the name of God and strive to manipulate religion sometimes promote
terror, war, massacres and lovelessness in the name of religion. No
matter what religion they advocate, these people are definitely
ignorant and imposters because God does not desire any wrongdoing,
rather He desires love, brotherhood, and peace for His servants.
The purpose of this information here is the following: some Christians
introduce their religion as a religion of love while they consider
Judaism, and especially Islam, as areligion based on fear. However
this is a seriouserror. All three major religions, Islam, Judaism,and
Christianity preach love, friendship, and calls people to peace and
brotherhood, for these are what God demands from us. The essence, and
basis of religion is love.
Surely our Christian brothers are right in believing in the purity
oflove. However some of them interpret the concept of love in a
desperate and erroneous way. Some of our Christian brother depart from
the concept that fear and awe of Allah can be reconciled with the love
of Allah, thus they pay no heed tofear of Allah. This attitude is
indeed quite dangerous.
The actual meaning of fear of God
Before explaining the kinds of peril that could result from
misconceptions of this subject, it is of great importance to
understand the definition of what the fear of God is. The majority of
people misunderstand the meaning of the fear of God, and also claim
that fear brings about involuntary faith, which would render that
faith invalid. The fact is however that this is not true. The fear of
God is to submit to God with awe, with a fear that is derived from
respect. Meanwhile, one should avoid an attitude or thought with which
God will not be pleased solelydue to one's deep love of God.
The love of God and fear of God are a whole. A person who loves God
very much deeply fears an act that will offend God or one that will
cause being deprived of His good pleasure. This isactually the fear of
God that a person who loves God experiences. A person who really loves
God remains loyal to Himwith passion, affection, and love no matter
under which conditions he may be or how hard of trials he may undergo.
None of the conditions, occurrences, or hardship can overshadow it or
prevent it. Avoidance of any act that would displease God is a
consequence of profound love of God. Indeed the fear constantly
motivates a person who experiences the love of God. It gives him joy.
It is impossible for such a person to be careless in performing his
acts of worship, intentionally have any flaws in his servanthood or
recklessly engaging inunlawful ( haram ) deeds. Throughout his life, a
person of such sincere faith would do his best to please God.
The necessity of God's wrath upon unbelievers
Al-Muntaqim (the One Who takes revenge), oneof the beautiful names of
God is misinterpreted by some people or it is intentionally distorted.
The wrath of God is only upon mean people, hypocrites, those
committing forgery in the name of God and unbelievers. To believers,
on the other hand, God gives a sense of full security and ease. In one
verse of the Qur'an, God gives the news that there will be no fear for
those who believe, including Christians:
Those who have faith and those who are Jews and the Sabaeans and the
Christians, all who have faith in God and the Last Day and act rightly
will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Surat Al-Ma'ida, 69)
Because a person of genuine faith knows God and appreciates Himwith
due measure; he remains distant to God's wrath as long as he serves
God and strives toearn His good pleasure. God takes revenge only from
those who are cruel. This is the law of God. A human being fears God's
wrath only when he wrongs. However when he engages in good deeds and
strives to earn God's good pleasure, he trusts in God and his
conscience remains at ease.
The al-Muntaqim attribute of God is a great blessing for believers.
For instance, seeing that a person who oppresses a little girl and
then murders her is punished in the Hereafter and thus seeing the
manifestationof God's justice is a greatblessing for a believer. This
repayment a cruel person receives in the Hereafter is also a great
blessing for the child who is oppressed. That iswhy just as how
Paradise is a blessing forbelievers so is the Hell where cruel people
are punished. Both Paradise and Hell are the places where God's
infinite justice is manifested in the Hereafter. Those who strive to
oppress prophets, those who betray the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), murder
innocentchildren and human beings have been and will be repaid by our
Lord as a requisite of His beautiful name, al-Muntaqim . The
opportunity of repentance is surely available to each one of them in
this world. However repayment to those who are arrogant and do not
repent is a relief for those who are exposed to cruelty and those who
watch them. Consequently the al-Muntaqim name of God brings joy to a
person of faith who has a conscience.
Fear of God is essential in order to be a good servant of God and to
deserve Paradise
What is explained above are great facts that motivate a person of
faith. The outlook of a person who really loves God and thus severely
fears of having a flaw in his servanthood to God is totally different
from other people. Such a person does not commit unlawful deeds, does
not ignore his acts of worship and remain heedless to the voice of his
conscience. In brief he remains extraordinarily meticulous in
everythinghe strives to earn God's good pleasure. Such a person is
scrupulous, notegotistical and until the end of his life he remains a
self-sacrificingand compassionate person. Such a person never gives
harm to others and fears a lot from doing something for which he will
not be able to give an account to God. He lives every moment of his
life awarethat he will account for them to God and that God watches
him every second. Aware that the real life is not in this world but in
the Hereafter, he feels the joy and fervor of loving God. This
fervency in no way abates until the endof his life.
In the Gospel fear of Godis described with the following words and
thus Christians are calledto fear of God:
… live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear . (1 Peter, 1:17)
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord , we try to
persuadeothers. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also
plain to your conscience. (2 Corinthians 5:11)
… your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and
for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere
your name , both great and small—and fordestroying those who destroy
the earth." (Revelation 11:18)
… let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and
awe. (Hebrews 12:28)
If a person is not in awe of being a good servant to God, and he
claims to have love of God but does very few things to earn God's good
pleasure, and despite all of these asserts that his love of God
suffices for deliverance in the Hereafter, then this is not the
sincerity God asks from a person. Sucha person apparently lacks the
most basic element –that is fear of God- that will encouragehim for
being a better servant to God. Without being in a spiritual state
between fear and hope, that is not giving a thought to whether his
deeds for God are sufficient or not, a person will believe that his
love of God is enough to deserve Paradise. This is the stateof some
Christians who reject the importance of having fear of God, and simply
believe and advocate that the love ofGod is sufficient. Consequently
these Christian brothers need to ponder once again over the meaning of
the fear of God in the form itis described above and abide by the call
of the Gospel, that is, " [to] worship God acceptably with reverence
and awe." (Hebrews, 12:28)
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