Part 3

Chapter Three: The Levels of the Fearful Ones

grave, or the enormity of standing in front of Allah. Others fear being strictly taken to account on the Day of Judgment, or crossing the a/-Sirat (bridge) over the Fire’, or they fear the Hellfire and its horrors, or being denied Paradise, or being blocked from Allah. All of these are dreadful things and reasons to fear.

The highest level of them is to fear a barrier being placed between them and Allah and this is the fear of those who have true knowledge (and spend their lives eliminating the causes that lead to it). The prior reasons mentioned describe the fear possessed by the ascetics and devout worshippers.

“When the deceased (or ‘one of you’) is put in the grave, two black angels having blue eyes come to him. One of them is called al-Munkar and the other al-Nakir and they will say...” Reported by Tirmidhi

It was declared hasan by al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami’.

> Allah, the Most High, says: “There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell); this is, with your Lord, a decree which must be accomplished. But We shall save those who used to fear Allah and were dutiful to Him and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein, (humbled) to their knees.” [Maryam (19):71-72]

There occurs in a long hadith reported by Abii Sa‘id al-Khudri (radiyAllah ‘anbu) that the Prophet (3) said, “.... Then the bridge will be laid over Hell-Fire and intercession allowed and they will say, ‘O Allah! Grant us safety, grant us safety.” It was said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is the bridge?” He replied, “That which is extremely slippery. Upon it are hooks, claws and barbs like the thorns of Najd called al-Sa’dan. So the believers will pass like the blink of an eye, like the lightening, like the wind, like the birds and like fast horses and camels. Some will be saved, some will be lacerated then set free and some will

be thrown into the Fire...” Reported by Muslim

Virtue of Fear and Hope: Which is Superior?

The virtue of anything is (measured) according to how much it helps to achieve happiness, which is in essence, meeting Allah and being close to Him. Therefore everything that assists towards that goal is a virtue. Allah said,

“For the one who fears the standing before his Lord

are two gardens” [al-Rabman (55): 46]

ot Gah A's el os seis Mies

“Allah is Pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. That is for the one who fears his Lord”

[al Bayyinab (98): 8]

In the hadith of the Prophet (4%), he said, “If the skin of the

Chapter Four: Virtue of Fear and Hope: Which is Superior?

slave shivers from the fear of Allah, his sins fall off, just as the leaves fall off a dry tree.”' In another hadith: “Allah will not be angry with one who has (the least bit of) fear.””

The Prophet (3) said, “Allah said, ‘By my Honour and Majesty, I will not combine two fears upon my slave, nor will I combine two securities. If he feels safe from me in this life, I will make him fear on the Day of Judgment. And if he fears me in this life, I will give him safety on the Day of Judgment.”

Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyAllah ‘anhuma) narrated that the Prophet (38) said, ““Two eyes will never be touched by the fire: an eye that cried

from the fear of Allah, and eye that stayed up at night as a guard in the Path of Allah.’’*

Know that a person asking, ‘Which is better? Fear or hope?’ is like a person asking, ‘Which is better? Bread or water?’ The answer is that bread is better for a hungry person, and water is better for a thirsty person. If the desires are combined, then he should look at which desire is stronger, and if they are the same then they are equal in

' Al-Bayhaqi and al-Tabarani as mentioned by al-Hafiz al-Iraqi in Takhrij alIt was declared da‘if by al-Albani, Silsilah al-Da'ifah, #2342.

*Tbn al-Jawzi recorded it in his book A-Mandu‘at, 3/163 [this is a collection of fabricated hadith].

‘Ibn Hibban, 639, and Bayhaqi. It was declared sahih by al-Albani, Si/silah al-Sahibah, #2666. He commented that the chain was in mursa/ form, and then mentioned other supporting routes.

* Tirmidhi, #1639. It was declared sahih by al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami‘ #4113.

RANKS OF THE FEARFUL

Fear and hope are two medicines for the heart, so their virtue is according to the sickness in an individual. If one’s heart is filled with feeling safe from the plan of Allah, then fear is better for him, and likewise if a person is consumed with sins. As for the person who feels strong despair and despondence, then hope is better.

It could be said that fear is generally better, just as bread is better than specific medicines. This is because bread treats hunger, while medicines treat only certain illnesses, and the ‘i//ness’ of hunger is more common, so the need for bread is greater. In this regard, fear is better because sins and heedlessness are more common among people than despair.

If we look at it in levels however, then the level of hope is better than that of fear - for hope is taken from Allah’s Mercy, while fear is taken from His Anger.

As for the righteous person, then the best case is for him to be equal in both hope and fear. This is why is it said, ‘If the hope and fear of a believer were weighed, they would be equal.’

Some from the Sa/af (righteous predecessors) used to say, ‘If it was called out that everyone will enter Paradise except for one person, I would have feared that I was that one person. While if it were called out that everyone will enter the Hellfire except for one person, I would have hoped to be that one person.’ This should be the case particular to the pious believer.

If it is said, ‘How can hope and fear be equal in the heart of the

Chapter Four: Virtue of Fear and Hope: Which is Superior?

believer, while he is upon /agwa? His hope should be stronger in

The answer is that the believer is unsure about the correctness of his actions. His example is like that of a person who planted a seed in a strange land and he has not tried this kind of seed before. The seed is imdn (faith), the conditions of its correctness are very specific, and the land is the heart, and his hidden faults are from hypocrisy, and thunderstorms are the stupor of death, for it is at the time of death that beliefs are shaken. All of this is a cause of fear for a person, so how can a believer not fear?

For ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiyAl/ah ‘anbu) asked Hudhayfah (radiyAllah ‘anhu): ‘Am | from the hypocrites?’ He only feared that his affair was unclear to him, and that his faults were hidden from his own self. Therefore the praiseworthy fear is the kind that produces action and moves the heart away from the love of this

As for when death approaches, then hope is better for such a person. This is because fear is like a whip that drives a person to (good) action, but at this time (of death) there are no actions to be done. Yet the dying person does not benefit anything from his fear except tearing his heart apart, but hope would strengthen his heart on the other hand, and cause him to love his Lord more. And one should not leave this life except while loving Allah, and loving to meet Him, and having good thoughts about Him.

Sulayman al-Taymi said at his death to those around him, “Tell

me about that which brings optimism, so that I may meet Allah while having the best thoughts about Him.’

The Treatment Leading to Fear

This is acquired in two ways. One of them is higher than the other, and an example of it that of a small child in a house, and an animal or snake entered it. The lone child may not be scared of it, and he might even reach his hand out to take the snake and play with it, but if his father was with him, and he ran away from it and feared it, the child would also run and fear it - out of imitation of his father. Here the fear of the father is based on knowledge, and the fear of the child is not from knowledge, rather it is only imitation.

If you realise this, then know that fear of Allah is of two levels:

1. The first is the fear of His Punishment, and this is the fear of most people. It is the result of belief in Paradise and the Hellfire, and the fact that they are the reward for good deeds and sins. This fear weakens according to the weakness of belief, or because of gross heedlessness.

Heedlessness is removed by remembrance and contemplation of the punishment in the Hereafter. Fear increases by looking at those righteous people who have fear and sitting with them, or by

Chapter Five: The Treatment Leading to Fear

listening to their stories.

2. The second level is the fear of Allah Himself, and it is the fear possessed by the knowledgeable scholars. Allah said,

“And Allah warns you against Himself”

The Attributes of Allah necessitate glorifying and fearing Him, so the knowledgeable people fear being far from Him, or that a barrier be placed between them and Allah.

Dhun-Nin said, ‘The fear of the Hellfire compared to the fear of parting (from Allah) is like a drop in the ocean. ’

Most people have a portion of this kind of fear, but merely due to the imitation of others. It is similar to the fear of the child from a snake out of imitation of his father and this is why it weakens - for beliefs that are based on imitation are usually weak. Fear only strengthens by constantly seeing what causes it, and persistently doing what it necessitates, such as increasing in good deeds and staying away from sins. If the slave rises to a higher level of knowledge about Allah, then he will have no choice but to fear Him. He will not need a cure to bring the fear of Allah in his heart; rather it will be a given at this level.

As for the one below this level [of knowledge about Allah], then he must treat himself by listening to stories and narrations, and reading about the righteous fearful people and their sayings. When one compares the knowledge and status of the righteous people to that of the foolish people who feel safe, he will then