Page 68 - Fear of Allah

FEAR OF ALLAH
ness, and that we are completely dependent on Allah for every-
thing. The distresses of trials and hardships can only be faced by re-
lying on Allah and receiving strength from Him. However, those
who do not accept the reality of their limited capacity and who do
not fear Allah are left by themselves to confront their punishments
and misfortunes, both the overt and the hidden ones. Given that the
human make up does not posses the capacity to withstand these af-
flictions, the only safe and successful route is to fear Allah to the best
of one's ability and to lead a life consciously based on fearful aware-
ness of these realities.

Assuming that only the very rebellious

will be subjected to punishment

Despite the majority of people knowing that following their
death, Allah will call them to account for the lives they have led, and
that after this reckoning they will be sent to either the Garden or the
Fire, they make no preparation for their life in the Hereafter.
Although these people assert their belief in the existence of the
Hereafter, the lifestyles they lead are hardly any different from
those of the outright disbelievers. Furthermore, they display not the
least hint of embarrassment about it.
The lifestyles of both groups are, to all intents and purposes,
identical in appearance, attitudes, behavior, goals and ambitions.
The only difference between them is that the one claims to be
Muslim, while the other makes no such claim. In spite of the former
group's willingness to assert their belief in the Qur'an, their failure
to abide by the judgments of the book they claim to believe in causes
them no sense of discomfort or awkwardness whatsoever.
The reason for their apparent state of indifference to the openly

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