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THE QUALITIES THAT A BELIEVER GAINS BECAUSE HE FEARS ALLAH

A high standing with Allah

… The noblest among you in Allah’s sight is the most righteous. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (

Surat

al-Hujurat: 13)

Without a doubt a person’s standing with Allah will be in accordance with his appreciation of Him, the amount of his good actions, his implementation of the Qur’an’s injunctions, his goodness of character and the sincerity of his belief. Without fearful awareness of Allah, one cannot fulfil these qualities of character and behavior. Hence, the degree of fear of Allah in someone’s heart is a key indicator of his rank with Allah.

The ability to discriminate between right and wrong

You who believe! If you fear Allah, He will give you discrimination and erase your bad actions from you and forgive you. Allah’s favor is indeed immense. (

Surat

al-Anfal: 29)

The ability to distinguish right from wrong and the increase in understanding that goes with it are, without a doubt, the greatest and most valued blessings to be bestowed upon a true believer on Earth.

If someone is granted the intelligence to be able to distinguish right from wrong, their every word, their every attitude, their every decision and their every reaction will be insightful and correct. Because someone who fears Allah can immediately distinguish between right and wrong, they will behave in accordance with what is most pleasing to Allah in everything they do. They will not be affected by indecision, uncertainty, hesitation, anxiety, or confusion. In total contrast to this however, those who have not been given the ability to discriminate are destined for ruin, both on Earth and in the Hereafter.

A double share from Allah’s mercy

You who believe! Fear Allah and believe in His Messenger. He will give you a double portion of His mercy and grant you a Light by which to walk and forgive you. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (

Surat

al-Hadid: 28)

In the Qur’an Allah promises to all His servants who fear Him and behave cautiously that their lives will be blessed, both temporally and spiritually. As expressed in the Qur’anic verse: "… Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him." (

Surat

al-Ma’ida: 119) For a true believer, that Allah should include him in His mercy is without doubt above everything else.

It should not be forgotten that during our lives on Earth, Allah may grant us happiness, abundance, blessing, comfort, and security. In the Hereafter, however, those who fear Allah will receive His infinite mercy and will be provided with far greater blessings, which those on Earth could never be compared with.

Acceptable worship

Recite to them the true report of Adam’s two sons when they offered a sacrifice and it was accepted from one of them but not accepted from the other. The one said, "I shall kill you." The other said, "Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him]." (

Surat

al-Ma’ida: 27)

Here one of the sons of the Prophet Adam (as) states that Allah accepts the sacrifice of those who fear Him. Someone who does not possess fear of Allah is, by definition, unable to give the acknowledgement due to the omnipotence of Allah, and is unable to feel the respect he should feel towards Him. As a result of their distorted view of existence and the inevitable corruption of character and behavior that goes with it, the efforts of people such as these will almost certainly amount to nothing in Allah’s sight. For this reason, Allah requires above anything else that an individual’s character be built upon fearful awareness of Him and seeking His approval. Any approach based upon denial of this will no doubt end in disappointment, as indicated in the Qur’an:

Who is better: someone who founds his building on fear of Allah and His good pleasure, or someone who founds his building on the brink of a crumbling precipice so that it collapses with him into the Fire of Hell? Allah does not love wrongdoers. (

Surat

at-Tawba: 109)

It is not possible that the worship of people who do not possess fearful awareness of Allah and whose conduct is unacceptable, will be as devoted and sincere as it ought to be. Behind every task or act of worship they undertake there will always lie the desire to show off or to impress, or to project a better image than others. Therefore, everything they do throughout their lives will amount to nothing if they do not turn to Allah and change their ways.

The enjoyment of ease in one’s affairs

… Whoever fears Allah-He will make matters easy for him. (

Surat

at-Talaq: 4)

Allah will always enable true believers who are mindful of His disapproval and who observe His limits, to enjoy His mercy, protection and support. He will open the way for them in all of their undertakings. In the words of another Qur’anic verse: "We will ease you to the

." (

Surat

al-A’la: Allah, openly or otherwise, will make matters easy for His servants in every way, be it worldly or spiritually.

Allah provides the way out of difficulty

… Whoever fears Allah-He will give him a way out. (

Surat

at-Talaq: 2)

For Allah’s pious and fearful servants, no predicament is ever insoluble or insurmountable. By Allah, they are capable of overcoming every obstacle by using the intelligence and understanding He has provided them with. Even in the apparently most difficult situations, Allah will eventually show them a way out, and however long their difficulty lasts, they will not be left alone. This is Allah’s promise to the believers.

Allah erases their wrong actions, forgives them and multiplies their reward

That is Allah’s command which He has sent down to you. Whoever fears Allah-He will erase his bad actions from him and greatly increase his reward. (

Surat

at-Talaq: 5)

After their death when they are called to account, for true believers there will be an easy reckoning. This is because believers have lived their lives on Earth in accordance with the guidance of our Lord Who created them. Most certainly they are not without fault, they may even have sinned but Allah, the possessor of infinite mercy, has stated in the Qur’an that He will forgive them:

Say [from Me]: "My servants, you who have transgressed against yourselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Truly Allah forgives all wrong actions. He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful." (

Surat

az-Zumar: 53)

Therefore, those people whom Allah has forgiven will receive an even greater reward for what they have done on Earth; they will be admitted to the Garden which is full of countless blessings.

Allah’s infinite compassion will be demonstrated to the true believers even on Earth. As a result of their fearful caution, their attachment to Him and the good actions they have carried out, the reward for their kindness and sincere behavior will be increased many fold. Even though they owe a debt of worship and obedience anyway for the life He has given them in the first place along with all of the countless blessings that go with it, Allah by the vastness of His generosity sees fit to reward them purely from His matchless kindness and benevolence.

WHY DO BELIEVERS FEAR ALLAH?

To understand why believers fear Allah, it is very important to understand that fear of Allah is a feeling which incites a believer’s faith, eagerness, love and respect for Allah. This fear guards a person against adopting attitudes which Allah does not approve, curbs the overflowing desires of the self and reigns in boundless evils. When experienced from a positive perspective, this fear gives constant rise to good actions and attitudes. This fear distances the believer from Allah’s punishment, and draws him towards Allah’s pleasure and mercy, which results in great spiritual satisfaction. It inspires in a believer the need to respect Allah’s boundaries, gives him an uncompromising determination in seeking Allah’s approval and a constant vigilance. Subsequently, the fear of a believer in this world will save him from the fear of the Last Day and the eternal fear and terror of Hell. A Qur’anic verse declares: Those who give away their wealth by night and day, secretly and openly, will have their reward with their Lord. They will have their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Surat al-Baqara: 274) Believers who fear Allah’s warnings and punishment and who adhere with absolute vigilance to His order and judgment will possess a superior morality, which Allah approves of: modesty, tolerance, thoughtfulness, devotion, a pure intellect and a deep awareness of the surpassing excellence of Allah’s creation. Such people will display exemplary conduct and possess a high awareness and great sensibility. In essence, fear of Allah spiritually enriches the believer. It increases their inner sight, and engenders a noble spiritual state enhanced by subtle intimations of divine wisdom; it is the key to eternal reward and happiness. They fear Allah’s exalted rank A believer who has an awareness of Allah as described in the Qur’an and who sincerely reflects on His attributes will immediately begin to experience that inner awe that is due to Allah’s exalted rank and superiority. Allah’s majesty, vastness and infinite power will create within the believer a fear full of absolute awe and amazement. This fear is a natural fear, which grows in the heart of a believer who is conscious of Allah’s high and exalted rank. The levels of this fear will increase in proportion to the depth of a person’s faith and capacity for reflection. This kind of fear is referred to in the Qur’an as hashyat (to fear with awe). Allah is the possessor of infinite strength, infinite knowledge and possesses infinite wisdom. He does what He wills when He wills. He will not be questioned about what He does, but He will question people about what they have done. Our Lord is rich beyond need of any being. However, all of creation is dependent on Him. Everybody and everything is created from nothing and it is Allah Who ensures their existence. He is the owner of everything and everybody. If He willed to do so, He could exterminate everyone and replace them with other creatures. He never forgets anything. If Allah wishes for something to be, He merely says, "be" and it will be. Nothing can ever tire Him. For an intelligent person to adopt an attitude of indifference toward Allah for even a moment would be out of the question, let alone taking up a rebellious stance against Him Whose superiority is infinite. A person who recognizes Allah as described in the Qur’an and who appreciates His strength will be overwhelmed with awe at His vastness and adopt the attitude of humility and caution that is due to Him. A believer who knows Allah’s greatness, majesty and strength is also aware of His other attributes such as "The Avenger" "The Compeller" "The Punisher" and "The Degrader." He will also know that any attitude or speech which is contrary to His commands will not be without response from Him. The believer will act in the knowledge that Allah is at all times aware of everything, that He is all surrounding and all encompassing, and that He is closer to him than his jugular vein. As a result of the believer’s sincerity, Allah will reward him by His infinite Mercy with affirmation in this world, and in the Hereafter with Paradise: For those who fear the Station of their Lord there are two Gardens. (Surat ar-Rahman: 46) Most certainly, to appreciate Allah as is due, it is necessary to possess a very good understanding of His Qur’anic signs (verses) as well as being able to recognize His signs in the physical world. From the tiniest atom or cell to the greatest stars or galaxies, possessing detailed knowledge in relation to Allah’s creation increases a person’s fear of Him. By being aware of these things one gains an even greater appreciation of Allah’s infinite wisdom, power and knowledge as manifested in the intricacies of the countless things He has brought into existence, and one is also better able to grasp the utter uniqueness of His power to create. This in turn would serve as a means of increasing many times over the fear of Allah. Thus, Allah reveals this secret in the Qur’an: … Only those of His servants with knowledge have fear of Allah. Allah is Almighty, Ever-Forgiving. (Surah Fatir: 28) They fear Allah’s warnings In another verse Allah advises the believers to fear His warnings as they would fear His exalted rank: … That is the reward of those who fear My station and fear My threat. (Surah Ibrahim: 14) Allah has promised to those who do not believe in and obey Him, who never pay regard to what is pleasing to Him and who do not recognize His commands and prohibitions, an endless, spiritual and physical punishment. A true believer knows that no one in this world is safe from Allah’s punishment. It is because of this that he is fearful of being subjected to the intolerable and infinite punishment of Hell, which Allah has promised to those who repudiate belief. The spiritual state of the true believers is described in the Qur’an in the following manner: [Believers are] those who affirm the Day of Judgment. Those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord. No one is safe from the punishment of his Lord. (Surat al-Ma’arij: 26-28) The souls of those believers who truly fear Allah tremble on hearing recited those verses of Qur’an which refer to the Fire. On the other hand, those who refuse to believe cannot properly comprehend the meanings of the Book of Allah, even if they do read it. Therefore, only true believers will perceive in these Qur’anic verses Allah’s warning to them of the torments of Hell. The only people who will pay heed to the Qur’an, fearing Allah’s punishment and act cautiously, are the true believers. As a result, they model themselves not on other people, but rather, on those God-fearing believers who are praised in the Qur’an, and the prophets. These people do not grow arrogant or over confident, thinking to themselves, "these verses cannot possibly apply to me, since I am a believer." On the contrary, as a result of their faith, they will constantly hope for redemption and Allah’s mercy, as emphasized in the following verse: … they call on their Lord in fear and ardent hope. (Surat as-Sajda: 16) About this issue, Prophet Muhammad (saws) said: "When the heart of a believer is filled with these two feelings of hope and fear, Almighty Allah fulfils his hope and saves him from what he fears." (Ibn Majah) In order to protect people from Hell, Allah’s numerous warnings and reminders are to be found in the Qur’an. In the hope that the rejectors may become fearful and become cautious in their behavior, they have been warned with the punishments they will face in the Hereafter. This is emphasized in the Qur’an: … "The real losers are those who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Rising." Is not that clear loss? They will have awnings of Fire above them and awnings below them. By that Allah strikes fear into His servants: "O My servants, fear Me!" (Surat az-Zumar: 15-16) The reality is that Allah has warned people, either through His verses or by the mediation of His prophets or even through particular incidents which occur as warning experiences. He will invite them and frighten them with His punishment. "… We frighten them, but it only increases them in their excessive insolence." (Surat al-Isra’: 60) The verse clearly shows that for those who persistently reject faith, Allah’s warnings are of no benefit, rather they encourage them to greater outrageousness. When the time comes, the punishment they have denied will manifest as certain truth. Allah declares in one of His verses: Woe to you, and woe! Then woe to you, and woe! Does man reckon he will be left to go on unchecked? (Surat al-Qiyama: 34-36) Those who distanced themselves from fear of Allah during their time on Earth and denied Allah’s punishment, will be given their records in their left hand after they are called to account, at which time they will be judged accordingly and will be sentenced to infinite punishment and driven to Hell in groups. They will be in a state of total psychological collapse as they are dragged to the gates of Hell. Allah describes the moment in His verses in the following manner: Those who do not believe will be driven to Hell in companies and when they arrive there and its gates are opened its custodians will say to them, "Did Messengers from yourselves not come to you, reciting your Lord’s Signs to you and warning you of the meeting on this Day of yours?" They will say, "Indeed they did, but the decree of punishment is justly carried out against the disbelievers." They will be told, "Enter the gates of Hell and stay there timelessly, for ever. How evil is the abode of the arrogant!" (Surat az-Zumar: 71-72) In this manner, they will enter through the gates of Hell to remain there forever. The gates of Hell will be drawn closed and locked. There will be no possibility of escape, and their bodies and souls will be subjected to infinite, unbearable pain. However, none of the punishments they will be subjected to will kill them. After each exposure to the Fire their scorched flesh will be renewed and the punishment will continue. They will long for the punishment to come to an end, but they will receive the following answer: They will call out [to the custodian of the Hell], "Malik, let your Lord put an end to us!" He will say, "You will stay the way you are." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 77) The punishment of Hell is of different types, each one of which is beyond human powers of imagination. The deviators will be firewood for Hellfire, they will be tormented by it. Their faces will be rolled over in the Fire, with hands tied they will be thrown into a narrow space in the fire where they will be boiled and branded. Whilst in this state they will be scourged with cudgels made of iron, they will wear shirts of tar and will sleep on beds of fire covered with fire. They will eat bitter thorny bush and poisonous zaqqum and will drink blood and scalding pus. The boiling water they will be made to drink will lacerate their bowels, the Fire will sear their faces, their lips will be drawn back from their teeth, and they will sigh and gasp. All these are just one perspective on the physical punishments of Hell. The people of Hell will also be subjected to the psychological equivalent of the pain they suffer physically. Simultaneously they will feel helplessness, hopelessness and remorse, and they will be subjected to degradation, disgrace, abasement, humiliation, anger, rage and quarrel. At the same time, the punishments inflicted upon them will devour, and destroy them. Under this multiple onslaught of pain and suffering, each one of them will be alone as enemies one to another. They will constantly curse one another. Their insane screaming, bawling, begging, moaning and groaning will merge into a deafening howl. It would be easy to imagine that those subjected to this punishment are creatures of another kind. However, this is not so, they are people who once inhabited the Earth who you may have seen walking along the street, some of whom you may recognize and know personally. Nothing has changed except that at a time they least expected, the angels of death have taken their souls and they have found themselves answering and paying for the sins they have committed. Amongst Allah’s creatures, it is only the true believers who are aware of Allah’s great warning and whose condition is one of fear and hope: [The servants of the All-Merciful are] those who say, "Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell, its punishment is inescapable pain." (Surat al-Furqan: 65) They fear losing Allah’s approval and love The true believer who possesses an intimate and profound love of Allah knows very well that the most important nourishment for this love is again an intimate, profound fear which is full of respect. True believers, who have tasted the indescribable spiritual pleasures of loving Allah, are very afraid of committing any offence or error that might endanger that love or, worse still, arouse the displeasure or enmity of their Most Beloved, Allah. Fear of Allah is inextricably linked to love of Allah. Love of Allah can only be achieved with nearness to Allah, which becomes a reality when one develops an intimate and sincere attachment to Him. However, nearness to Allah is not possible without His love and approval, and this is gained by protecting His boundaries and fulfilling His commands. This however, is not a position that can be arrived at without first establishing fear of Allah, because the soul of a person who does not fear Allah will constantly be drawn towards doing things which Allah does not approve of and being neglectful and indifferent towards those things which Allah desires of us. It is for this reason that the only way to gain Allah’s approval is through fear of Him. This order of things is established by Allah. Hence, to imagine that one will earn His love and approval before one has acquired fear of Him is a sign of great self-deception. Before all else, Allah has ordered people to fear Him. To overlook this imperative and to say that one only needs to love Allah makes no sense. People who assert that they love Allah whilst they remain indifferent to what may be displeasing to Him are, in reality, deceiving themselves in their attempts to ease their own consciences. The love of Allah they refer to is a figment of their imagination and is superficial in nature. People who truly love Allah are extremely meticulous and decisive when it comes to the matter of adhering to His commands and prohibitions. Arguing that fear of Allah is unnecessary is in fact no different from saying, "there is no need for fasting, prayer and worship." Such people resort to a variety of excuses not only on the matter of fearing Allah but also in order avoid fulfilling many of Allah’s other commands. They know that Allah could respond even on Earth The Qur’an is full of references to Allah punishing some people as a result of the sins they have committed on Earth. Despite Allah’s providing them with ample opportunities to avoid it, those who have persisted in their denial of belief have suffered the consequences of Allah’s response whilst still on Earth for what they have done and have remained as prime examples for other people. A prime example of this is the story of Qarun, who was given great wealth by Allah. As a result of this vast wealth he became arrogant and developed an exaggerated sense of his own self-importance. People were initially convinced of Qarun’s great power and were in total admiration of him, however, later on, when he met his demise as a result of his fierce pride, they finally understood the truth. In a totally unexpected and unprecedented manner, Qarun was destroyed as a direct result of his rebelliousness, and made a clear object lesson for all mankind to learn: He went out among his people in his finery. Those who desired the life of this world said, "Oh! If only we had the same as Qarun has been given! What immense good fortune he possesses." (Surat al-Qasas: 79) We caused the Earth to swallow up both him and his house. There was no group to come to his aid, besides Allah, and he was not someone who is helped. Those who had longed to take his place the day before woke up saying "Allah expands the provision of any of His servants He wills or restricts it. If Allah had not shown great kindness to us, we would have been swallowed up as well. Ah! Truly the unbelievers are nor successful." (Surat al-Qasas: 81-82) The story of Qarun and other accounts in the Qur’an of many a magnificent and powerful community that have been unable to protect themselves from Allah’s punishment draw particular attention to the fact that Allah has punished them here on Earth. This reality is explained in many Qur’anic verses: Have they not travelled in the Earth and seen the final fate of those before them? They had greater strength than them and cultivated the land and inhabited it in far greater numbers than they do… (Surat ar-Rum: 9) … Did he not know that before him Allah had destroyed generations with far greater strength than his and far more possessions?… (Surat al-Qasas: 78) How many generations We have destroyed before them who had finer furnishings and a better outward show! (Surah Maryam: 74) The thing that distinguishes a true believer from other people is their consciousness of all these issues, they fear Allah with inner awe and behave cautiously. When they make a mistake or even commit a wrong action, they are aware that Allah could respond immediately and so they turn to Him in a state of remorse and repentance, begging Him for forgiveness. A true believer is very fearful of Allah but at the same time puts his trust in Allah’s infinite mercy. This sensibility comes purely as a result of reflecting on the Hereafter. In the Qur’an Allah makes mention of those people who have quite the opposite attitude. Even though the coming punishment is plain to see, they fail to connect it to the reality of their own predicament and persist in their wrongful conduct. Their situation is described in the Qur’an as follows: When they saw it as a storm cloud advancing on their valleys they said, "This is a storm cloud which will give us rain." No, rather it is what you desired to hasten-a wind containing painful punishment, destroying everything at its Lord’s command! When morning came you could see nothing but their dwellings. That is how We repay the people of the evildoers. (Surat al-Ahqaf: 24-25) In conclusion when we look at the Qur’an we see that bad deeds, as long as the one who commits them doesn’t repent and cease immediately as is due to Allah’s exalted justice, do not go unpunished. However, this punishment sometimes reaches people here on Earth, and sometimes is revealed on the Day of Reckoning. Those who show ingratitude and persist in what they do, are never safe from the punishment that Allah is able to inflict upon them within an instant. This reality is described as follows in the Qur’an: Do you feel secure against Him causing the shore to swallow you up or sending against you a sudden squall of stones? Then you will find no one to be your guardian. Or do you feel secure against Him taking you back into it another time and sending a violent storm against you and drowning you for your ingratitude? Then you will find no one to defend you against Us. (Surat al-Isra’: 68-69) Prophet Muhammad (saws) expresses Allah’s exalted justice as follows: "By Him in Whose hand my soul is, you must enjoin what is reputable and forbid what is disreputable, or Allah will certainly soon send punishment from Himself to you. Then you will make supplication and not receive an answer." (Tirmidhi) People cannot live their entire lives irresponsibly, because they are accountable to Allah. To go against this would be to incur the severity of Allah’s punishment. To persist consciously with such behavior is clear evidence of failure to appreciate the totality of Allah’s power. If Allah willed, He could at any moment withdraw all of the blessings He has bestowed upon mankind. This is referred to in the Qur’anic verses cited below: If We wished, We could put out their eyes. Then, though they might race for the path, how would they see? If We wished, We could transform them where they stand so they would neither be able to go out nor return. (Surah Ya Sin: 66-67) The reality is that everything a person owns, every breath he takes, every second of his life he owes to Allah, and because true believers are aware of these realities they are constantly mindful of exceeding Allah’s limits. They fear being caught ill-prepared for death Death is a reality. On average, a person will remain on Earth for approximately sixty years following which the eternal life commences. This eternal life will be lived either in the Garden (Paradise) endowed with endless blessings, or in the Fire (Hell), which has been created especially to inflict pain on body and soul. Whenever Allah wills, He can end a person’s life on Earth and move him to the Hereafter and there is no doubt that this decision can become a reality within a blink of an eye. A person can never know when he will die, the time his trial will end or the moment of his final judgment. As a result he should be quite fearful and cautious about being caught out unprepared when that moment arrives, being unable to account for his actions and being burdened with obligations that he has either neglected or postponed and not taken seriously. When the angels of death arrive there is no further possibility to complete unfinished obligations or to compensate for work that should have been completed. The deeds done up to that moment will either be to one’s profit or loss and one will be called to account and held responsible for them or rewarded for them, as the case may be. Death is a reality from which there is no return. Every person is allowed to "live long enough for anyone who was going to pay heed to pay heed" (Surah Fatir: 37). When the appointed time of death arrives, no matter how much a person begs and pleads he will not be given another chance. No additional time will be granted him to fulfil the responsibilities towards Allah that he had not fulfilled up to that time. To prevent true believers from becoming heedless and negligent Allah has cautioned them: Give from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only you would give me a little more time so that I can give charity and be one of the righteous!" Allah will not give anyone more time, once their time has come. Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat al-Munafiqun: 10-11) People should never be satisfied with themselves and what they have done insofar as they remain conscious of death becoming a reality at any moment and being caught ill-prepared for an end that has no return. One should spend every moment striving to protect Allah’s limits. They fear the Day of Judgment The fear of Allah and the Day of Judgment nurtured by those possessing faith is described in the following Qur’anic verse: Those who fear their Lord in the Unseen and are apprehensive about the Hour. (Surat al-Anbiya’: 49) In addition, in another Qur’anic verse Allah makes mention of the inner fear of the believers: In houses which Allah has permitted to be built and in which His name is remembered, there are men who proclaim Hhis glory morning and evening, not distracted by trade or commerce from the remembrance of Allah and the performance of prayer and the giving of alms; fearing a day when all hearts and eyes will be in turmoil. (Surat an-Nur: 36-37) For both the people who have remained far removed from fearing Allah throughout their lives, and those who believed and have behaved cautiously, their earthly actions will be shown to them one by one. Furthermore, without omitting even the slightest detail, on that day those who have lived an irresponsible life without fearing Allah and without acting cautiously will understand what they are destined for: That Day people will emerge segregated to see the results of their actions. Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it. Whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it. (Surat az-Zilzal: 6-8) As a result of their fear and remorse, they will want to die and cease to exist. Their ruinous existence is described in the following verses of Qur’an: But as for him who is given his Book in his left hand, he will say, "If only I had not been given my Book and had not known about my Reckoning! If only death had really been the end! My wealth has been of no use to me. My power has vanished." (Surat al-Haqqa: 25-29) But as for him who is given his Book behind his back, he will cry out for destruction but will be roasted in a Searing Blaze. He used to be joyful in his family. He thought that he was never going to return. But in fact his Lord was always watching him! (Surat al-Inshiqaq: 10-15) Following this, the deeds contained in the individual records will be weighed on sensitive scales, which Allah has prepared for the Day of Judgment. Not an atom’s weight of injustice will be done. If one is not amongst the cautious, one’s scales will be light and one will be apprehended, chained and sent to the place one deserves. Not only will nobody help each other, one will not even be able to help oneself. The pain of one’s helplessness will engulf one’s entire being: But as for him whose balance is light, his motherland is Hawiya. And what will convey to you what that is? A raging Fire! (Surat al-Qari’a: 8-11) On that day, people who lead their lives on Earth without fear of Allah will have all their sins laid before them one at a time. Not only the deeds committed but also all the evil deeds that they may have intended. When that time comes they will not be able to do anything about the remorse they will experience Even their attempts at denial will fail since their hearing, sight and skin will begin to speak in evidence against them as decreed by Allah: It may be that those who disbelieve will wish that they had been Muslims. (Surat al-Hijr: 2) The fear that true believers feel ensures that they continue to behave cautiously and conscientiously, being fully aware that Allah’s verse will be manifested on that day. It is for this reason that so long as one remains on the Earth one must be wary of involvement in anything that one cannot give an acceptable account for. In fact, it is inconceivable that a person possessing a sound intellect could act contrary to this. Allah’s knowledge is everywhere and envelops and penetrates everything. He is closer to a person than his own jugular vein, whilst specially assigned angels record everything without missing the slightest detail. For a person to be preoccupied with the worthless and transitional affairs of this world at the expense of forgetting the Day of Judgment is the greatest heedlessness possible. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning it means that Allah has created a new day and another chance for us. We should be mindful of the moment when we will be accountable to Allah, and start the day with sincere intentions. Our intention however, should be to distance ourselves from behavior and actions which Allah does not approve of. No one would like to find himself amongst those who when the moment arrives will be apprehended and sent to an endless punishment crying, "If only…" and "How I wish…." Mankind! Fear your Lord and fear a day when no father will be able to atone for his son, or son for his father, in any way. Allah’s promise is true. So do not let the life of this world delude you and do not let the Deluder delude you concerning Allah. (Surah Luqman: 33)

WHAT KIND OF MORAL VALUES DOES A PERSON WHO FEARS ALLAH POSSESS?

Children of Adam! We have sent down clothing to you to conceal your private parts, and fine apparel, but the clothing of righteousness -that is best! That is one of Allah’s Signs, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (

Surat

al-A’raf: 26)

In numerous verses of the Qur’an many examples have been provided of the attitudes and behavior of true believers who fear Allah. In the light of these examples the basic moral values possessed by those who fear Allah will be examined below.

They only fear Allah

In accordance with the verse "… you should not fear them but rather fear Me-and so that I can complete My blessing to you so that hopefully you will be guided" (

Surat

al-Baqara: 150), the true believer does not fear anyone or any community other than Allah. He will know that benefit and loss, good and bad can only come from Allah, that all the incidents he will encounter are only the will and creation of Allah in accordance with the fate predetermined for him by Allah.

This particular quality could be seen in all of the prophets who while communicating Allah’s religion were on most occasions opposed by entire nations but made not even the slightest concession. Allah mentions this quality in the verse cited below:

[Prophets are] those who convey Allah’s Message and fear Him and do not anyone but Allah. Allah suffices as a Reckoner. (

Surat

A person who has faith in Allah will take on and implement for himself the superior example of the prophets.

They strive to please Allah alone

A true believer lives his life in the knowledge that Allah is the judge of everything; that He is the sole owner of power and strength, and everything comes into existence by His will. For this reason true believers will know that to seek the approval of created beings who, in reality, do not possess power or strength, is of no use whatsoever. To fear Allah and seek His approval in this world will provide protection from the terrifying punishment of the Hereafter:

Is someone who pursues the pleasure of Allah the same as someone who incurs displeasure from Allah and whose refuge is Hell? What an evil destination! (Surah Al ‘Imran: 162)

A time will arrive when every deed, big and small, will be revealed and when a person’s hands and skin will testify against him. A true believer lives his life according to this reality and will absolutely never compromise under any circumstances.

The attitude of the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) (as) is a very good example. The Prophet Yusuf (as) was able to preserve his chastity against a powerful woman who desired him. Despite all her threats and intrigues, he preferred to go to prison rather than overstep Allah’s boundaries. Allah informs us of Yusuf’s (as) superior strength of character in the Qur’an:

She [the governor's wife] said, "You see! It’s him you blamed me for. I tried seducing him but he refused. If he does not do what I order him, he will be put in prison and brought low." He [Yusuf] said, "My Lord, the prison is preferable to me than what they call on me to do. Unless You turn their guile away from me, it may well be that I will fall for them and so become a man of ignorance." (Surah Yusuf: 32-33)

They always act conscientiously

A person who is a servant of Allah will not put his own needs and desires above the expectations of his Lord. He knows that if he does so despite knowing the truth, he may incur Allah’s punishment on Earth and in the Hereafter. As long as he remains fearfully aware of this danger, he will be safe from displaying the kind of attitude that would bring him within the range of the verses cited below:

However, those who do wrong pursue their whims and desires without any knowledge. Who can guide those whom Allah has led astray? They will have no helpers. (

Surat

Have you seen him who takes his whims and desires to be his god-whom Allah has misguided knowingly, sealing up his hearing and his heart and placing a blindfold over his eyes? Who then will guide him after Allah? So will you not then be mindful? (

Surat

They emulate all the good qualities described in the Qur’an

A person who fears Allah will display those attitudes that relate to good character such as loyalty, faithfulness, righteousness, honesty and sincerity. The Qur’an makes frequent mention of true believers who exhibit superior character traits. They are models of humanity that all believers should all strive to emulate. However, as long as someone has no fear of Allah, they can never truly appreciate these characteristics because the moment they meet with a conflict of interest they will inevitably sink to the level of their own immediate advantage, instead of rising to the best of conduct as described in the Qur’an. They are simply unable to experience the kind of anxiety over displeasing Allah, or being accountable to Him, or entering Hell and facing the consequences of their bad behavior, that would enable them to behave better.

They observe Allah’s limits even if no one is looking

Someone who is profoundly aware of Allah will again be fearfully cautious about doing anything that would displease Him, whether anyone else is present or not, because they are aware that any wrongdoing they commit Allah will know of it, whether it is done openly or in secret. Allah knows both the open and the hidden, and even the most secret of secrets and will be revealed and accounted for. Those who are fearfully aware of Allah know that He will present them with situations intended to test the sincerity of their caution. In one of His verses, Allah directs the true believers to:

Abandon wrong action, outward and inward. Those who commit wrong action will be repaid for what they perpetrated. (

Surat

In every situation they turn to Allah

True believers who are fearfully aware of Allah are extremely sensitive when it comes to receiving a response from Him. When any negative incident happens to them or when they feel their work is going badly, or when they are experiencing distress, they will immediately examine themselves as to whether or not they have done anything to displease Allah. Through their supplications they will seek and beg forgiveness from Him. The combination of their longing to gain Allah’s approval with the fear they feel at the prospect of incurring His displeasure, has developed into a superior perceptiveness.

In this regard the attitude of the Prophet Dawud (David) (as) constitutes a great example. In the Qur’an the profound respect displayed towards Allah by Prophet Dawud (as) is revealed by the following incident as related in the Qur’an:

Has the story of the litigants reached you? How they climbed up to the Upper Room and came in on Dawud who was alarmed by them. They said, "Do not be afraid. We are two litigants, one of whom has acted unjustly towards the other, so judge between us with truth and do not be unjust and guide us to the Right Path. This brother of mine has ninety-nine ewes and I have only one." He said, "Let me have charge of it," and got the better of me with his words. He [Dawud] said, "He has wronged you by asking for your ewe to add to his ewes. Truly many partners are unjust to one another-except those who believe and do right actions, and how few they are!" Dawud realized that We had put him to the test. He begged forgiveness from his Lord and fell down prone, prostrating, and repented. So We forgave him for that and he has nearness to Us and a good Homecoming. (Surah Sad: 21-25)

Although Prophet Dawud’s decision (as) was absolutely just and there was no doubt about it, he turned to Allah with fear of displeasing Him and nevertheless sought His pardon. It is not possible to imitate an inner fear such as this, which is pure and sincere. Such fearful awareness is only for those who measure Allah as He should be measured, who fear the loss of His approval because of their love and awe of Him.

When we look at the conduct of the prophets and true believers, we see that they are all servants who respectfully fear Allah and who strenuously avoid His punishment. However, at the same time, there is present behind this awe, a very intimate love and friendship. Their continuous and consistent praise and exaltation of Allah is an indication of their total love and attachment to Him

Shortening is a type of fat such as lard that is solid at room temperature, and is used for making pastry.
 

Source: Encarta® World English Dictionary
 

Animal shortening must be avoided. Vegetable shortening is halal

The following ingredients should be avoided by all Muslims:

1. Alcohol
2. Animal Shortening*
3. Animal Fat *
4. Bacon
5. Broth* (from animals)
6. Enzymes*: Microbial Enzymes are okay
7. Ethanol
8. Ethyl alcohol
9. Gelatin*
10. Gin
11. Ham
12. L-cysteine (if from human hair)
13. Lard
14. Lipase*: Only animal lipase should be avoided
15. Pepsin
16. Rennet*: All forms should be avoided except for plant/microbial/synthetic.
17. Rum
18. Stock* (from animals)
19. Wine
20. Tallow*
21. Vanilla Extract/Flavour
22. Whey : Should be avoided unless the rennet used in its production is plant/microbial/synthetic.

Account Yourselves Before You are Taken to Account
By: Unknown | As-Sahwah.com

Account yourselves before you are taken to account!" `Umar ibn al-Khattaab [Az-Zuhd of Ibn-ul-Mubaarak]

"On that day every person will be confronted with all the good he has done, and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil deeds. And Allah warns you against Himself (His Punishment) and Allaah is full of Kindnessto the (His) slaves" [Soorat Aale-'Imraan

3:30

].

Ibn Katheer explain the aforementioned aayah: "On the Day of Judgment all his good and evil deeds will confront him, as Allaah, the Most High, says, ‘On that Day man will be informed of what he sent forward (of his evil or good deeds), and what he left behind (of his good or evil traditions)’ " [Tafseer Ibn Katheer] 1/338].

One may feel that after doing an action he will never see it again. Especially, if it is an internal or hidden deed, like ar-riyaa, jealousy, hatred for the believers, desiring the evil, etc.

"Knows he not that when the contents of the graves are brought out and poured forth. And that which is in the breast shall be made known" [Soorat Al-'Adiyaat 100:9,10].

"That which was hidden in themselves will be made apparent" [Tafseer Ibn Katheer 4/545] such that, "whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it" [Soorat Az-Zalzalah 99:7,8].

A person’s day is filled with actions. Actions are done and forgotten about. Forget them we may, but it is them we will have to answer about on that Day. Allaah says, "That He may ask the truthful about their truth" [Soorat Al-Ahzaab 33:8]. If Allaah, the Most High, will question and account the truthful then how can the rest of mankind be exempt?

Righteous actions are extremely valuable, for whosoever’s good deeds are more than his evil deeds and tips the scale by an atom’s weight will enter into Jannah by Allaah’s Mercy.

Therefore, a believer must focus on his actions, and focusing of ones actions entails the following:

Preperation

The slave of Allaah needs to prepare and make his soul ready for the day ahead. After Salaatul-Fajar he should make himself realize that the day has many hours. He should hope to fill every hour with that which will benefit his soul. He should hope to fill every hour with that which will benefit his soul. He should try to grasp on to the treasures of righteousness that the day holds for him.

He should hope to keep every hour free from that which will harm his soul. He should try to avoid the evil that the day has in store for him.

So, he should advise his soul to be a soul that strives to obey Allaah, keeps away from laziness, does not waste time, and takes a maximum benefit of the day. After advising his soul he should focus on:

Self-Examination

The examination of the soul occurs at three instances: before the action, during the action, and after the action.

Before the Action

The slave of Allaah must check his intentions before the action; is it only for Allaah or is it for something or someone else ? If it is for other than Allaah then he must know that it is something evil. It then necessitates that he busy himself in purifying his intention and making it only for Allaah, Al-Wahid.

He must also make sure that the act of worship will be done in the manner performed by the messenger of Allaah as understood and implemented by the Sahaaba (his companions).

During the Action

The slave of Allaah must be aware of Shaytaan and his whispering during the action. He must check to make sure that his intentions are continuously wholly for Allaah. He must strive to perfect his actions as much as possible.

After the Action

"O you who believer! Fear Allaah and keep you duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the tomorrow, And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what you do" [Soorat Al-Hashr 59:18].

"And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the tomorrow", Ibn Katheer said it means, " You take yourselves into account before you are taken into account " [Tafseer Ibn Katheer 4/342]. Therefore, we are to "see what we have sent forth from the deeds for the Day of Judgment" [Nafhatul-`Abeer min Zubadatut-Tafseer p.1349].

As after Salaatul-Fajar the slaver of Allaah prepares himself for the day, then similarly the slave must take himself into account at the end of the day. Like a business man who accounts at the end of the day and checks whether it was profitable day or not. The slave of Allaah must question his soul and ask. Did I fulfill my obligations? Did I make sure I had Ikhlaas (sincere and pure intentions only for Allaah) in all my actions or did I do actions for the show of people? Did I benefit from this day or not? And if he evaluates that he is in loss, then he should undergo:

Discipline

After taking oneself into account and realizing that one is in loss, one should discipline oneself by doing good deeds hoping that the good deeds will wipe out the evil deeds.

This was the practice of the Sahaaba, as is narrated about `Umar ibn Al-Khattab that he left his orchard to pray Salaatul-’Asr. Upon reaching there, he found that the people had already prayed, thus missing the Jama’ah. As a result, he returned to his orchard and gave it away as charity to the needy [Mukhtasir Minhaaj-Al-Qaasideen p.379].

The ones who will benefit are those who take themselves into account before they are taken into account. For being taken into account in the Hereafter is not a light matter, the Messenger of Allaah said "Anybody whose account is questioned will be punished" [Saheeh Al-Bukharee 8/#543].

So let every soul take itself into account and exert itself to improve its deficiencies and shortcomings for the matter is as `Alee ibn Abi Taalib said, " for today there is action but no accounts, and tomorrow there will be accounts, but no deeds to be done" [Saheeh Al-Bukharee 8/chapter4].

Hasan Al-Basaree (a student of Ibn Mas’ood) said, "O Son of Adam! Surely, you will not acquire the reality of Imaan until you do not pick out the defects in people of which you have in yourself, and until you start to cure that defect from yourself, so you correct it. So when you have done that, you will not have corrected a defect except that you will find another defect that you did not correct. When you do that you will be specifically busy with yourself. And the most loved of the slaves of Allaah is the one who is like that. [Sifatus-Safwah 3/234].

Ahmad bin Hanbal reported that Allah’s Messenger (sallalahu walayhe wasalam) said, "If a slave remains in prostration from the day he is born till his death and remains obedient to Allah, still he will consider his worship insignificant on the Day of Judgement and will long to return to the world to do more righteous deeds." (Tafseer Ibn Kathir)