Page 96 - Fear of Allah
P. 96
FEAR OF ALLAH
find themselves face to face with the angels of death assigned to
them. These angels act on Allah's orders and are impervious to the
begging and the pleading of their charges. When the angels of death
come to take their souls with the violent shock of harsh blows to
their backs and the searing pain, they will be perfectly aware of
what is happening to them:
If only you could see when the angels take back those who
disbelieved at their death, beating their faces and their
backs [saying]: "Taste the punishment of the Burning!"
(Surat al-Anfal: 50)
The crime committed by the disbelievers is a grievous one and
their punishment will endure for all time. There will be no possibil-
ity of escape or release in death; in short, there is no means of rescue
or salvation. This is because they have rebelled against Allah Who
has created everything from nothing, the true Owner of everything,
the Possessor of infinite power and knowledge, the Lord of the uni-
verse.
These people did not fear Allah whilst on Earth, so in the Hereafter
He will subject them to fears the like of which they have never experi-
enced or been faced with: they will be surrounded by fear, terror, and
stress forever:
You will see the wrongdoers afraid of what they have earned,
when it is about to land right on top of them… (Surat ash-
Shura: 22)
These people who have led their entire lives heedlessly and whose
end is fast approaching, will be assailed by a never ending fear and ter-
ror. Their lives are simply a drawn out prelude to the horrors to come
at Allah's hands, Who has until then been "merely deferring them to a
Day on which their sight will be transfixed." (Surah Ibrahim: 42) The
fear they will endure on the Day of Judgment will be combined with
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