The claim of some Sufis that their worship is through love, not fear
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Fatwa No. ( 17391 )
Q: What is the ruling on the statement of some people: “My worship of You, O Allah, is out of love for Your Essence. If I worship You out of fear of Your Fire, put me in Your Fire. And if I worship You out of love for Your Paradise, put me in Your Fire?”
A: Worshipping Allah through love alone is the methodology of the misguided Sufis, and it is
the methodology of an innovator. Loving Allah is the greatest station of worship, but it is not the entirety of worship. The methodology of the people of the Sunnah is to worship Allah through love, fear, hope, awe, and other types of worship. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-A'raf 7:55], and Allah the Exalted said about His prophets: [Al-Anbya 21:90], and Allah the Exalted said about the angels: [Al-Anbya 21:28], and Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nahl 16:50], among other verses. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: What is the ruling on the statement of some people: “My worship of You, O Allah, is out of love for Your Essence. If I worship You out of fear of Your Fire, put me in Your Fire. And if I worship You out of love for Your Paradise, put me in Your Fire?”
A: Worshipping Allah through love alone is the methodology of the misguided Sufis, and it is
the methodology of an innovator. Loving Allah is the greatest station of worship, but it is not the entirety of worship. The methodology of the people of the Sunnah is to worship Allah through love, fear, hope, awe, and other types of worship. Allah the Exalted said:
Call upon your Lord in humility and privately
ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةًIndeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive.
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَAnd they, from fear of Him, are apprehensive.
وَهُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَتِهِ مُشْفِقُونَThey fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.
يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.