Fear is not
something that many of us would wish to experience, but our innate fear of
nearly everything affects, and sometimes rules, most aspects of our lives.
Indeed we base many life changing decisions on our fear of illness, physical
disability, death and loss. More understandably, we also fear for our family
and friends, and that we may experience failure or bad luck and become
unsuccessful. Some of us even fear the darkness and unexpected appearances,
becoming easily spooked by 'ghosts' and unfamiliar creatures. But, for all of
us, our greatest fear should be our fear of God.
What is the
meaning of fear in Islam? Who should we fear? Why should we fear?
Islam, by the
very nature of its beliefs, means our complete submission to Allah’s Will and
as true believers we should never
succumb to fear. Fear can destroy lives and become the founding cause for the
creation of false beliefs in an attempt to ward off the ‘imagined consequences’
of these natural but unfounded fears. Fear also hinders the natural development
of people or restricts their abilities. Fear, in many cases, creates negativity
and can reduce our quality of life. The fear of Allah always produces positive
outcomes and this is why:
The ultimate
will in our creation or existence is the Will of the originator of the
creation. No other will can ever overwrite that will or alter it. Allah (God)
is the Creator and Maker of everything and, therefore, is also the One who has
designed the course that everyone's life will take and has provided for them.
He is the One who grants in abundance or restricts our opportunities and places
people in competition with each other.
Fear is real
and no one is exempted from it. I am not, however, talking about the ordinary,
and mostly unfounded fears that we all build around ourselves. If we had a
complete knowledge of everything in our lives and had control over our future
there wouldn’t be any fear or fright. Our knowledge, particularly about our
future, is, however, severely limited, as all such knowledge rests where it
should: with the Creator, the ‘All Knowing’.
This lack of
knowledge and our apprehension as to what may happen in the future places us in
a situation of ignorance and this is when we are susceptible to false beliefs
and myths, as fear takes over.
Islamic
teachings tell us that God has created the universe and all that it contains
and indeed its final resting place. The destiny of all things, and the future
paths for all things, mankind included, is already decided. However, People can, and should, continue to
strive to better their circumstances and follow the path of goodness. The Quran
says: ‘Verily We have created man into toil and hardship’. S90 V4
Further, in a
world so obviously created to test people's predilection for good or bad deeds,
a man can still influence his situation in this life and enhance his prospects
for the afterlife.
Of paramount
importance, in all this, is that we fully understand that God has decreed
mankind's destiny and that we are all, without exception, subject to it.
Islamic teachings also tell us that no one can intercede with God except whom
He permits.
When people
submit to their Creator, Allah, and have faith and Imaan in His decreed
provisions for them and their destiny, they may experience a different course
of life than that which they desired and they should then realise that it was
the Creator’s Will that has led to a different plan for them.
People should
fear only God. This is the greatest wisdom we will receive in this life, saving
us from false beliefs that may restrict the course of our success or diverting
us from the path of our Creator. Any indulgence in polytheism, ‘Shirk’,
intercession with the dead, or belief in hidden powers is futile: the only
power in creation belongs to its Creator, Allah.
A fear of God
restrains men in both their plans and desires and guides them to do the right
thing, making them happier in this world and reaping rewards in the afterlife.
Firstly;
because they would never knowingly do anything wrong and will be extremely
careful in what they do, thereby ensuring no bad consequences and offering up
possible benefits for others in the community.
Secondly; if
we have a strong belief in Allah’s providence for man’s destiny, any time we
fail we would not regard it necessarily as a failure, but a different course of
life and the beginning of something possibly better and more beneficial.
The wisdom derived
from a fear of God will make us more contented and happier and the waiting to
see what God has in store for us will be exciting. It will also make us
believers and we will be rewarded both in this world and in the hereafter. God
provides for us all. Fear only fear itself– and God.
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