The Oneness of Allah the Exalted through Turning to Him and Fear
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The Shaykh : Second: The oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) through fear and turning to Him. Fear is fear accompanied by knowledge, because the cause of fear may be the greatness of the one feared and the fearer’s knowledge of that, in which case it is fear (khashiyyah). Or the cause of fear may be the fearer’s weakness and his ignorance of the reality of the one feared, in which case we say it is fear (khawf), and we do not say it is fear (khashiyyah). The evidence for this is the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): [Fatir 35:28] Who? The scholars, in what? Scholars of the ant? Of technology? Of the depths of the seas? Of the layers of the earth?
No, only the scholars among His servants fear Allah. Scholars of Allah, of His greatness, of His attributes, of His rights, of His wisdom, of His dominion, and so on of the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and His cosmic and legislative rulings.
These are the scholars. So the most learned and most knowledgeable of people are the scholars of Allah. Therefore, I single out Allah with fear; I do not fear anyone other than Allah, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:44] [At-Tawbah 9:13], [Ali 'Imran 3:175].
If someone were to ask: What is the sign of the fear of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?
The answer to that is easy: The sign of the fear of Allah is that you fear Allah in secret and in public. That you fear Allah in secret and in public, meaning: you obey the command of Allah and avoid His prohibition, whether you are in secret or in public, because you only fear Allah alone, and you do not care about people. This matter, meaning fear (khashiyyah), is important for the servants, because we see among people those who fear the servants of Allah more than they fear Allah. They are not like those about whom Allah said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:54] No, they fear the blame of the blamer, they fear, and they are not among those who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as in the hadith of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit: .
Many people, unfortunately, have religion, but in the position of leadership or status or honor, they fear people. They fear that if something appears to them, they will lose their position. This opinion and thought were inherited from the polytheists who rejected what the messengers brought in order to preserve their status and honor. As for the true believer, he knows that if he angers people by pleasing Allah, the outcome will be that Allah is pleased with him and people are pleased with him. But if he pleases people by angering Allah, the outcome will be that Allah is angry with him and people are angry with him. For the hearts of the servants are in the hand of whom? In the hand of Allah. As it is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Then he said: . The one who said this is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the one protected from error. So what about us?!
Only those fear Allah, from among His servants
إنما يخشى الله من عبادهthe scholars
العلماءNo, only the scholars among His servants fear Allah. Scholars of Allah, of His greatness, of His attributes, of His rights, of His wisdom, of His dominion, and so on of the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and His cosmic and legislative rulings.
These are the scholars. So the most learned and most knowledgeable of people are the scholars of Allah. Therefore, I single out Allah with fear; I do not fear anyone other than Allah, as Allah the Exalted said:
So do not fear the people but fear Me
فلا تخشوا الناس واخشونيDo you fear them? But Allah has more right that you should fear Him
أتخشونهم فالله أحق أن تخشوهThat is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.
إنما ذلكم الشيطان يخوف أولياءه فلا تخافوهم وخافون إن كنتم مؤمنينIf someone were to ask: What is the sign of the fear of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?
The answer to that is easy: The sign of the fear of Allah is that you fear Allah in secret and in public. That you fear Allah in secret and in public, meaning: you obey the command of Allah and avoid His prohibition, whether you are in secret or in public, because you only fear Allah alone, and you do not care about people. This matter, meaning fear (khashiyyah), is important for the servants, because we see among people those who fear the servants of Allah more than they fear Allah. They are not like those about whom Allah said:
they strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of a critic
يجاهدون في سبيل الله ولا يخافون لومة لائمWe pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to listen and obey in ease and hardship, and when we are deprived of our rights, and not to dispute authority with its rightful people, except if you see clear disbelief, with proof from Allah, and to stand for justice, not fearing the blame of any blamer in Allah
بايعنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على السمع والطاعة، في المنشط والمكره وأثرة علينا، وأن لا ننازع الأمر أهله، إلا أن تروا كفرا بواحا عندكم فيه من الله برهان، وأن تقوموا بالحق، لا تخافوا في الله لومة لائمMany people, unfortunately, have religion, but in the position of leadership or status or honor, they fear people. They fear that if something appears to them, they will lose their position. This opinion and thought were inherited from the polytheists who rejected what the messengers brought in order to preserve their status and honor. As for the true believer, he knows that if he angers people by pleasing Allah, the outcome will be that Allah is pleased with him and people are pleased with him. But if he pleases people by angering Allah, the outcome will be that Allah is angry with him and people are angry with him. For the hearts of the servants are in the hand of whom? In the hand of Allah. As it is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: