When Allah revealed this ayah: “And they who give what they give while their hearts are fearful.” (Al-Mu’minun: 60), Aisha asked: “Are they those who drink Khamr and steal?” He said: “No, O daughter of As-Siddiq. They are those who fast, perform Salat, give charity while they fear that their Lord will not accept it from them.” ⁽¹⁾ Al-Hasan said: They acted in obedience and strived therein, yet feared that it might be rejected. ⁽²⁾

Fearing Allah is a trait of the believers, a sign of the righteous, and the path of the diligent. It is the root of all good in this world and the Hereafter. So why did scholars and preachers fear Allah, and why were they keen on teaching others to fear Him?

First: Magnifying Allah

The preachers felt the greatness of Allah the Almighty, which led to fear of Him. Ibn Al-Jawzi said: Whoever knows the greatness of the deity increases in his fear. ⁽³⁾ Ali bin Al-Husayn, when performing wudu’, his color would change, and they would ask him: What is this that happens to you during wudu’? He would say: Do you know before Whom I would stand? ⁽⁴⁾

 Second: Achieving Faith

Allah the Almighty said, “But fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.” (Aal-Imran: 175), and He also said, “So do not fear the people but fear Me.” (Al-Ma’idah: 44) Allah described the people of knowledge and preaching as those who fear Him alone. He said, “Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge.” (Fatir: 28) And He also said, “[Allah praises] those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him and do not fear anyone but Allah.” (Al-Ahzab: 39)

Third: Preventing Sin

Harun Al-Rashid said: My eyes have never seen anyone like Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad. He said to me: Empty your heart for grief and fear until they inhabit it, cutting you off from disobeying Allah and distancing you from the punishment of Hell. ⁽⁵⁾ Ibrahim bin Sufyan said: When fear settles in the heart, it burns away the places of desires and expels the world from it. ⁽⁶⁾ Ibn Taymiyyah said: Praiseworthy fear is what prevents you from disobeying Allah. ⁽⁷⁾

Fear of Allah is a trait of the believers, a sign of the righteous, and the path of the diligent.

Fourth: Fear of Sins

When death approached Muhammad bin Al-Munkadir, he was intensely fearful. He was asked about the reason for his fear, and he said: By Allah, I do not fear a sin that I know I committed, but I fear that I did something wrong I thought was insignificant while it is great in the sight of Allah. ⁽⁸⁾

Fifth: Not Fearing Creatures

The one who fears Allah does not fear creatures, which qualifies him to disdain tyrants and be determined to confront them. Yahya bin Mu’adh Ar-Razi said: To the extent of your love for Allah, the creation loves you, and to the extent of your fear of Allah, the creation fears you. Umar bin Abdul-Aziz said: Whoever fears Allah, Allah makes everything fear him, and whoever does not fear Allah, fears everything. ⁽⁹⁾ So whoever fears Allah does not fear anything else. 

Sixth: Seeking Empowerment on Earth

Allah said, “And those who disbelieved said to their messengers, 'We will surely drive you out of our land, or you must return to our religion.' So their Lord inspired to them, 'We will surely destroy the wrongdoers. And We will surely cause you to dwell in the land after them. That is for he who fears My position and fears My threat.'” (Ibrahim: 13-14) Fear of Allah leads to empowerment on earth and victory over enemies.

Seventh: Striving for Salvation from Allah’s Punishment

Al-Hasan cried, and when asked why, he said: I fear that Allah might throw me into Hell tomorrow and not care. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Malik said: If I could avoid sleeping, I would do so out of fear that punishment might descend upon me while I am asleep, and if I had helpers, I would send them to shout to the people all over the world: O people, [Fear] Hell! [Fear] Hell! ⁽¹¹⁾

Eighth: Striving to Enter Jannah

Allah said, “But for he who has feared the position of his Lord are two gardens.” (Ar-Rahman: 46) Allah promised Jannah to the believers who feared His position and fulfilled His obligations. At-Tirmidhi narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “He who is afraid of the pillage of the enemy, sets out in the early part of the night; and he who sets out early, reaches his destination. Be on your guard that the commodity of Allah is precious. Verily the commodity of Allah is Jannah.” Umar bin Al-Khattab said: If a caller from the heaven called out: O people, you will all enter paradise except for one man, I would fear that I am that man. ⁽¹²⁾

So if the preachers’ upbringing on fear of Allah had its effective impact on building and empowering this Ummah, then what are the means that Islamic civilization relied on to nurture preachers on the fear of Allah?

First: Role Models

People would look at scholars and preachers and see their state of fear of Allah, thus imitating them. Yazid bin Hushab said: I have never seen anyone more fearful than Al-Hasan and Umar bin Abdul-Aziz, as if Hell was created only for them. ⁽¹³⁾ His statement “I have never seen” indicates that he saw from their state what drew his attention to their fear of Allah. Suleiman bin Saheem said: Someone told me about seeing Ibn Umar praying while trembling and groaning. If someone other than us who know him, have seen him, they would say: The man has been afflicted, due to his fear when passing by the ayah mentioning Hellfire. “And when they are thrown into a narrow place therein bound in chains, they will cry out thereupon for destruction.” (Al-Furqan: 13), or similar ayahs. ⁽¹⁴⁾

The one who fears Allah does not fear creatures, which qualifies him to disdain tyrants.

Second: Companionship

Al-Hasan said: I accompanied people who were more afraid that their good deeds might be rejected than you are afraid of being punished by your sins. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Musa bin Masoud said: When we sat with Sufyan Al-Thawri, you would think, from how he looks fearful of Allah, that the fire had surrounded us. ⁽¹⁶⁾

Third: Self-Accountability

Abu Darda used to hold himself accountable and say: The most feared thing for myself on the Day of Judgment is that it might be said to me: O Abu Darda, you have known, so how did you act upon what you knew? ⁽¹⁷⁾

Fourth: Admonition

Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami said: A man from Basra said to Abu Abdullah al-Sawaniṭi: Advise me. He said: The core of servitude is based on several things, including fear and hope. From the mention of fear, the servant repents from sins, and from the mention of hope, he hastens to obedience. ⁽¹⁸⁾ A man came to Abu Yazid al-Bistami and said: Advise me. He said: Look at the sky. So he looked at it. He said: Do you know who created it? He said: Allah. He said: The One who created it is watching you wherever you are, so be wary of Him. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Bishr said to Al-Fudayl: Advise me, may Allah have mercy on you. He said: Whoever fears Allah, his fear guides him to all good. ⁽²⁰⁾

This is the state of the righteous, a state that combines fear and hope in Allah's mercy. Fear and hope are like two wings with which the close ones fly to every praiseworthy position, and two mounts with which they cross every difficult obstacle on the path to the Hereafter. ⁽²¹⁾

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University Professor – PhD in Islamic Da'wah

1. Narrated by At-Tirmidhi (3175).
2. Madarij al-Salikin (2/180).
3. Advice and Admonitions of Imam ibn al-Jawzi, p. 91.
4. Ihya Ulum al-Din (4/184).
5. Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq (20/301).
6. Basair Dhawi al-Tamyeez (2/577).
7. Madarij al-Salikin (1/551).
8. Ihya Ulum al-Din (4/481).
9. Shu'ab al-Iman (3/206).
10. Fleeing from the Fire by Imam Ibn Rajab, p. 23.
11. Hilyat al-Awliya’ (2/369).
12. Fleeing from the Fire by Imam Ibn Rajab, p. 17.
13. Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq (45/236).
14. Fleeing from the Fire by Imam Ibn Rajab, p. 30.
15. Advice and Admonitions of Imam ibn al-Jawzi, p. 91.
16. Ihya Ulum al-Din (4/184).
17. Al Da'a Wa Al Dawa'a, p. 41.
18. Az-Zuhd al-Kabir by Al-Bayhaqi, p. 289.
19. Al-Zahr Al-Fa’eh, p. 87.
20. Az-Zawajir 'an Iqtiraf al-Kaba-ir (1/37).
21. Ihya Ulum al-Din (1/142).

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