Abû Dharr al-Ghifârî and Mu`âdh b, Jabal relate
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Fear
Allah wherever you are. Follow up a bad deed
with a good deed and it will blot it out. And deal
with people in a good manner.” [ Sunan al-
Tirmidhî ]
The importance of this hadith:
Ibn Rajab says: “This is powerful advice, bringing
together the rights of Allah and the rights of His
servants.”
The fear of Allah
The Arabic word for the “fear of Allah” is taqwâ .
It comes from the root word meaning “to protect
from something, to prevent”. Indeed, a person
exhibits the fear of Allah by seeking to prevent
Allah's punishment by carrying out what Allah
has commanded of him and abstaining from what
Allah has prohibited him.
Allah had called upon all people in every era to
fear Him. Allah says: “And We had enjoined upon
those who were given the Scripture before – as
well as yourselves – to fear Allah.” [ Sûrah al-
Nisâ' : 131]
It is Allah's right over His servants that they fear
Him as He ought to be feared. Allah says: “O you
who believe! Fear Allah as He ought to be feared
and do not die except as believers.” [ Sûrah Âl
`Imrân : 102]
Ibn Mas`ûd explained what it means to fear Allah
as He ought to be feared by saying: “It means
that He is to be obeyed not disobeyed,
remembered not forgotten, and shown gratitude
not ingratitude.”
The fear of Allah is the path to forgiveness,
salvation, and the attainment of Allah's mercy.
Allah says:
“Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and
those who do good.” [ Sûrah al-Nahl : 128]
“And My mercy encompasses all things, and I
shall decree it for those who fear Me.” [ Sûrah al-
A`râf : 156]
“He is worthy of being feared and worthy of
granting forgiveness.” [ Sûrah al-Muddaththir :
56]
“And whoever fears Allah – He will pardon him
his sins and grant him a great reward.” [ Sûrah
al-Talâq : 5]
“Indeed, those who fear Allah will be among
gardens and rivers, in a seat of truth near an All-
Powerful Sovereign.” [ Sûrah al-Qamar : 54-55]
Allah promises those who fear Him that He will
provide for their needs and grant them a way out
of their worldly difficulties. Allah says: “And
whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way
out, and provide for him from whence he could
never imagine.” [ Sûrah al-Talâq : 2-3]
This is Allah's promise. We should draw strength
from it when we are tried in life with difficulties
that tempt us to resort to what Allah has
forbidden.
The relationship between knowledge and the fear
of Allah
Allah says: “It is only those who have knowledge
among Allah's servants who fear Him.” [ Sûrah
Fâtir : 28]
There are two ways in which knowledge and the
fear of Allah are related. The first is that true fear
of Allah comes about as the result of having
proper knowledge of Allah and His perfect
attributes.
Ibn `Abbâs said about this verse: “They are those
who know that Allah is capable of all things.”
He also said: “The verse means: The only people
who fear me are those who know my power, my
might, and my dominion.”
Ibn Kathîr says in his commentary of this verse:
“The only people who fear Allah in the true sense
are those who are knowledgeable about Allah.
This is because the more knowledge a person has
about the Almighty, the All-Powerful and All-
Knowing, who possesses the attributes of
perfection and the best of names – the more
perfect and complete this knowledge is – the
greater and more total his fear of Allah will be.” [
Tafsîr Ibn Kathîr ]
The second way that the fear of Allah and
knowledge are related stems from the fact that
the fear of Allah is to seek to prevent Allah's
punishment by carrying out Allah's commands
and abstaining from His prohibitions.
Consequently, a Muslim needs to have knowledge
of these matters in order to fear Allah properly.
An ignorant Muslim may have a sense of fear, but
he will not be able to fully carry out what that
fear requires of him.
Ibn `Abbâs said: “To have knowledge of the Most
Merciful is to be someone who associates nothing
as a partner with Him, who deems lawful what He
has made lawful, who prohibits what He has
prohibited, who preserves what He has enjoined
upon him, and who has certainty that he shall
meet Him and that his actions will be accounted
for.”
Follow up a bad deed with a good deed
The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us that
the performing a good deed wipes away the sin
incurred from perpetrating an evil one. Scholars
have disagreed whether the “good deed” being
referred to here refers specifically to the context
of repentance or whether it is general for all good
works.
The strongest view is that all good deeds can
wipe away evil deeds. Allah says: “And establish
prayer at the two ends of the day and at the
approach of the night. Indeed, good works do
away with evil deeds. That is a reminder for those
who take heed.” [ Sûrah Hûd : 114]
A man once came to the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and informed him that he had contact with a
woman like a husband has with his wife, except
that he did not go so far as to fornicate with her.
This man had just prayed the Fajr prayer. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Have you
prayed with us the Fajr prayer?” When he replied
that he had, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
recited: “Indeed, good works do away with evil
deeds.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî (526) and Sahîh
Muslim (2763)]
However, a believer should always repent for his
sins. Allah says: “And those, who when they
commit an indecency or wrong themselves,
remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins
– and who forgives sins except Allah – and then
do not knowingly persist in what they have done,
for them is forgiveness from their Lord and
gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they
shall abide forever. How great is the reward for
those who work righteousness.” [ Sûrah Âl `Imrân
: 135]
A believer should follow up his sincere repentance
with the performance of good works. This is what
Allah wants from us. He says: “Indeed, I am Most
Forgiving to whomever repents, believes, and
works righteous deeds and then continues upon
guidance.” [ Sûrah TâHâ : 82]
Allah also tells us: “Except for those who repent,
believe, and work righteous deeds. For those,
Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds,
and Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [
Sûrah al-Furqân : 70] This is especially true for
major sins. A Muslim must never leave a major
sin to go without repentance, for Allah's promise
of forgiveness is for those who turn to Him in
sincere repentance. The Prophet (peace be upon
him) said: “A servant, if he acknowledges his sin
and then repents, Allah will forgive him.” [ Sahîh
al-Bukhârî (4141) and Sahîh Muslim (2770)]
And deal with people in a good manner
Allah tells us repeatedly in the Qur'ân to observe
good manners in our dealings with others. He
says: “Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and
enjoin kindness, and turn away from those who
are ignorant.” [ Sûrah al-A`râf : 199]
Allah says: “Nor can goodness and evil be equal.
Repel (evil) with what is better. Then he between
whom and you there had been hatred will become
as though he were your dear friend.” [ Sûrah
Fussilat : 34]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) is the perfect
example of what it means to possess good
manners. Allah says, describing him: “Indeed you
are of a great moral character.” [ Sûrah al-Qalam
: 4]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasized
how good manners are of paramount importance
in Islam when he said: “I was sent only to perfect
good manners.” [ Musnad Ahmad (8952)]
Indeed, he tells us that good manners are part of
faith. He said: “The believers with the most
complete faith are those who have the best
manners.” [ Sunan al-Tirmidhî (1162) and Sunan
Abî Dâwûd (4682)]
Among the good manners that we should
cultivate is to be sensible in our dealings with
others and not to react hastily when they do that
which displeases us. The Prophet (peace be upon
him) said to Ashajj `Abd Qays: “You possess
within yourself two qualities that Allah loves:
discernment and forbearance.” [ Sahîh Muslim