الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين.
Insha’Allah, in today’s khatira, I intend speaking on the topic of “Fear of Allah and hope in Allah.” Let us try to understand what these two terms “fear” and “hope” actually mean when used in respect of our relationship with Allah (SWT). What are the degrees of fear? What are the degrees of hope? What is the best approach one should take with respect to fear of Allah and hope in Allah? How should we balance fear with hope? Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an,
مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ
We have left out nothing in the Book (al-An’am 6:38)
So the issue of fear and hope is also addressed in the Qur’an. Allah (SWT) in His infinite mercy has explained to us in the noble Qur’an how to call Him, how to supplicate Him, or how to make du’a to Him. We have in Surat al-A’raf
وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا إِنَّ رَحْمَةَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Call on Him with fear and hope. Allah’s mercy is close to those who do good (al-A’raf 7:56).
In this ayah, the two states of fear and hope are joined together in order that the ‘abd (the slave) of Allah is both fearful and hopeful of Him. And while describing the mu’minun (the believers) Allah says in Surat al-Isra’,
وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًا
They hope for His mercy and fear His punishment. Surely, the punishment of your Lord is to be feared (al-Isra’ 17:57).
Referring to the mu’minun who get up from their beds late in the night to perform their Tahajjud prayers, the ayah 16 of Surat as-Sajdah says,
تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
Their sides leave their beds to supplicate their Lord in fear and hope (as-Sajdah 32:16).
A mu’min (a believer) leads his life between fear and hope. The thing that necessitates fear is recognizing with awe, inspiration and reverence the glory, the grandeur and the power of Allah on the one hand and the knowledge and severity of His punishment on the other. What necessitates hope is recognizing the mercy of Allah and the tremendous reward He has for us insha’Allah. In Surat al-Hijr we have,
نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ () وَأَنَّ عَذَابِي هُوَ الْعَذَابُ الْأَلِيمُ ()
Tell My slaves that I am the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful, and that My punishment is a painful punishment (al-Hijr 49-50)
Whoever recognizes the generosity and bounties of Allah hopes for Him and whoever fears His punishment, fears Him, and a hadith has been narrated in this sense, the meaning of which goes as follows: “If the fear and the hope of the mu’min were to be weighed, they would be found equal in weight except that it is preferred that throughout one’s life, fear predominates so that it will lead us to do right action but upon and close to the time of death, it is urged that your hope predominates—that you have great hope of Allah at the time of death.” According to the meaning of another hadith: “Let none of you die without having a very good opinion of Allah.” This means having high hope of the mercy of Allah and expecting the very best from Him. Allah says in the Qur’an,
وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ
My mercy encompasses (extends to) all things (al-A’raf 7:156).
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq is reported to have said: Verily, one who has hope of something pursues it, and one who fears something flees from it. Talking about the true believers, the Qur’an says in Surat al-Mu’minun,
أُولَئِكَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ
They are the ones who race toward good things, and they will be the first to get them (al-Mu’minun 23:61).
And we have in the same Surah that these believers are filled with the fear of their Lord.
إِانَّ الَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ رَبِّهِمْ مُشْفِقُونَ
Those who are filled with the fear of their Lord (al-Mu’minun 23:57).
Such believers even avoid things and turn away from things which are frivolous like idle gossip and senseless talk.
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ
And who keep themselves away from vain things (al-Mu’minun 23:3).
Basically, there are three degrees of fear. The first degree is weak. It has no real effect either in the inward or in the outward. This fear might as well not exist because it is of no benefit or use. The second degree is strong fear which wakes up the person from his heedlessness and carries him to become obedient and upright. It drives him from his neglectfulness and makes him go on the straight path. The third degree of fear is the severe overpowering fear that reaches to such a degree that the slave loses hope in Allah. This is not permissible. It is not permissible to allow fear to reach such a degree. Don’t we have in Surat az-Zumar,
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Say: “O My servants who transgressed against themselves, do not despair of God’s mercy. For God forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful (az-Zumar 39:53).
It is commonly known that the best of affairs is the middle of them. The best form of fear is not the weak form which has no effect in one’s inwardness or one’s outward behavior, nor is it the one which is so strong that it makes one lose hope of Allah’s mercy, but it is the fear that transforms one’s life and makes one take up right action and give up wrong action.
Just as fear has three degrees, hope also has three degrees. The first is the hope for the mercy of Allah along with engaging with those things which will earn the mercy of Allah, which means doing right actions and giving up disobedience. This is the praiseworthy type of hope.
The second type of hope is the hope which accompanies wrong actions and disobedience. This type of hope is delusion and self-deception. It is wishful thinking (umniyyah); just hoping that everything will work out all right and not working hard enough for it. This is the blameworthy type of hope.
The third degree of hope is very strong which reaches to a degree of considering oneself safe. This is absolutely wrong. Allah says in Surat al-A’raf,
أَ فَأَمِنُوا مَكْرَ اللَّهِ فَلَا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ
Do they feel secure against God’s plan (His scheme, devising, and contrivance)? Only the losers feel secure against God’s plan (al-A’raf 7:99).
Iman is between fear and hope. A believer lives between fear and hope. The right and the approved kind of fear is that which acts as a barrier between the believer and the things forbidden by Allah. But, if fear is unreasonably excessive, then the possibility is that the person will fall into despair and pessimism.
On the other hand the approved state of hope is that which impels one to do good deeds and this makes one optimistic and hopeful of being rewarded for it. It also includes making sincere repentance for sins committed and being hopeful of being forgiven. On the contrary if one does not repent and continues to indulge in sins and excesses, and is hopeful that he would be forgiven without mending his ways, then this is self-deception.
It is said that fear and hope are like the two wings of a bird. If they are well balanced, the flight will be well balanced. But, when either or both wings are deficient, the bird cannot fly properly It is advisable to strengthen the wing of fear during good times when heedlessness is feared, and to strengthen the wing of hope at times of calamity and when near death.
May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to lead our lives between praiseworthy fear of Him, and praiseworthy hope of Him.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
