How many times is Taqwa mentioned in the Quran?
239 times, counting every form of تَقْوَى. Here is every word from its root, where it appears most, and the verses that explain it.
times in the Quran
in 63 surahs
Taqwa comes from the root و ق ي, to shield or protect. It means guarding yourself from Allah’s displeasure by doing what He commands and leaving what He forbids. The headline count includes taqwa and the words for having it (ittaqa, muttaqin); the root also has words that simply mean “protect”.
Pickthall usually translates taqwa as “keeping your duty” or “warding off (evil)”, so those are the phrases you will see in the English below.
Every form of the root و ق ي
| Word | Meaning | Times |
|---|---|---|
| اتَّقَى | to be mindful of Allah, to guard against His displeasure | 166 |
| مُتَّقي | the God-conscious (al-muttaqin) | 49 |
| تَقْوَى | taqwa, mindfulness of Allah | 17 |
| وَقَى | to protect, to shield (“protect us from the punishment of the Fire”) | 16 |
| تَقِيّ | God-fearing, devout | 4 |
| واق | a protector | 3 |
| أَتْقَى | the most God-conscious | 2 |
| تُقاة | caution, guarding oneself | 1 |
Counted in the Quranic Arabic Corpus morphology: each word is counted once, in every form built from the lemma (singular, dual, plural, with attached letters such as “and” or “the”). Other counting rules give slightly different numbers.
Where it appears most
| Surah | Words from this root |
|---|---|
| 2. Al-Baqarah | 37 |
| 3. Ali 'Imran | 23 |
| 5. Al-Ma'idah | 20 |
| 26. Ash-Shu'ara | 17 |
| 7. Al-A'raf | 11 |
Key verses about taqwa
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.
ٱلْحَجُّ أَشْهُرٌ مَّعْلُومَـٰتٌ ۚ فَمَن فَرَضَ فِيهِنَّ ٱلْحَجَّ فَلَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِى ٱلْحَجِّ ۗ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَتَزَوَّدُوا۟ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ ٱلزَّادِ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ وَٱتَّقُونِ يَـٰٓأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ
The pilgrimage is (in) the well-known months, and whoever is minded to perform the pilgrimage therein (let him remember that) there is (to be) no lewdness nor abuse nor angry conversation on the pilgrimage. And whatsoever good ye do Allah knoweth it. So make provision for yourselves (Hereafter); for the best provision is to ward off evil. Therefore keep your duty unto Me, O men of understanding.
فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ فَارِقُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَأَشْهِدُوا۟ ذَوَىْ عَدْلٍ مِّنكُمْ وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَـٰدَةَ لِلَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ يُوعَظُ بِهِۦ مَن كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًا
Then, when they have reached their term, take them back in kindness or part from them in kindness, and call to witness two just men among you, and keep your testimony upright for Allah. Whoso believeth in Allah and the Last Day is exhorted to act thus. And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him,
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not save as those who have surrendered (unto Him)
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil).
English: Marmaduke Pickthall (public domain). Arabic: Uthmani script, via quran.com.
What these verses teach
Taqwa is how Allah ranks people: “the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct” (49:13). It is called the best provision for the journey (2:197), and whoever has it is promised “a way out” (65:2). The Quran itself opens by calling itself guidance for the people of taqwa (2:2).
More Quran word counts
Frequently asked questions
How many times is taqwa mentioned in the Quran?
Taqwa (تَقْوَى) appears 239 times in the Quran, counting every form of the word. Words from its root, و ق ي, appear 258 times in all.
Which surah mentions taqwa the most?
Al-Baqarah (Surah 2), with 37 words from the root و ق ي.
Why do other websites give different numbers?
Counts depend on the rule used: whether plurals and verb forms are included, and whether the whole root is counted or one word. We count words as written in the Hafs text, using the Quranic Arabic Corpus, and print the rule on the page.