Page 20 - Fear of Allah
P. 20

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


                                           18
   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25