Be A GOOD MUSLIM

Fearing Allah

There was once a wealthy man from the Banū Isrā’īl who had indulged in sin throughout his life. When his death was near, he instructed his children to burn him after his death, crush his bones, and scatter his ashes on a windy day by the sea. After he died, his children did just as he asked. Allah then gathered his ashes together and asked him, “What made you do that?” The man replied, “Fear of you.” And so Allah forgave him (Bukhārī).

Our relationship with Allah is characterised primarily by three emotions: fear, love and hope. Fear (khawf) is an integral part of īmān. Allah says, “…So do not fear them, but fear Me if you are (true) believers” (3:175). Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) praises the Prophets: “…They used to race towards the good deeds and invoke us with hope and fear; and they were humbly submissive to Us” (21:90).

The heart in its journey to Allah is like a bird. Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the head is healthy, then the two wings will fly well. When the head is cut off, the bird will die. When either of the two wings is damaged, the bird becomes vulnerable to every hunter and predator.” - Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)

Ibn Rajab (raḥimahullāh) writes, “Allah created His creation so that they would know Him, worship Him and fear Him. He established proofs which show His greatness and magnificence so that they fear Him and are in awe of His majesty. He described to them His severe punishment and the place of torment prepared for those who disobey Him, so that they protect themselves with good deeds. For this reason, Allah (ʿazza wa jall) repeatedly mentions the Hell-fire in His Book and the torment in it, including al-Zaqqūm (a tree whose fruits will burn the stomachs of the inhabitants of Hell-fire), poisonous thorny plants, boiling water, chains, shackles and many other horrific things.”

He further explains that it was the fear of Allah, and awe and humility in front of Him, which raised the Companions and the Pious Predecessors to such lofty ranks, to the extent that not only did they abstain from the ḥarām (forbidden), but also from the makrūh (disliked).

Say, “The (true) losers are those who will lose themselves and their families on Judgment Day. That is indeed the ultimate loss.” Above them there shall be layers of fire, and layers of fire shall be beneath them. In this way Allah strikes fear into His servants’ hearts: ‘My servants! Fear Me!’ (39:15-6)

Khashyah: Being in Awe of Allah

The fear of Allah is unique to other types of fears. In life, you tend to run away from things you fear. For example, anyone who is scared of spiders or rodents will freeze or run upon seeing them. However, fearing Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) is unique and beautiful. It makes you run to Him, and not away from Him. The more you fear Him, the more you turn to Him.

A fear of worldly matters is usually accompanied with a dislike of it. However, the fear of Allah is coupled with love and respect for Him, since you are in awe of Him.

Although Allah is beyond all worldly examples, think of an elderly grandfather or an older person who is well-respected. As soon as he enters the room, everyone falls quiet out of respect for him. The silence is not because he is a tyrant of the household; rather, it is because of the respect that his family accords him. This type of fear is known as haybah or khashyah, a reverential type of fear.

It is this emotion that the senior Companion ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) felt when he was in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said even though the Prophet ﷺ was the most beloved of people to him, he could not describe him. This is because whenever he was in his company, he was unable to look directly at his blessed face. He would lower his head and humbly gaze downwards, out of deep respect and awe.

Fāṭimah b. ʿAbd al-Malik was asked about the worship of her legendary husband, the Caliph ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz after his death. She replied, “By Allah, he was not the one who prayed or fasted the most amongst the people. But, by Allah, I have not seen anyone more fearful of Allah than him. He would remember Allah in his bed and would twitch like a sparrow out of fear, until we would say that in the morning, the people will no longer have a caliph (i.e. he would die by morning).”