his) love for it, to orphans, the helpless, the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and (spends) in (freeing) slaves and observes the Salah (prayers) and pays Zakah___and (the act of) those who fulfill their covenant when they enter into a covenant, and, of course,  those who are patient in hardship and suffering and when in battle! Those are the ones who are truthful, and those are the God-fearing. In this verse Allah mentioned 10 qualities of muttaqi. They are –

1. Belief in Allah

2. Belief in the hereafter

3. Belief in the angels

4. Belief in the divine books

5. Belief in the prophets

6. Despite having love for wealth, spending it for relatives, orphans, the helpless, the wayfarer, and for those who ask, and for freeing slaves

7. Observe Salah

8. Pay zakah

9. Fulfill covenant

10. Patience in hardship and suffering and in the battle.

In this verse, Allah mentions the ten merits of the Muttaqies. He who has attained these ten qualities is called truthful by Allah. That is, that person has been able to show sincerity in his words and deeds in his life. That is, just as he sincerely believes in Allah and other important things, he has also done essential jobs with great sincerity and devotion.

قُلْ اَؤُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَیْرٍ مِّنْ ذٰلِكُمْ لِلَّذِیْنَ اتَّقَوْا عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنّٰتٌ تَجْرِیْ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْاَنْهٰرُ خٰلِدِیْنَ فِیْهَا وَ اَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ
وَّ رِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللهِ وَ اللهُ بَصِیْرٌۢ بِالْعِبَادِ،اَلَّذِیْنَ یَقُوْلُوْنَ رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّنَاۤ اٰمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوْبَنَا وَ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ،اَلصّٰبِرِیْنَ
وَ الصّٰدِقِیْنَ وَ الْقٰنِتِیْنَ وَ الْمُنْفِقِیْنَ وَ الْمُسْتَغْفِرِیْنَ بِالْاَسْحَارِ.

Say: “Shall I tell you what is far better than that? For those who fear (Allah), there are gardens with their Lord, beneath which rivers flow, where they shall live forever, with purified wives, and approval from Allah. Allah is watchful over His servants”. Those (are the ones) who say: “Our Lord, surely we have believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire,” (And those who are) the patient, the truthful and the devout, who spend (in Allah’s way) and who seek forgiveness in pre-dawn hours.”

In these verses Allah mentioned some more qualities of a muttaqi and they are

1.Those who seek forgiveness from Allah depending on Iman.

2. Those who pray for salvation from hell.

3. Those who are patient.

4. Those who are truthful.

5. Those who are humble before Allah.

6. Those who spend in the way of Allah.

7. Those who ask for forgiveness from Allah in pre-dawn hours.

Allah says:

وَ سَارِعُوْۤا اِلٰی مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْ وَ جَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمٰوٰتُ وَ الْاَرْضُ اُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِیْنَ،الَّذِیْنَ یُنْفِقُوْنَ فِی السَّرَّآءِ وَ الضَّرَّآءِ
وَ الْكٰظِمِیْنَ الْغَیْظَ وَ الْعَافِیْنَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَ اللهُ یُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِیْنَ،وَ الَّذِیْنَ اِذَا فَعَلُوْا فَاحِشَةً اَوْ ظَلَمُوْۤا اَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوْبِهِمْ وَ مَنْ یَّغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ اِلَّا اللهُ وَ لَمْ یُصِرُّوْا عَلٰی مَا فَعَلُوْا وَ هُمْ یَعْلَمُوْنَ.

And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden [i.e., Paradise] as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous, who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good; And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - And [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. Surah Ale Imran (3): 133-135

The qualities of the Muttaqies Allah mentioned in these verses are as follows-

1. Those who spend in the way of Allah during ease and hardship

2. Those who control anger

3. Those who forgive people

4. Those who commit a sin or wrong then immediately remember Allah and seek his forgiveness for their sins

5. Those who do not knowingly persist in the sins they committed

Allah says:

وَ اُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِیْنَ غَیْرَ بَعِیْدٍ، هٰذَا مَا تُوْعَدُوْنَ لِكُلِّ اَوَّابٍ حَفِیْظٍ،مَنْ خَشِیَ الرَّحْمٰنَ بِالْغَیْبِ وَ جَآءَ بِقَلْبٍ مُّنِیْبٍ.

And for the Muttaqies, Paradise will be brought so close that no distance will remain. (And it will be said,) This is that which was promised to you, that it is for every person who turns to Allah and protects himself, who fears Allah the Merciful - without seeing Him and brings a heart that returns to Allah. - Surah Qaf (50): 31-33

In these verses, Allah has also mentioned the qualities of the Muttaqis:

1. He is always oriented to Allah

2. He is self-protector. He is always alert about sins. He is very careful to abide by the orders of Allah and to avoid all kinds of disobedience.

3. He fears Allah without seeing him.

4. He comes up to Allah with a heart that is oriented to him as Allah says in another place:

يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَّ لَا بَنُوْنَ,اِلَّا مَنْ اَتَی اللهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِیْمٍ .

The day wealth and children will be of no use. But who will comes to Allah with a sound heart. (He will be saved.) - Surah Shu'ara (26): 88-89

Above are some verses from the Qur'an, in which the various qualities of the Muttaqis are discussed. There are various good tidings for a muttaqi because of acquiring these qualities. In the Hereafter, there will be many blessings and comforts for him. The good tidings and rewards mentioned in the Qur'an for the Muttaqies are very briefly summarized below:

1. A muttaqi gets the love and affection of Allah Ta'ala. Allah says:

اِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِيْنَ.

Surely, Allah loves those who fear Allah. -Surah Tawba (9): 4

2. Muttaqies get special mercy and kindness of Allah in this world and in the hereafter. Allah says:

وَ رَحْمَتِیْ وَ سِعَتْ كُلَّ شَیْءٍ فَسَاَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِیْنَ يَتَّقُوْنَ.

And my mercy extends to everything. So I will write this mercy (in full) for those people who adopt taqwa... - Surah A'raf (7): 156

3. Taqwa illuminates the light of iman and hidaya for the believers.

 Allah says:

یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللهَ وَ اٰمِنُوْا بِرَسُوْلِهٖ یُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَیْنِ مِنْ رَّحْمَتِهٖ وَ یَجْعَلْ لَّكُمْ نُوْرًا تَمْشُوْنَ بِهٖ وَ یَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَ اللهُ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِیْمٌ.

O believers! Fear Allah and believe in His Messenger, then He will bestow upon you two portions of His Mercy. He will create for you a light by which you will walk and He will forgive you. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. - Surah Hadid (57): 28

4. The Muttaqis are established on guidance in this world and successful in the Hereafter. Allah says:

اُولٰىِٕكَ عَلٰی هُدًی مِّنْ رَّبِّهِمْ وَ اُولٰىِٕكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ.

They are the ones who are established on guidance from their Lord and they are the successful ones. - Surah Baqarah (2): 5

5. In the Hereafter they will be in the gardens and fountains of Jannah . Allah says:

اِنَّ الْمُتَّقِیْنَ فِیْ جَنّتٍ وَّ عُیُوْنٍ.

Surely the Muttaqis will be in the midst of various gardens and fountains. - Surah Hijr (15): 45

6. The believers receive special help from Allah Ta'ala. Allah says:

وَ اعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّ اللهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِيْن.

Know that Allah is with the righteous. - Surah Baqarah (2): 194

May Allah Ta'ala grant us tawfiq to develop taqwa and lead our lives according to it- Amin.