How to fear Allaah
16-8-2004 | IslamWeb
Question:
What shall I do to fear Allaah? I do Zikr every morning and night, but I don't fear Allaah very much. Please send the answer quickly.
Answer:
All Perfect Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may He exalt the mention of Prophet Muhammad as well as all his Family and Companions.
The fear of Allaah is one of the most important characteristics of the Mu'min, and it is most beneficial to the heart. It is a characteristic which Allaah reserves to the Muslim slaves only.
Allaah Says (interpretation of meaning): {The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts ….}[8:2].
Allaah also Says (interpretation of meaning): {Verily! Those who live in awe for fear of their Lord;} [23:57].
Allaah further Says: {….Therefore fear not men but fear Me ….}[5:44].
In another verse, Allaah Says (interpretation of meaning): {….and fear none but Me.}[2:40]. Another verse reads (interpretation of meaning): {….And Allaah warns you against Himself (His Punishment), ….}[3:28].
Allaah promised Paradise for the Mu'min as a reward for their fear of Him, Allaah says: {But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in
The Prophet (Sallallaahu alayhi wa Sallam) said: "Allaah will give shade to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but His. He mentioned among those a man who remembered Allaah and tears came down his cheeks". [Reported by Al-Bukhari and narrated by Abu Hurairah].
The Prophet (Sallallaahu alayhi wa Sallam) also said: "Whoever cries because of the fear of Allaah, Hell-fire will not touch him."
Moreover, the Prophet (Sallallaahu alayhi wa Sallam) said: "There are three things that save a person from Hell-fire, and he mentioned the fear of Allaah." Al-Albani classified it as a sound Hadith.
Our righteous predecessors used to fear Allaah much. They joined being kind, doing righteous acts and fearing Allaah. When the verse of Allaah: {It will not be in accordance with your desires (Muslims), nor those of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), whosoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof, ….}[4:123] was revealed, Abu Bakr 
asked the Prophet (Sallallaahu alayhi wa Sallam): "O Prophet of Allaah! How can one be successful after the revelation of this Ayah (verse)?" So the Prophet (Sallallaahu alayhi wa Sallam) said: "May Allaah rectify your affairs, O, Abu Bakr, don’t you face hardships? Don’t you become sad? Don’t you face problems? Abu Bakr replied 'yes'. Then the Prophet (Sallallaahu alayhi wa Sallam) said: "So that is "the recompense (for the sins)".
Pondering over these texts, makes the heart fear. One has also to turn to Allaah with good supplications, and perform righteous acts in privacy as much as possible, as well as continuously performing voluntary acts like prayers, fasting, giving Sadaqa, and seeking knowledge.
Allaah Says (interpretation of meaning): {…It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allaah…..} [35:28].
Mua'dh said: 'Seek knowledge, as seeking knowledge for the sake of Allaah, is fear (of Allaah)'.
In addition to this remembering that Allaah is always watching you and seeing you, makes you fear Him.
The Prophet (Sallallaahu alayhi wa Sallam) said: "Al-Ihsan (virtue) is to worship Allaah as if you see Him; if you do not see Him, He sees you".
You have to know that the praised fear is the fear that prevents a person from committing prohibitions.
Ibn Taymiyah said: 'The praised fear is that which prevents you from committing forbidden acts'.
Allaah knows best.