Page 20 - Fear of Allah
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FEAR OF ALLAH
To fear Allah to the best of one's ability
So fear Allah, as much as you are able to, and listen and
obey… (Surat at-Taghabun: 16)
In the Qur'an, Allah has explained in detail to humankind His
eternal might, majesty and superiority, as well as the severe punish-
ment He has prepared for those who have rebelled against Him.
With this in mind one is expected to reflect profoundly on these re-
alities with sincerity, and both one's intentions and actions should
reflect an informed attitude towards them. This must be attempted
actively, as indicated in the Qur'anic verse, to the best of one's abil-
ity. That is to say, one must appreciate Allah's might to the best of
one's ability, and be mindful of His warnings of eternal punishment
in Hell. In this way; fear of Allah will become a natural reality in
one's heart. Similarly, a believer should, to the best of his ability, be
fearful and cautious about not fulfilling obligatory worship as de-
scribed in the Qur'an, as well as committing unlawful acts, because
the things to be fearful and cautious about have also been explained
in detail in the Qur'an:
In this way We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an and
explained therein in detail some of the warnings so that
hopefully they will guard against evil or it will spur them
into remembrance. (Surah Ta Ha: 113)
Here is another very important point to be clarified: fear of Allah
is not a feeling which can only be achieved by going through nu-
merous and difficult spiritual stations. On the contrary, it is a deep-
felt sensation inevitably felt by anyone who reflects with an open
mind. A person wishing to possess a true fear of Allah could achieve
this through one sincere act of reflection. That is to say, a person
who reflects even for a second about death and the consequences to
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