The Healing Remedy for the Problem of Fear
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From Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz to the honorable brother S. R. of Algeria, may Allah guide him. Amen.
Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings. As for what follows:
Your letter has reached me, may Allah guide you, containing your question about the healing remedy for the problem of fear that you suffer from due to the society in which you were raised, which believes in superstitions, sorcery, jinn, and fear of other than Allah... to the end of what was in your letter. You wish me to advise you on how to get out of the fear you are in.
I inform you that it pleased me greatly that you joined the people of the Sunnah and the community and your eagerness to know Allah's rulings regarding fear and other matters. I would like to inform you that the Shaykh Abdul Rahman ibn Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him), in his book (Fath al-Mujid Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid), clarified the categories of fear in his explanation of the chapter on the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al Imran: 175].
He explained that the categories of fear are three:
The first category: Major shirk (associating partners with Allah).
The second: A sin, but not shirk.
The third: Permissible, indeed prescribed, for taking the means that Allah has legislated.
So the first category is: that you fear the idols, or the people of graves, or the trees, or the stones, or the jinn, or others of the absent ones, that they will do to you what harms you, believing that they are able to do so without tangible causes, but by their special power. This is major shirk.
The second is: that you fear the enemies, or some relatives, or others, that they will do what they are able of harm to you while they are alive and capable, and this leads you to commit some sins or leave some obligatory duties for that reason. In this category, the noble verse mentioned was revealed, which is the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al Imran: 175], because its meaning is: that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) forbade them from fearing the polytheists with a fear that would lead them to leaving the obligatory jihad.
As for the third category, it relates to natural fear due to the existence of its causes, such as a person's fear of thieves, so he locks his door and guards his property; and fear of wild beasts, snakes, and scorpions, so he takes his precaution from them by the permissible lawful means; and fear of hunger, so he eats; and fear of thirst, so he drinks; and the like of that.
This, and it pleases me at the end of this letter to provide you with the book (Fath al-Mujid) for its study and benefit. We ask Allah for you steadfastness on His straight path, and understanding in the religion. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Near. And may peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you.
Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings. As for what follows:
Your letter has reached me, may Allah guide you, containing your question about the healing remedy for the problem of fear that you suffer from due to the society in which you were raised, which believes in superstitions, sorcery, jinn, and fear of other than Allah... to the end of what was in your letter. You wish me to advise you on how to get out of the fear you are in.
I inform you that it pleased me greatly that you joined the people of the Sunnah and the community and your eagerness to know Allah's rulings regarding fear and other matters. I would like to inform you that the Shaykh Abdul Rahman ibn Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him), in his book (Fath al-Mujid Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid), clarified the categories of fear in his explanation of the chapter on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Indeed, that is only Satan frightening his allies, so do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are believers.
إِنَّمَا ذَلِكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ فَلا تَخَافُوهُمْ وَخَافُونِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَHe explained that the categories of fear are three:
The first category: Major shirk (associating partners with Allah).
The second: A sin, but not shirk.
The third: Permissible, indeed prescribed, for taking the means that Allah has legislated.
So the first category is: that you fear the idols, or the people of graves, or the trees, or the stones, or the jinn, or others of the absent ones, that they will do to you what harms you, believing that they are able to do so without tangible causes, but by their special power. This is major shirk.
The second is: that you fear the enemies, or some relatives, or others, that they will do what they are able of harm to you while they are alive and capable, and this leads you to commit some sins or leave some obligatory duties for that reason. In this category, the noble verse mentioned was revealed, which is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.
إِنَّمَا ذَلِكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ فَلا تَخَافُوهُمْ وَخَافُونِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَAs for the third category, it relates to natural fear due to the existence of its causes, such as a person's fear of thieves, so he locks his door and guards his property; and fear of wild beasts, snakes, and scorpions, so he takes his precaution from them by the permissible lawful means; and fear of hunger, so he eats; and fear of thirst, so he drinks; and the like of that.
This, and it pleases me at the end of this letter to provide you with the book (Fath al-Mujid) for its study and benefit. We ask Allah for you steadfastness on His straight path, and understanding in the religion. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Near. And may peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.