Page 50 - Fear of Allah

FEAR OF ALLAH
Acceptable worship

Recite to them the true report of Adam's two sons when they
offered a sacrifice and it was accepted from one of them but
not accepted from the other. The one said, "I shall kill you."
The other said, "Allah only accepts from the righteous [who
fear Him]." (Surat al-Ma'ida: 27)
Here one of the sons of the Prophet Adam (as) states that Allah
accepts the deeds of those who fear Him. Someone who does not
possess fear of Allah is, by definition, unable to give the acknowl-
edgement due to the omnipotence of Allah, and is unable to feel the
respect he should feel towards Him. As a result of their distorted
view of existence and the inevitable corruption of character and be-
havior that goes with it, the efforts of people such as these will al-
most certainly amount to nothing in Allah's sight. For this reason,
Allah requires above anything else that an individual's character be
built upon fearful awareness of Him and seeking His approval. Any
approach based upon denial of this will no doubt end in disappoint-
ment, as indicated in the Qur'an:
Who is better: someone who founds his building on fear of
Allah and His good pleasure, or someone who founds his
building on the brink of a crumbling precipice so that it col-
lapses with him into the Fire of Hell? Allah does not love
wrongdoers. (Surat at-Tawba: 109)
It is not possible that the worship of people who do not possess
fearful awareness of Allah and whose conduct is unacceptable, will
be as devoted and sincere as it ought to be. Behind every task or act
of worship they undertake there will lie the desire to show off or to
impress, or to project a better image than others. Therefore, every-
thing they do throughout their lives will amount to nothing if they
do not turn to Allah and change their ways.
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