Fear of Allah (s.w.t.) I
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ). Hakim Abu al-Qasim Ishaq ibn Muhammad as-Samarqandi ( q.s. ) said, “Whoever fears something runs away from it, while whoever fears Allah ( s.w.t. ) runs towards Him.: Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Fudhayl ibn ‘lyadh ( q.s. ) said, “If you are asked whether you fear Allah ( s.w.t. ), do not reply; for if you say, ‘Yes’, you would be lying; and if you say ‘No’, it would mean that you do not believe in Him.” Fear burns up forbidden desires, and the wrong actions which can be so dear to a servant soon become distasteful, just as honey becomes repugnant to someone who desires it, if he discovers that it is po...