The scholars of morals, before discussing fear, divide His quality into two kinds, viz. desirable and censurable both of them too have various types: They have divided the disagreeable fear into four categories:
A. Fear of a thing about which man knows that it is going to happen but it is in man's power to stop.
B. Fear of an event which again is not in the control of man but there is a possibility of its happening or not happening.
C. Fear of a happening which is in the power of man but he has not yet found its means.
D. Fear due to baseless imaginations while man knows that such a thing cannot happen.
As regards the first and second category, that is, in the matters that are not in human control, man must not fear because in such case fear or fright is meaningless and what man should do is, after making predictable arrangements, submit to the Will of Allah.
And in the third case also when means is in the hand of man one should remain alert so that he may not have to be frightened.
In the case of the fourth, man must fight with imaginary thought and strengthen his intellectual power. The more the power of intelligence the less that of imaginations. In this way fear can be removed from man's mind.
The scholars of ethics, after the said divisions, divide and fear of death generally in six kinds. Here we make it into two:
1 - Sometimes man is afraid of death because he thinks that he perishes with hi death or the state of death makes him sorrowful and the thought of death gives him a shock, whereas he should know that this grand universe has not been created uselessly or aimlessly but that the creation of this magnificent world is for his perfection. The Quranic verses address man in this way:
Do you think that We have created you aimlessly and that you will not return to Us on the Day of Judgement?
Therefore man must know that he has an everlasting existence and it was this faith and certainty that made brave slaves of God lovers of death and martyrdom as Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) says:
By God! The familiarity and fondness of the son of Abu Talib for death is more than the affection of a child for its mother's breast.
As mentioned in Mathnawi: After dying as an inorganic existence I became a renowned one, then died to be an animal, then died and became man. Then why should I fear that I will be decreased by death? Again I will die to get wings of an angel, and then I will fly high. Thus I will be what you cannot be.
2 - Sometimes man fears Gods anger and chastisement. We should realise that kind of fear is indeed desirable. Occasionally our fear is due our own misdeeds because Allah never punishes anyone except due to that person's sins and oppressions and unjust deeds.
In other words, man's fear is from the Divine Court of Justice. Hence says the Holy Quran: So this Day no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least; and you shall not be rewarded aught but that which you did.
And at another place say: Whoever brings good, he shall have better that it, and whoever brings evil, those who do evil shall not be rewarded for aught except what they did.
However, we should remember that we can remedy or recompense if we have done wrong and as asserted by the Holy Quran the doors of repentance Tawbah are wide open and we can do things whereby we can earn Gods pardon.
And in both the above mentioned cases if the fear of man is regarding the fate of his children and his survivors, then too doubtlessly, it is also due to weakness of Faith because the Lord Almighty is the best of their Protector and it is He Who directs all affairs to the benefit of theirs and of the society.
The best fear
It is the fear of man due to Grandeur of the Creator. It is even if one has done nothing wrong sin because he knows that The highest good points of the Pious people are the lowest points of the Muqarrabeen those esteemed who are nearest to God. Such a man, thus, remains ashamed of himself. This is the fear which was in the hearts of the Prophets and Walis and great Ulamah. Now we invite your attention to some Verses and Traditions:
1 - It is only the Shaitan that causes you to fear from his friends, but do not fear them, and fear Me if you are believers.
2 - Say: Surely I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the chastisement of a grievous day.
3 - What! Will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and aimed at the expulsion of the Apostle, and they attacked you first; do you fear them? But Allah is most deserving that you should fear Him, if you are believers.
4 - And those who join that which Allah has bidden to be joined and have awe of their Lord and fear the evil reckoning.
5 - And most certainly We will settle you in the land after them; this is for him who fears standing in My presence and who fears My threat.
6 - Men whom neither merchandise nor selling diverts from the remembrance of Allah and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of poor-rate; they fear a day in which the hearts and eyes shall turn about.
7 - And he who obeys Allah and His Apostle, and fears Allah, and is careful of his duty to Him, these it is that are the achievers.
8 - Those of His servants only who are possessed of knowledge fear Allah
9 - Except what Allah pleases, surely He knows the manifest, and what is hidden. And We will make your way smooth to a state of ease. Therefore do remind, surely reminding does profit. He who fears will mind.
10 - And as for him who fears to stand in the presence of his Lord and forbids the soul from low desires, then surely the garden - that is the abode.
These were some of the verses that describe the topic of fear. Now we invite your attention to some of the narrations:
1 - Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Addressing Ishaaq bin Ammar he said: Fear God as if you see him and if you do not see Him, He does see you. If you believe that He does not see you than you have become a Kafir and if you know that He sees you and yet you disobey Him openly then you have imagined Him to be the lowest ones because no slave ever disobeys his master like that.
2 - Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Whoever knew God, feared Him and who feared Allah pulls out his heart from the material world.
3 - Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Verily a part of worship is the fear of God. Allah says: Those of His servants only who are possessed of knowledge fear Allah!
Also the Lord Al-mighty says: Therefore fear not the people and ear Me.
Again Allah Almighty says: and whoever is careful of his duty to Allah, He will make for him an outlet.
And Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Love of status and fame has no place in fearful souls. So one who fears Allah does not love leadership government and fame.
4 - Someone asked Imam Sadiq (a.s.) about Almighty's Words: He replied: the one who knows that Allah sees him and hears what he says and that he has full knowledge of whatever good or bad he does, and the same knowledge prevents him from evil deeds, is the one who fears from the High Grandeur of God and who has bridled his soul from desires.
5 - Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: A faithful person lives between two fears: About sins which he committed and does not know what devastation devastating sins he has brought upon him. So, every morning at every minute he is fearful and nothing but fear improves him as due to it he repents over past thin sins and tries to be obedient and worshipper in the future and a Faithful does not get up in the morning but in a state of fearfulness and only fear improves him.
6 -The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) says: Whoever is able to do evil or a passionate thing and does not commit it for fear of Allah Almighty, God prohibits the Hell-fire from him and gives him protection and security and saves him on the Day of Resurrection from calamities in the form of deeds as he has been promised is His Book the one who fears from standing before God, for him are two gardens.
7 - The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: one who leaves sinning for fear of Allah Almighty, God makes him happy on the Day of Resurrection.
8 - It is also recorded from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.): A faithful person fears none but Allah and speaks nothing about Allah but the truth, that is, he never attributes indecencies to His Holy Self.
9 - The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: One who becomes more knowledgeable about his God fears Him more.
10 - Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Whoever fears Allah, God makes everything afraid of him, and the one who does not fear Allah, God makes him afraid of everything.
11 - Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: No one is secure except the one who fears Allah.
Now we invite your attention to some questions and answers:
A - Is there a difference between Khashiyat and Khauf? Or are both nearer to one another in their meaning? Some have said: Khashiyat is a khauf that is linked with respect and with knowledge and certainty. And hence the Holy Quran is considered this state of mind especially as that of the knowledgeable persons: Those of His servants only who are possessor of knowledge fear Allah.
By paying attention to the use of the word Khashiyat in the Holy Quran in many verses, it becomes clear that Khashiyat has been used in the same meaning conveyed by Khauf and that they are synonymous.
Question: Is the fear of Allah anything except the fear of accountability and punishments from Him?
Answer: Fear of God is not necessarily always in the meaning of accountability before Him and of His chastisement. Rather, His High Status and the serious thought of man's duty toward Allah as His slave worshipper even without a thought of His anger and chastisement automatically create in the mind and heart of a really faithful man a condition of fearfulness and fright. Fear as a result of faith in Allah and the awareness of His Grandeur and the thought of accountability before Him combine in a faithful person .
Perhaps there is a hint toward this in verse 28 of Surah Faatir.
And the fear which the Prophets and the Imam (a.s.) and the midnight weeping of Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) reveal the same meaning as described above. But in case of ordinary people it refers to the divine chastisement because every wise person knows that he must fear the consequent chastisement of his own misdeeds as the Holy Quran says:
1 - So this day no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least; and you shall not be rewarded aught but that which you did.
2 - those who do evil shall not be rewarded for aught except what they did.
3 - On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done of good and what it has done of evil, it shall wish that between it and that evil there were a long duration of time
C - Is it absolute fear that is desired or it has any limits?
Answer: What can be derived from verses and traditions is as follows:
Fear is desired in case it does not make man disappointed. Hence the Holy Quran says: He said: And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord but the erring ones?
And also says: and despair not of Allah's mercy; surely none despairs of Allah's mercy except the unbelieving people.
A faithful person is both fearful and hopeful
1 - Haaris along with his father Mugheerah asked Imam Sadiq (a.s.): What was the admonition will of Luqman to his son? He said: There were wonderful matters in that will and the most astonishing of all was that he told to his son: Fear Allah in such a way that if you bring forth all the good deeds of the human beings and the jinns, yet He will punish you and so also be so much hopeful of Him that even if you bring forth all the evils sins of men and jinns He will be kind to you. Then said: my father said: There is no Faithful salve unless there are two lights in his soul: Light of fear and Light of hope is such proportion that if this one is weight it not be heavier and if that is weighed it too will not be heavier.
2 -Hasan bin Abi Surah says: I heard from Imam Sadiq (a.s.): A faithful really does not become a faithful until he is both fearful and hopeful and he is not fearful and hopeful unless he acts in accordance with that fear and hope.
3 - It has been recorded from Imam Sadiq (a.s.): There is a group of people who commit sin and then say we are hopeful of of Gods Mercy and they entertain the same belief till their death and they do unto repent. Then said: These are liars; they are not hopeful of God and they do not fear His punishment, because, if a man is hopeful of something he seeks it and if one fears something he runs away from it.