Sheikh Muhammad Saleh al-Munajjid Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 18 | Size: 1 MB
All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I
testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that
Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger; may Allaah send salutations upon
him and exalt his mention, as well as his family and all his companions.
Fear is the sensation that results from
the anticipation of an expected harm; it is also felt when a person
loses, or expects to lose, something he cherishes; it is the exact
opposite of security and can be applied to worldly matters as well as
those of the Hereafter; it is the disturbance of the heart from an evil
or harm that may befall a person, or, it can be the sensation it feels
when missing out on something that is beloved to it.
Imaam Ibn Qudaamah, may Allaah have mercy
upon him, said: “Fear is no more than the pain and burning that one
finds in his heart due to an expected harm; it is like the example of
one who committed a crime and was subsequently caught; such a person
will fear being sentenced to death, and the pain which his heart will
suffer is dependent on how certain he is that he will (or will not) be
sentenced, depending on the severity of his crime … sometimes one fears
the ruler due to the power of the latter. Thus, when one realises the
power of Allaah and knows that if Allaah wished to destroy all His
creation it would not affect Him, nor could anyone stop Him from doing
so, and therefore, one would fear Allaah to the extent of the sins that
he has committed. This is the fear of warning.”
There is a certain type of fear that is
experienced only by the knowledgeable, and it is called Khashyah in
Arabic, as Allaah says:
إنما يخشى الله من عباده العلماء
which means: “…Only those among His servants fear Allaah who have knowledge…” [Faatir: 28]
This is fear that is based on knowledge.
Standard fear of Allaah is experienced by the general Muslims whilst
Khashyah is only experienced by the devout and the scholars from among
them; the more knowledge one has regarding Allaah, the more he will fear
Him. When one fears a person who may or may not apprehend him then this
is regular fear, whereas if he is absolutely sure that this person can
seize him and inflict harm upon him, then it is Khashyah.
Fear, with its various different meanings, is mentioned in many places in the Qur’aan, and its causes are varied:
# Fear during war and hostility; Allaah says:
فإذا جاء الخوف رأيتهم ينظرون إليك نظر المغشي عليه من الموت فإذا ذهب الخوف سلقوكم بألسنة حداد
which means: “… And when fear comes, you
see them looking at you, their eyes revolving like one being overcome
by death. But when fear departs, they lash you with sharp tongues…”[Al-Ahzaab: 19] ‘Fear’ in this verse refers to war.
# Fear resulting from knowledge, as Allaah says:
فمن خاف من موصٍ جنفاً
which means: “But if one fears from the bequeather [some] error…”[Al-Baqarah :182]
Allaah also says:
إلا أن يخافا ألا يقيما حدود الله
which means: “…Unless both fear that they will not be able to keep [within] the limits of Allaah…”[Al-Baqarah: 229] ‘Fear’ in this verse is due to one’s knowledge.
# Fear of punishment, as Allaah says:
يدعون ربهم خوفاً
which means: “…They [i.e., the believers] supplicate their Lord in fear…”[As-Sajdah: 16]
Imaam Ibn Qudaamah, may Allaah have mercy
upon him, said: “Know that fear is the whip by which Allaah controls
His slaves so that they may continue exerting effort in order to come
close to their Lord; fear is the light which illuminates the heart and
enables it to distinguish good from evil.” When a person fears another,
he will attempt to flee from him, and this is the case for everyone
except Allaah; one escapes from Him by fleeing to Him.
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