Fear Allah Alone

KHAWF (fear) is one of the acts of worship and should be for Allah alone. This has a tremendous position and lofty status in the fields of worship. It can be divided into two categories:

Shirk of ‘secret fear’
It is to fear someone about affairs over which only Allah has power. For example: To fear that a creature could prevent you from completing your life span, or to fear that someone would stop your sustenance, or to fear that someone (has the power) to prevent you from entering Paradise.

Such fear that a person harbors toward a created being with the belief that he has the ability to do these things when only Allah Alone has the power and ability to do them, is secret fear and is considered Shirk (associating partners with Allah).

Disobedience
If a person doesn’t say the truth, or enjoin good and forbid wrong, because of fear of another person, then this is an act of disobedience.

Fear is an act of worship and should be entertained for Allah alone. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“…so fear them not, but fear Me, if you are (true) believers…” (Qur’an, 3:175)

Allah also said:

“…Therefore fear not men but fear Me (O Jews) and sell not My Verses for a miserable price…“ (Qur’an, 5:44)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Seven people shall receive shade from Allah when there is no shade except His shade… (one of them is) a man who is called by a charming lady of noble birth and he says ‘I fear Allah.'” (Al-Bukhari)

Extract from the Sheikh’s lecture “Enter into Islam wholeheartedly”