Are You Scared Usage of “Fear” in the Qur’an MuslimMatters

8/3/2019 Are You Scared Usage of Fear in the Quran MuslimMatters

1/9

Like Be the first of your friends to like this.4 retweet

You are here: Home Carousel, Quran and Sunnah Are You Scared? Usage of Fear in the Quran

Are You Scared? Usage of Fear in the Quran

Posted by Amatullah April 4th, 2009 Printer-friendly 11 Comments

1158223_candle1

Bismillah

[Written by Amatullah]

A few days ago, we had our weekly tafseer of Juz Amma class with br Nouman at the masjid and hebriefly covered some different words used for fear in the Quran. I was very fascinated by these wordsso I decided to do a bit more research on their meanings and usage in the Quran and share what Ivelearned as the weekly Saturday tafseer post on MM.

The Oxford dictionary defines fear as:

noun1 an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. 2the likelihood of

something unwelcome happening.

verb1 be afraid of. 2(fear for) be anxious about. 3archaic regard (God) with reverence and awe

We have a few words to describe this emotion in English such as: scared, anxiety, terror, panic, andbewilderment. All of these words carry the same meaning and are nearly synonymous to one another.

Arabic, on the other hand, has a considerable amount of words to describe fear; each with a differentdetail and connotation. The Quran alone has more than 10 words for fear!

Here is a brief analysis of some of the words used in the Quran for fear:

Khawf

Khawf is a perceived danger and a fear of something that is physical. Khawf is the type of fear youdfeel if a dog began to chase you.

Allah taala says:

You Scared? Usage of Fear in the Quran | MuslimMatters.org http://muslimmatters.org/2009/04/04/are-yo

14/08/2011


2/9

But as for him who feared (khawf) standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evildesires and lusts. (79:40)

The Believer has a fear of something that is manifest and real, which is captured in this ayah by the useof khawf. Allah azza wa jal did not say in this ayah that the person fears their Lord, but fears the standingbefore his Lord, and as a result of this fear, he protected himself from lusts and desires.

On the other hand, Allah says about the disbelievers:

They do not fear (khawf) the hereafter. (74:53)

In another ayah, Allah describes His blessings upon the Quraysh:

(He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear (khawf). (106:4)

While most of tribes of Arabia worried about being invaded or of a war, Allah taala protected theQuraysh from this danger and granted them safety in Makkah.

Khashyah

Khashyah is a fear as a result of knowledge and leads to action. It is when you know the greatness andmagnitude of what you fear, and as a result, have an awe and reverence of it.

Allah taala tells the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam:

You can only warn him who follows the Reminder, and fears (khashyah) the Most Merciful unseen.(36:11)

Allah taala describes the one who will benefit from the Quran: he has khashyah of Ar-Rahmaan. Byusing the Name of Allah, Ar-Rahmaan, it shows the level of their khashyah. We fear Al Jabbaar (TheCompellor) and Al Azeez (The All Mighty), but to fear Ar-Rahmaan, The Most Merciful, is the height oftrue fear of Allah. These people have khashyah of Allah bil ghayb, in the unseen can be interpreted twoways: they fear Allah and have an awe of Him when they are alone and they fear Allah and have an aweof Him even though they do not see Him azza wa jal.

In the famous ayah that most of us know, Allah taala says:

It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah. (35:28)

Imam ibn Katheer rahimahullah states with regards to this ayah, only those who have knowledge trulyfear Him as He should be feared, because the more they know about the Almighty, All-Powerful,All-Knowing Who has the most perfect Attributes and is described with the most beautiful Names, themore they will fear Him.


14/08/2011


3/9

Khushoo

Khushoo is a fear that is manifested not only in your heart but it is shown on your face and limbs.Khushoo literally means to bend down and to become still. Khushoo is used for the submissiveness ofthe heart which is reflected on the limbs.

Allah taala states,

Successful indeed are the believers, (23:1)

And the first quality of these successful believers:

Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness. (23:2)

This is the kind of fear that we should have in salah; this fear should be present on our faces and not justin our hearts. If the heart has khushoo, the body will have khushoo. So khushoo is not just a state of the

heart, it is a state of the heart which is visible on a persons actions, in their posture, and in theirmovements.

In this dunya, the believers have this khushoo, but in the aakhirah Allah states about the Disbelievers:

Their eyes will be downcast. (79:9)

These eyes that did not humble themselves to Allah in the dunya, will have fear in the aakhirah. This fearwill be apparent on their faces; faces that are full of shame, humiliation and abasement.

Taqwa

Taqwa is the most common word used for fear. It comes from the root wiqaayah which means to protectand is used for a shield.Taqwa is to protect yourself from the consequences of your own actions. It is toprotect yourself in two ways: to abandon sinning and adorn yourself with good deeds because you fearthe punishment of Allah.

Allah taala says in the ayaat of Hajj,

And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (2:197)

This ayah is beautiful because Allah taala commands us to take provisions during Hajj, that is truereliance upon Allah, but He also advises us to take the provision of the hereafter which is taqwa.

During Hajj, you are tested with many things and you must also keep away from certain actions that areotherwise halaal for you to do. The only way one can restrain themselves and be patient during Hajj is tohave taqwa of Allah.

Hadthr

Hadthr is to escape something out of fear and cautiousness because you are in proximity of it. Allah


14/08/2011


4/9

azza wa jal uses this type of fear to describe the hypocrites in many ayaat. He says:

The hypocrites fear (hadthr) lest a Surah should be revealed about them, showing them what is in theirhearts. (9:64)

Raaa

Rau is to startle someone, or to show up out of nowhere and so the person becomes alarmed. It is alsodefined as to respect combined with fear. This word only appears once in the Quran to describe thepanic that Ibrahim alayhi salaam felt panic when the Angels refused the food that he offered them:

Then when the fear (rau) had gone away from Ibrahim, and the glad tidings had reached him, he beganto plead with Us (Our messengers) for the people of Lut. (11:74)

Wajas

Wajas is a fear when you hear news that scared you. It also means to hide your fear within you so thatyou dont let the person or thing scaring you know that you are scared.

Ibrahim was scared of the angels but he did not let them see his fear:

But when he saw their hands went not towards it (the meal), he mistrusted them, and conceived a fear(wajas) of them. (11:70)

Musa alayhi salaam also felt this hidden fear after he saw what the magicians could do with their staffs:

So Musa conceived fear (wajas) in himself. (20:67)

Wajl

Wajl is to have a fear that penetrates deep in your heart. It is a fear in which a person trembles andshivers. The word mawjil, from the same root, is a depressed ground for a large deep hole. When youcome upon a huge hole in the ground out of nowhere, you are immediately shaken with fear.

This is how Allah taala describes the hearts of the believers; they are immediately awe-struck and the

fear of Him penetrates deep into their hearts:

The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear (wajl) in their hearts. (8:2)

Rahb

Rahb is that kind of a fear that makes you very alert, very careful and does not let you relax. This is thetype of fear that students feel during exam time: restless, careful, and concern for passing. It is also fearthat you are afraid that you will disappoint the one you love.


14/08/2011


5/9

Allah azza wa jal commands us to have this fear of Him:

Verily, He is (the) only One Deity. Then, fear Me much. (16:51)

The believers call upon Allah while fearing (rahbah) Him, and hoping (raghbah) in Him. Who knows whichduaa these two words are mentioned from the sunnah? Post in the comments inshaAllah if you know!

Rahb is also defined as a fear that one has in which he is concerned about saving himself. Allah taaladescribed the hypocrites as being more concerned about saving themselves from the Muslims insteadof saving themselves from Allah:

Verily, you are more fearful (rahbah) in their breasts than Allah. That is because they are a people whocomprehend not. (59:13)

Rub

Rub is to be overwhelmed with fear and terror that makes you lose your reason.

Allah taala placed this fear in the hearts of the mushriks of Makkah during the battle of Badr:

(Remember) when your Lord revealed to the angels, Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who havebelieved. I will cast terror (rub) into the hearts of those who have disbelieved. (8:12)

Rub is also used to describe the reaction of a person if they entered upon the Companions of the Cave:

Had you looked at them, you would certainly have turned back from them in flight, and would certainlyhave been filled with awe (rub) of them. (18:18)

Allah made the cave so that no person would be able to remain there, such as a passerby, because theatmosphere was made that the person would feel fright so they would not be able to stay, but rather runin terror.

Shafaq

Shafaq has many meanings in its different forms. Ashfaqa is that fear that some harm will come to aperson you love, it is a fear that is mixed with love, such as the love of a mother for her children; she isfearful out of love for them.

The Believers will reminisce in Jannah:

Saying: Aforetime, we were afraid (shafaq) in the midst of our families. (52:26)


14/08/2011


6/9

4 retweetLike Be the first of your friends to like this.

This ayah can be interpreted in two ways: Firstly, the believers, even amongst their families, feared Allahand secondly, they had this shafaq for their families, they were afraid for the aakhirah of their families.

While the believers were mushfiqeen in the dunya, the disbelievers will be mushfiqeen in the aakhirah.

You will see thewrong-doers fearful (shafaq) of that which they have earned, and it (the punishment) will

surely befall them. (42:22)

When this word is followed by , min, such as this ayah, it does not mean love at all but rather a fear inthe heart such as apprehension, anxiety, concern and worry.Try and imagine the fear and worry they willfeel knowing that Hell-Fire awaits them. Either you are mushfiq now, or will be mushfiq later.

Wajf

Wajf is a fear mixed with discomfort. It is when your heart pounds and palpitates so hard out of fear. Iti sto be agitated in a disturbed condition.Awjaftul Khaylmeans I made my horse race forward by makingits heart race.

Allah azza wa jal depicts for us the Day of Judgment:

hearts that day will be full of terror. (79:8)

By not putting an al (alif-laam, ) on quloob, it shows that only some hearts will have this fear on thatDay. Some hearts that day will be beating out of their chests. Also the sentence structure illustrates thatthese hearts are not scared at the moment, right now they have peace, but on that Day they willexperience wajf. Furthermore in the above ayah, waajifah is an ism faail (someone who does an act), sotheir hearts will be start pounding and it will not come to rest. The terror will not subside.

.Another lesson as to why translations will never do justice to the Quran, and is a small taste of theintricacies of the Arabic language.

Quiz for the readers: search for some ayaat that COMBINE a few of these words, and see if you canunderstand the different meanings

heres an example:

And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, fears Allah, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the

successful.(24:52) This ayah combines Khashyah and Taqwa. (hint: you can use a search engine like:www.searchtruth.com)

We ask Allah taala to benefit us from what we learn, to make us among those who take heed of thereminder, those who study His Book and act upon its lessons, and those who enter Firdaws Al Alaa.Ameen.

And Allah is Most Knowing.


14/08/2011


7/9

MuslimMatters.org by Amatullah on April 4th, 2009. All rights reserved. Please see legal & otherdisclaimers here.

11 Responses

Amatullah

April 4, 2009 7:07 AM

Assalamu Alykum

Apologies, I really dont know where to post thisbut I am looking forward to MMs Islamicresponse to the recently aired public flogging of girl in Swat, PK

We were having a discussion in class today, and people just started speaking their minds from alldirections. There were so many confusions and misunderstandings that needed clarificationbut Ijust didnt have the effective words to decisively and wisely put forth the correct view point.

Any input on this would be highly appreciated.

Secondly, where did the 1000+ readers of MM go? I can only see 800+.

Thirdly, where did the rating tool go? I thought it was cool.

JazakAllahu Khair,

Reply

1.

Haroon

April 4, 2009 7:28 AM

Good Stuff !!!BaarakAllah feek

The dua with raghbah and rahbah is the one which is said before sleeping, after one lies on theright side

right, right ?!?

Reply

2.

Bint Khalid

April 4, 2009 11:10 AM

Masha Allah, jazaki Allahu khaire Amatullah for this wonderful article! It was truly beneficial and Illbe on the lookout every Saturday for more insha Allah

3.


14/08/2011


8/9

The first ayah that came to my mind even though it only contains Taqwa.is Ayah 70 from SurahAl Ahzab.and because its also in the Khutbah tul Hajjah.

Reply

NasirMuzaffar

April 4, 2009 8:44 PM

Can you a PDF of this article ?

Reply

4.

UmmMaryam

April 4, 2009 9:41 PM

Assalamualykum sr.Amatullah,

Jazakumallahu khairaa for sharing such a wonderful notes.In surah nisa ayah 9 there are threetypes of fear described khashyah, khauf, yattaqu [ from taqwa].Am I right ? Did I understandcorrectly?If I am wrong plz correct me.

Reply

5.

Amatullah

April 4, 2009 11:21 PM

wa iyyakum wa feekum barak Allah!

Amatullah: Sorry ukhti I cant answer those questionsTomorrow is Open Thread Sunday soinshaAllah they may mention the incident.

Haroon: Yes thats the duaa!

Bint Khalid: great ayah mashaAllah. Can you think of any others?

Nasir: InshaAllah well work on it.

Umm Maryam: wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah, mashaAllah that is a GREAT ayah! You canlook up the tafseer (tafsir.com) and see if you can connect the three different meanings inshaAllah

Reply

6.

Sadaf

April 6, 2009 1:14 AM

Jazaakillahu khairan katheera for this excellent, well-researched and well-presented article! I lovethe Arabic ayaat you put in, and how you have high-lighted the words in red. Indeed the Quran can

7.


14/08/2011


9/9

never be understood in full without the knowledge of Arabic. What a great language!I pray that Allah rewards you for your work in both the worlds.

Reply

Zaid

April 8, 2009 10:56 AM

Masha Allah. Very nice article. Sometimes we read those verses and pass by them without muchthought. Thanks for the effort.

Reply

8.

MM Associates

April 8, 2009 5:43 PM

Here is a PDF version that was asked for: http://muslimmatters.org/wp-content/uploads

/2009/04/usageoffear.pdf

Reply

9.

h

May 18, 2009 2:30 AM

Become a FAN of Shariah Program Learn Arabic Online- today on Facebook:http://cli.gs/Z726YT

Reply

10.

happy little girl

May 26, 2009 5:13 PM

Maashalah this is the best place for a little girl like me to go on i was just serching fo islam stuffand i found this it tuoght me a lot.thix ;]

Reply

11.

Leave a Response


Documents

Are You Scared Usage of “Fear” in the Qur’an MuslimMatters