By Abdullahi Jamaa
When someone asks you to fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala), it may seem just an ordinary statement to you, but in reality, that friend is telling you to be awake, be aware and be conscious of Allah. Fearing Allah is a spiritual diet for your soul.
Fearing Allah involves a lot of religious knots and the foundation of it is to have a spiritual understanding and a great sense that Allah is watching over you every single moment.
When you fear His creations you run away from them but with Allah, you run towards him. When you run from other creatures you are fleeing from distraction but when you run to Allah you are seeking protection. In this way, you are searching for salvation from the avarice of your own soul and temptations from accursed Satan.
It is all about running away from worldly devastation and seeking the wholesome safety of Allah. Once you are within the confines of Allah, you are in the safest hands.
Fear of Allah is total emancipation for you both in this world and in the hereafter. If Allah is with you who can be against you. If Allah is protecting you who can destroy you. If Allah loves you who can hate you. If Allah is happy with you who can make you sad.
Fearing Allah is the cornerstone of faith in Islam. It is driven by a spiritual engine that is built on piety and humility. It forms an abundance of hope and success in life because you will drink from the Lord’s ocean of mercy and blessing.
With the correct version of loyalty through fear, you will earn an extra status, reward, and a high rank. Unlike other instances of fear, you will never feel anxious, frightened, and restless, instead, you become courageous, strong, happy and joyous.
Tranquillity which shields you from any form of sadness and discomfort is a reward of this fear. It is sufficient honor for you to know that you have a merciful Lord whose ‘tools of fear’ are love, hope and protection.
When your heart and mind are in full attestation and affirmation to the oneness of Allah you will become obedient and you will feel the presence of Allah in your life. It is a natural disposition reinforced with ceaseless remembrance about the Almighty.
When this fear is absent from your heart and mind, you become restless, frightened and overwhelmed in the bane of life. You will not have immunity against self and satanic distractions.
With an obstinate spiritual decadence, you will be alone in this world as the devastation of the hereafter awaits you. You will lack protection and you will have nowhere and nobody to run to when all doors and opportunities are closed from you.
If you lack the fear of Allah, you will inherit pessimism and sadness. You will not drink from the mercy and blessings of Allah. You will be surrounded by shame, guilt and regret in all your life. Worst of all, you will miss the purpose of life.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Have taqwa (fear) of Allah wherever you may be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it out, and behave well towards the people” (Tirmithi)
Doing good deeds
Allah’s fear is mainly being an obedient slave. Your connection with Allah depends on your loyalty and dedication which in the long run is a measure of your level of piety. The easiest way to establish sincere piety is by performing all obligatory acts of worship.
The lowest threshold of this particular fear is remaining true to obligatory acts of worship. This forms the first list that you must uncheck before building a strong faith.
You need to uphold the testament of faith, renew it always and moisten your tongue with Tawheed. Then follow up that with taking your five daily prayers seriously, praying them on time and performing them complete with their conditions.
The business of worshipping Allah is a serious engagement. Try to achieve some level of excellence in worshipping Allah. Do your best, exert quality and worship Allah with a near-perfect dedication.
Fasting, Zakat and Hajj follow the list of obligatory deeds that you have to use them as a fundamental point of planting the fear of Allah in your soul and body. Stand up and acquire security in the vigilance of worship
The most honourable experience for a believer is to worship Allah diligently the way he is supposed to be worshipped. Venerate honestly in all your worship, brave yourself with patience and prudence. Through dedication in worship, you will certainly achieve piety- fear of Allah.
In the magnificent Qur’an Allah said: “……..And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O you of understanding.” Qur’an 2:197
Did you not know that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) is the master of all beings but still he prayed all night until his feet were swelling?
Do not transgress
Here you have to clearly mark your spiritual borders. Avoid crossing divine redlines and stick to the boundaries of religion. Do not engage in disobedience and acts of transgression for indeed Allah does not love transgressors.
When Allah commands you to avoid certain things, know that it is because of your own benefits. Engaging in disobedience will come with clear consequences which certainly shutters your dreams for prosperity in this world and the next.
Transgression is all about falling into haram activities in clear violation of Allah’s commandment. It involves committing all kinds of sins whether simple or grievous.
Sins are stains that are hard to remove making the heart as hard as a rock and the mind as empty as a drum. Remain spiritually vigilant and boost your immunity against sins through good deeds.
Avoid sins as much as possible and if you sin repent to Allah immediately for indeed sincere repentance is open every moment for every honourable believer. Allah loves those who repent a lot and make amends with him.
The most formidable thing to do is to protect your religious thoughts, views and ideas, The best way of protecting them is to avoid falling into the pitfall of sinning by learning and practicing your deen.
The messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Both lawful (Halal) and unlawful things (Haram) are evident but in between them there are doubtful things and most people have no knowledge about them. So he, who saves himself from these doubtful things, saves his religion and his honor”
Voluntary acts
Engaging in voluntary acts of worship is the most handsome reward for your soul as a Muslim. When everybody else stops at obligatory acts of worship, do not pump the breaks just like the ordinary majority. Here is your secret and your spiritual fort.
You achieve special status and raise your ranks in the celestial tablets through performing special deeds. You are under no obligation to perform them but out of your own honest volition, you decided to put your life in the service of Allah.
The gems of worship are those who make extra efforts to perfecting their connection with Allah. Be part of them and observe deeds that take you closer to Allah.
The strength of a believer is about testing the tenacity of patience in worship. Cross over to the side of those who Allah has praised in the Qur’an, those who perform good deeds while making their mark in faith.
Optional deeds will take you through a smooth road in life, granting you opportunities to cherish and enjoy life with contentment and satisfaction. They will establish for you an opening out of every worldly problem while you earn special recognition and support from Allah.
Hold on to the strong rope of Allah in your lifetime and fear Allah wherever you are. You should not be overtaken by the fear of been beguiled by the glitter of this world.
Take care and protect the obligations of Allah and Allah will take care of you. If you don’t fear your creator in your life; then wait for the fear of been stamped with a bad death.
“……..And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out” (Quran 65:2)
