What is your response to those who say: True worship is to worship Allah out of love for His essence, not out of desire for His Paradise or fear of His Fire, and then they supplicate saying:
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. This person says: What is your response to those who say: True worship is to worship Allah out of love for His essence, not out of desire for His Paradise or fear of His Fire, and then they supplicate saying: O Allah, if I worship You not out of love for You, but out of desire for Your Paradise, then deprive me of it; or if it is out of fear of Your Fire, then torment me with it?
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah. I say that this man is foolish in his mind and misguided in his religion. He resembles the statement of the polytheists who said: O Allah, if this is the truth from You, then rain down stones upon us from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment. This man should have said: If I worship You out of desire for Your reward, then reward me; or if it is out of fear of Your punishment, then protect me from it. But to say: out of fear of Your punishment, torment me with it, and out of desire for Your reward, deprive me of it—this is foolishness in the mind and misguidance in the religion. I do not know if this man has read the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Fath 48:29] These are three attributes: the attribute of jihad, the attribute of character, and the attribute of worship. "Severe against the disbelievers" is jihad; "merciful among themselves" is character; "you see them bowing and prostrating" is worship. For all these three types, He the Mighty and Majestic says: [Al-Fath 48:29] And how often He brings verses seeking the Face of Allah, seeking the pleasure of Allah, and the like. So Allah the Exalted is worshipped out of love for Him, worshipped out of love for His reward, and worshipped out of fear of His punishment. All of this is established. Is it better for a person to let the aspect of hope prevail, or the aspect of fear? Yes, yes, there is also disagreement on this. Some scholars say: Let the aspect of fear prevail so that you flee from sin and your heart is fearful, as Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Mu'minun 23:60] And some scholars say: Let the aspect of hope prevail, because Allah the Exalted is as His servant thinks of Him, because Allah is as His servant thinks of Him. So have a good opinion of Allah, and you will attain what you hoped for.
And some scholars say: Let the aspect of fear prevail in a state of health, and the aspect of hope in a state of illness, so that you die while having a good opinion of Allah.
And some scholars said: If you perform an act of obedience, let the aspect of hope prevail that Allah has accepted it; and if you are about to commit a sin, let the aspect of fear prevail.
And some scholars said: Make fear and hope equal, like the two wings of a bird. Imam Ahmad said: "It should be that his fear and his hope are equal; whichever one prevails, its owner is destroyed. Because if the aspect of hope prevails, a person falls into security from the plot of Allah, and if the aspect of fear prevails, he falls into despair of the mercy of Allah. In any case, every person is the doctor of himself. Sometimes a person has a righteous deed by which he hopes for the mercy of Allah, so the aspect of hope prevails. And sometimes he is about to commit sins, and his self is not restrained except by the mention of punishment, which entails letting the aspect of fear prevail. Yes."
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah. I say that this man is foolish in his mind and misguided in his religion. He resembles the statement of the polytheists who said: O Allah, if this is the truth from You, then rain down stones upon us from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment. This man should have said: If I worship You out of desire for Your reward, then reward me; or if it is out of fear of Your punishment, then protect me from it. But to say: out of fear of Your punishment, torment me with it, and out of desire for Your reward, deprive me of it—this is foolishness in the mind and misguidance in the religion. I do not know if this man has read the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure
مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًاseeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure
يبتغون فضلاً من الله ورضواناًAnd they who give what they give while their hearts are fearful
والذين يؤتون ما آتوا وقلوبهم وجلةAnd some scholars say: Let the aspect of fear prevail in a state of health, and the aspect of hope in a state of illness, so that you die while having a good opinion of Allah.
And some scholars said: If you perform an act of obedience, let the aspect of hope prevail that Allah has accepted it; and if you are about to commit a sin, let the aspect of fear prevail.
And some scholars said: Make fear and hope equal, like the two wings of a bird. Imam Ahmad said: "It should be that his fear and his hope are equal; whichever one prevails, its owner is destroyed. Because if the aspect of hope prevails, a person falls into security from the plot of Allah, and if the aspect of fear prevails, he falls into despair of the mercy of Allah. In any case, every person is the doctor of himself. Sometimes a person has a righteous deed by which he hopes for the mercy of Allah, so the aspect of hope prevails. And sometimes he is about to commit sins, and his self is not restrained except by the mention of punishment, which entails letting the aspect of fear prevail. Yes."