When we think of the word "fear" we think about our parents not finding out about something we do behind closed doors on a Fridaynight, or we think about our boss firing us because we did not complete a project on time. Fear is always something we feel around people when we have not lived up to their expectations or when we worry that some of our secrets and sins may become exposed to others. Fear can also arise out of admiration for someone because when we admire and love someone, we always worry what they will think and we care a lot about their opinions of us. We strive to impress them and do anything so that they will not become displeased with us or hate us. These are some interpretations of what fear means to some of us. Beyond the surface however, lies a deeper meaning of fear. As a Muslim, we should always think about ourselves and what the greater purpose of our existence is. We know as a Muslim, we are to obey, love, fear and follow Allah's Commands and His Messenger (peace be upon him). {Say, ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger'. But if they turn away, [know that] Allah does not love the disbelievers.} (Holy Qur'an, Chapter 3, verse 32) However when we think about fear in Islamic terms, we learn something completely different. Fear in Islam does not mean to fear your boss, your husband, or your parents but it is to have consciousness of Allah, to have piety, and to be Allah fearing. All these can be summed up in one word, "Taqwa." Taqwa is something we should all strive to accomplish for it is integral to our iman or our faith that we fear Allah rather than fearing the creation. Ultimately, when we have consciousness of Allah, we will be able to fear Him and thus we will achieve piety and success. When we remember that the only One we should be mindful of and the only One who we should always be conscious of, is the One who created us. When we are able to know where Allah belongs in our heart, then we will not have any fears of people and we will always be conscious of our sins. Sometimes we imagine our loved ones in the back of our mind and think about what they would say if we committed a sin or did something they disliked, but what we should really be doing is imagining and remembering that Allah does see us and that we must be concerned about His Opinion over anyone else's. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing and whoever we are with, we should always remember that Allah is watching us and we should always ask ourselves, "Will Allah approve of this?" "What would Allah think of me if I did this?" The key to having a successful life and a successful place in the Hereafter is to always observe taqwa, or piety, or being in a state of awareness of the presence of our Lord. It is truly the only way that Allah will help us and make a way out for us from all our troubles and worries. {Whoever fears Allah, Allah will find a way out for him (from every difficulty) and He will provide for him from sources that he could never have imagined.} (Holy Qur'an, Chapter 65, verses 2-3) With fear of Allah in our hearts, a believer can develop sincerity. We must learn who our Lord is and always make duaa for our intentions to be sincere. To obtain this fear, we must strive to be in good company, to be around people who draw us nearer to Allah and remind us of Allah, and not the opposite. We can try to improve our knowledge of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, or the way of our Prophet (peace be upon him). The most important way to achieve sincerity and piety is to abstain from things that are disliked and forbidden in Islam. I ask Allah to make us of the pious ones (the muttaqeen) and to keep us firmly guided on His straight path towards Paradise. Ameen.
