Answer
Short Answer:
- Fear has got to be a productive, balanced awareness of Allah.
- Allah is not out to punish us or to do us wrong.
- My brothers and sisters the real and true fear should be that of our own imperfections which lead to our own downfall.
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In the Name of Allah, most Gracious most Merciful.
Assalamo alaikom warahamtullahi wabarakatuhu my dear brothers and sisters.
I Can’t Fear Allah, Am I a Bad Muslim?
I am Ustadha Ameena Blake, coming to you today with a response to a question that was sent in to us. It talks to us about something that everybody including myself at some point think about. I can’t fear Allah, however hard I try. This is what this person said to us.
This is a person who is practicing. Now is this a symptom of low iman? This is what we ask ourselves. What’s wrong with me? Am I a bad Muslim because I don’t shed tears in fear of Allah constantly. Why can’t I do this?
My dear brothers and sisters there are a different types of fear. Let’s have a think about what they are. We have healthy fear and unhealthy fear.
Unhealthy Fear
For example an unhealthy fear is to run away from a tiger. There is not going to be any good outcome except we safe ourselves from the tiger. That’s it. The fear just protects us in a way.
Fear that we prepare ourselves for something before it even happens. Fear after something happens- subsequent fear. There might be consequences to it.
Healthy Fear
Prophet Muhammad said have have consciousness, fear, taqwa of Allah wherever you may be. This is another debate. Follow a bad deed with a good deed, which will wipe it out. Remember brothers and sisters, if you do a bad deed and then you follow it up with a good deed it will be wiped out. He said behave well towards other people.
What is Taqwa of Allah?
The first question we must tackle is what is taqwa of Allah? Be conscious of Allah. Fear of punishment from Allah. Actually, there are degrees of this.
For example, following or during a sin. Sometimes, we commit unknown sins and we fear that Allah might punish us for something that we have done but we are unaware of. So we make duaa.
Following a sin is we have done something wrong and we fear Allah will punish us. When we are actually committing sins Sometimes we feel that fear as well and that may stop us from doing that sin and reduce the severity of it.
Fear of displeasing Allah is a higher form of iman. We love Allah so much at this point that we don’t want to disobey him even in the smallest matters.
Sometimes, we fear that we haven’t done enough yet. So we might not be committing big sins but we fear we haven’t done enough to please Allah. So we fear maybe we will not get that place in Jannah. Not just checking there, but the highest level in Jannah because we should have should have high expectations of Allah.
Productive Fear of Allah
Fear should always be a productive part of us. You know that turmoil, discontent you feel when you sin. If you wake up late for fajr or delay asr. It depends on where your level of iman is at.
It might be that you feel bad if you don’t manage to do one of the prayer per day because that has been your goal to get closer to Allah. You feel you’re not doing your best.
This inner turmoil that drives us to do good and avoid bad and we feel we need to do tawbah when we have done something wrong. This is tawakkul in Allah. Allah is aware ans sees what we do even if we don’t see him. This is mentioned in a beautiful hadith of Prophet Muhammad.
How about the fear of losing the opportunity to do good. Striving for every opportunity that Allah gives us to do good.
Fear has got to be a productive, balanced awareness of Allah. Allah is not out to punish us or to do us wrong. My brothers and sisters the real and true fear should be that of our own imperfections which lead to our own downfall.
Taqwa and related words are mentioned across the Quran over 250 times. For example:
Fear Allah and keep your duty to him. (Quran 4:131)
Guidance for those who are conscious of Allah. (Quran 2:2)
Fruits of Taqwa
When we have taqwa we have sakeenah and we have righteousness. We find it easier to do right and easier to stay away from wrong. But it is all a journey. It is not that instant.
Allah, as a result of somebody having taqwa, says:
Indeed, Allah loves the ones who have taqwa. (Quran 3:76)
How beautiful is that. Allah talks to us whoever who fears Allah, Allah will make them a way out from their problems and difficult situations. Having this taqwa we have an input but also the result that we get is just absolutely amazing. Keep your taqwa always positive. Even if you have committed a huge sin. Keep it positive. Believe truly that Allah is always there to forgive you. You have to remember that and understand that.
To finish off, our taqwa keeps our hearts alive, our spiritual hearts beating. It is an integral part of our faith and relationship with Allah, our driver; it drives us forward when we are feeling weak. Taqwa is our love for Allah and the engine that we use to strive and keep us trying again and again. As well as the helping hand that reaches out to help us back up when we fall. It is inevitable, we are human beings and we do fall sometimes.
May Allah grant you the highest level of iman and taqwa and use your taqwa in a beautiful and productive way.
Jazakum Allahu Khayraa
Assalamo alaikom warahamtullahi wabarakatuhu
(From Ask About Islam archive)
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