SHAFAQNA- God Almighty has placed within the human being two feelings: sadness and sorrow and fear. In the traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), sadness and sorrow are mentioned in some cases as virtues and in others as vices. If these states are used correctly, they can become a powerful force for spiritual growth and elevation.
Sorrow over missed opportunities and fear of sin and disobedience to God lead believers to deeper reflection and greater effort. Thus, the Amir al-Muminin, Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) emphasizes praising sorrow and fear of God, which strengthen faith and piety.
Praise of Sorrow and Fear of God
Imam Ali (AS) states in Nahj al-Balagha: “So he made sorrow his inner garment and put on the clothing of fear of God”.[1] After the Amir al-Muminin (AS) explains that God helps His beloved servant overcome his own soul, he then says that this beloved servant of God makes sorrow his inner garment, meaning that he is constantly saddened and distressed over the spiritual ranks he has not yet attained and the opportunities he could have used more fully but did not.
He also makes fear of God his outer garment, meaning that he is always apprehensive lest sin or ingratitude toward God issue from him and cause his name to be removed from the register of God’s sincere and beloved servants.
Sorrow arises in situations where a blessing is taken away from a person or a loss befalls him, causing grief and distress. Undoubtedly, this state pertains to the past, for example, when a person has done something improper that resulted in negative consequences, or spoken a harmful word that exposed him to disgrace, and as a result he becomes sad and sorrowful.
Thus, sorrow appears when a person loses opportunities, has a blessing taken from him, or suffers a misfortune. But fear concerns an event or matter that has yet to occur in the future. For example, a person fears that a misfortune or punishment may come upon him, or that a blessing may be taken away. In reality, sorrow and fear are two similar inner qualities, but their objects differ: one pertains to the past and the other pertains to the future.
Sorrow and Fear of God in Qur’anic Verses and Traditions
Given the desirability of fearing God and its constructive role, many Qur’anic verses and traditions speak about these two qualities. The word khawf (fear) and its synonyms appear numerous times in the Quran. Here we refer to some of them:
“And We will surely settle you in the land after their [destruction] (the wrongdoers). This [blessing] is for those who fear standing before Me [for accountability] and fear My warning”.[2]
“And the angels fear their Lord who is above them, and they do what they are commanded”.[3]
There are also traditions that praise fear and sorrow and highlight their importance. Some of them include:
The Amir al-Muminin (AS) says: “O servants of God! Fear death and its nearness, and prepare the necessary provisions for it”.[4]
Imam Sadiq (AS) said to Ishaq ibn Ammar: “O Ishaq! Fear God as though you see Him. And if you do not see Him, He indeed sees you. If you believe that He does not see you, you have disbelieved; and if you know that He sees you, and then you still disobey Him, then you have considered Him the least of all watchers over you”.[5]
The Reason for the Religious Recommendation to Experience Sorrow and Fear
In psychology, fear is considered a type of disorder, and physicians believe that fear is the root of many physical illnesses. Today, this phenomenon has become a widespread and dangerous problem.[6] Therefore, in psychological and educational discussions and in public culture, great efforts are made to create joy and liveliness in society. For example, to combat worry, anxiety, and fear, which are considered abnormal and inhibiting states, festivals and cheerful programs are organized.
Based on this, an essential question arises: Why does Islam praise unpleasant states such as sorrow and fear, encourage its followers to adopt them, and even criticize joy and happiness? “God does not love those who exult in arrogance!”.[7]
Repeated Islamic recommendations to adopt states of sorrow and fear may create the misconception, especially among those unfamiliar with Islamic teachings and cultural context, that Islam seeks to produce fearful, depressed, joyless, withdrawn individuals.
Such people, believing that sorrow, worry, and fear are psychological disorders incompatible with human nature, and that their harmful effects are confirmed in psychology and rejected by public culture, ask: Why does Islam, which presents itself as a religion of human nature, praise these negative and unpleasant states?
Why do some Islamic teachings criticize laughter, which reflects joy and liveliness, while praising crying and supplication, which reflect fear and anxiety?
When non-Muslims, especially Europeans, observe Muslim, particularly Shia, religious ceremonies either in person or through media, and see their mourning, chest-beating, and crying, they say that these people suffer from masochism and have become accustomed to self-harm and self-inflicted pain!
But the answer to this question is that Islam, as a complete and comprehensive religion, takes into account all dimensions of existence and all aspects of human life. According to its teachings, none of the human faculties, physical, mental, psychological, intellectual, or emotional, is useless, meaningless, or harmful. All these natural and instinctive qualities, when used correctly, serve as means for human perfection. For example, the instinct of sexual desire is necessary for humanity and ensures the continuation of the human race. Anger, although it has negative moral and psychological effects and can cause personal and social harm, is not useless, and its use is necessary in certain situations.
Thus, all faculties and emotional states are necessary for human beings, and if they are used properly, they are beneficial and constructive. The harms arise only when these faculties, states, and inclinations are used in the wrong way.
The Need to Maintain Balance in Natural Instincts and Tendencies
States such as joy, sorrow, fear, and even anxiety can be beneficial both for a person’s worldly life and for helping them reach perfection and eternal happiness. What matters is that a person knows when to be joyful and when to be sad; what they should rejoice over and what they should grieve about.
It is important for a person to understand for what purpose God has placed these capacities, tendencies, and instincts in human beings, and in what situations they should be used.
Therefore, neither is it correct, as some schools of psychology and others claim, to consider feelings such as grief and fear as useless or harmful, nor is it correct, as some Christian traditions and some deviant Muslim sects do, to recommend suppressing sexual instinct or viewing it as impure.
Thus, the Qur’anic verses and narrations that regard fear and sorrow as desirable have no contradiction with human nature; because grief and fear are natural states. A person must simply use them correctly, and when used properly, they will yield valuable and constructive results. For example, fear and awe of God’s greatness motivate a person to fulfill their duties, be kind to others, serve God’s creation, show greater humility before God, and perform righteous deeds in order to draw closer to Him.
In contrast, when joy and exhilaration lead a person to neglect their individual and social responsibilities, such joy is blameworthy and contrary to human nature.
The prophets strove to make human beings aware of their noble rank and to instill in them the belief that human pleasures are not limited to worldly and animal desires. A person can also enjoy unlimited spiritual and eternal pleasures. Therefore, it is beneath human dignity to become attached to childish and animalistic pleasures such that this attachment prevents them from attaining unlimited spiritual joys.
When we hear the words joy or pleasure, our minds quickly turn toward worldly happiness and the delights that come from eating, drinking, and other material enjoyments. Similarly, when we hear sorrow or grief, our minds quickly think of the sadness caused by worldly losses or the loss of material blessings. Yet a person should also feel sorrow for falling short in worshipping God and for losing out on the blessings of the hereafter.
Pleasure itself is desirable and in harmony with human nature. When pleasure is condemned in Islamic teachings, it refers to limited and forbidden pleasures that prevent a person from attaining the eternal pleasures of the hereafter, such as the temporary pleasure produced by narcotics, which is followed by pain, suffering, and deprivation from the deeper joys of life.
What is blameworthy is preferring limited worldly pleasures over the unlimited joys of the next life. What is criticized is the flawed judgment that leads a person to become attached to temporary pleasures and thereby deprive themselves of infinite ones.
Is it not madness for someone to destroy their entire life for a few moments of pleasure or to satisfy their desires? Or for someone to risk eternal punishment for the fleeting pleasure of a forbidden glance or listening to forbidden music?
Some Benefits of Fear of God
Given the overarching principles of Islamic teachings, the Qur’an and narrations identify several benefits and positive effects of fearing God. Here, we discuss two of them:
1. Obedience to Divine Laws
One outcome of fearing God and being wary of rebellion against Him is entering Paradise with security and peace; for the final end of someone who honored God’s rulings in this world and followed the path of obedience is eternal happiness and the delight and tranquility of Paradise: “Whoever fears standing before God and restrains himself from base desires, surely Paradise will be his home”.[8]
Similarly, the Messenger of God (PBUHH) said in his counsel to Abu Dharr: “God says: I do not grant My servant two kinds of fear nor two kinds of security. If he feels secure from Me in this world, I will frighten him in the next; and if he fears Me in this world, I will grant him security on the Day of Resurrection”.[9]
2. Refraining from Disobeying God and From Wronging Others
A person may experience two possible states regarding sin:
- During sin, they may feel no fear of its consequences and pursue its pleasures with inner ease. This attitude leads to persistence in sin, spiritual downfall, and divine punishment.
- During sin, they may fear God and worry about their fate, afraid that they might die before repenting and making amends. This fear reduces the pleasure of sin while it is being committed and eventually leads to repentance, forgiveness of sins, and compensation for any rights that were violated.
The Messenger of God (PBUHH) said to Abu Dharr: “On the Day of Resurrection, the sins of a believing servant will be presented to him, and he will say: ‘In the world, I feared the outcome of my actions.’ As a result, his sins will be forgiven”.[10]
Conclusion
From the words of the Amir al-Muminin, Ali ibn Abi-Talib (AS), it becomes clear that praiseworthy sorrow and fear are affirmed, meaning that such sorrow and fear have a purpose, and that purpose is seeking God’s pleasure. This kind of sorrow and fear is constructive because it leads to making up for losses, paying greater attention to God, and seeking help from Him.
For this reason, believers never fall into panic or terror during the hardships of life. Fear that keeps a person mindful of God and motivates them, with hope in His mercy and forgiveness, to perform good deeds and make up for shortcomings is highly valuable.
But if sorrow and fear take on a negative role in one’s life and lead to depression, irritability, isolation, lack of motivation, or physical and mental exhaustion, then they are undesirable.
Notes:
[1] . Sharif al-Radi, Nahj al-Balagha: Sermon 87.
[2] . Al-Ibrahim:14.
[3] . Al-Nahl:50.
[4] . Sharif al-Radi, Nahj al-Balagha: Letter 27.
[5] . Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi, vol.2, p.67, hadith 2.
[6] . Kianbakht, Rawanshenasi Tars, p.7.
[7] . Al-Qasas:76.
[8] . Al-Naziat:40–41.
[9] . Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.77, chap.4, p.81, hadith 3.
[10] . Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.77, chap.4, p.81, hadith 3.
References
- The Holy Quran.
- Kianbakht, Tooba, Rawanshenasi Tars, translated of: Junker, Helmut, Tehran, Yeganeh Publications, 1373 SH.
- Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Yaqub, Usul al-Kafi, Tehran, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah Publications, 1377 AH.
- Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir, Bihar al-Anwar, Tehran, al-Maktabah al-Islamiyyah Publications, 1405 AH.
- Sharif al-Radi, Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, Nahj al-Balagha, Qom, Dar al-Hijrah, 1414 AH.
Source of the article | Adapted from:
Mesbah Yazdi, Mohammad Taqi. The Best and the Worst from the Perspective of Nahj al-Balagha, 1389 SH.
Source:https://en.al-shia.org/