Yasir Qadhi – Overcoming Fear- A Quranic Perspective
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Today, inshallahu ta'ala, we'll talk about a
common theme that we all face in our
lives, and that is the emotion of fear,
of khawf.
And what the Quran tells us about how
to battle this emotion of khawf.
The Quran has over 100 verses
dealing with the concept of being scared.
And a lot of people have a very
simple misunderstanding
and they think that if we are scared
of something automatically this means we have weak
iman. If we have fear of something this
means that we have failed in our iman
with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. But it's not
that simple at all. And so in today's
brief lecture wanna go over some of the
verses that deal with the human emotion of
fear. And of course, fear is a natural
instinct that Allah has placed in our hearts.
Fear is the, fear of the unknown, the
fear of the future, the fear of problems,
the fear of pain, the fear fear of
suffering, the fear of financial, you know, collapse,
the fear of losing a loved one. All
of these are natural fears that Allah has
placed in our hearts. And one of the
motifs of the Quran is how to battle
fear, how to overcome fear. And that is
why the concept of fear, of khuf and
khashiya, it is mentioned in over 120 verses.
That is a massive amount of verses if
you know the concepts of the Quran. Over
a 120 verses talk about
the notion of fear. Now, obviously, we cannot
summarize all of those verses today, but I
wanted to just mention some of the key
points and takeaways InshaAllahu ta'ala, from this concept.
And of the main things that we learn
is that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
has told us that fear is a natural
emotion
and in and of itself it is not
sinful but we have to strive to overcome
it. We have to strive to maintain and
to not act out of fear. Allah tells
us, walanabuluwanakum
bishayiminal
khawfi waljuur I will test you with aspects
of fear. I will test you. So fear
is a test. Therefore,
if it is a test, we will all
feel it. Allah is saying, you're gonna feel
fear. Allah is saying, I'm going to test
you with fear and with hunger and with
a loss of life and with a loss
of money. So fear is a natural emotion,
and we will at all of us at
some time in our lives, there's going to
be an element of fear. Our brothers and
sisters in ghazah, of course, they have an
element of fear much more than us much
more than us. But every one of us
without exception, there is an element to fear
of the unknown, a fear of the future,
a fear of, you know, losing our job
or, you know, our children. Allah says in
the Quran, if you are fearful of your
children being left without you as an orphan,
then do such and such. It's a natural
fear. We're worried about our children. So Allah
is saying, I will test you with fear.
Therefore, when you know that fear is a
part and parcel of life, when we we
we know that fear is a mechanism to
be tested with, well then, we had better
study how to pass the test. Right? How
do we overcome
that sense of fear? And Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala mentions of His biggest blessings upon us
is that He allows us to overcome
our fears. So overcoming fears is a blessing
that Allah gives to the believers. Alladiata'amahumindjurin
wa
Amanahu minkhawf
Right? Of the biggest blessings
is that when you manage to pass the
test, what happens when you pass the test?
You overcome your fear. Alladiata'amahumindjurin
wa Amanahu minkhawf And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
mentions in the Quran, wathkuru iskuntumkaleelun
mustadaifoonafil
ardeitaghafoona
and yataqtafakumun
nasufaawakum.
Remember, when you were in Makkah, you were
few and you were fearful.
You were scared that people would kill you.
Allah is not criticizing the Sahaba because they
were scared. Of course, you're gonna be scared.
How can you not be scared when you're
being persecuted? How can you not have fear?
And then Allah says, but then I gave
you after this fear, I gave you safety
and security.
So Allah did not criticize the fear. It's
not a weakness of iman just to have
a fear of a natural calamity.
But without a doubt, overcoming the fear is
a blessing from Allah. Obviously, to not have
fear is a blessing from Allah, and it
is one of the greatest blessings that Allah
gives. And that's why Allah promised the believers,
WaadAllahu ladheenaamanuminkum
waamilusalihiati.
Allah has promised the believers who do good
and are believing in Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
What did Allah promise them?
That He shall give them power in this
land. And
And I promise you that after this fear,
you shall be safe.
Allah gave them a basharah, a good tidings.
Allah gave them good news. Don't worry. I
guarantee
that if you are faithful, I will substitute
your fear for safety and security.
And so this is of the main themes
and motifs of the Quran. Same thing in
the treaty Hudaybiyyah, when the Sahaba were turned
back and they were angry, and there was
an element of uncertainty and fear. What does
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala say? Allah says, latadhulanal
masjidal harama inshaAllahu
amineena muhallikiraruusakum
wamukhasareena
lataghafoon
Allah says, I guarantee you, you shall enter
Makkah. Allah promised them, you shall enter Makkah
having performed your rights of ajul umra, and
you shall enter it without any fear. Notice,
it is a praise. Allah is blessing you.
When you don't have fear, this means Alhamdulillah,
you have at some level passed the test.
So the goal therefore is to overcome this
fear. So I reiterate,
feeling fear is not in and of itself
a weakness of iman. If it were, how
do we understand? The Quran is full of
describing the righteous people and even the prophets
of Allah having fear. If fear were a
sin, some people they don't understand. They say,
Oh, if I'm scared, this means I don't
have iman. No. Allah is describing the Prophets.
Allah is describing the righteous as having fear,
and Allah does not criticize them for having
that fear. It's a human emotion. It's a
human nature. Allah says in the Quran, when
Ibrahim alayhi salaam,
the angels came to him. Allah says that
the angels said to them, La takaf, don't
be scared. Don't don't be worried. Don't be
scared. We are here. The same with Dawud,
when the angels jumped over the wall, fafaziaminhum,
he became scared of them, qaloo lataqaf. The
angels said, don't be scared. Allah didn't criticize
how can you be scared. Allah calmed through
the angels, do not be scared. Also, Musa
alayhis salaam. If you look at the biography
of Musa, multiple times Allah describes Musa as
being scared, fearful, and there's no criticism. So
the first time Allah speaks to Musa in
Turi Sayna, what does Allah say? That he
turned around fearful, and Allah says that, aqbil
walataghafinni
laakhafuladayal
mursaloon. Come to me and do not be
scared. Prophets are not scared in front of
me. Allah calmed him down and Allah gave
him comfort. So he was scared when he
heard Allah's voice. So you all know when
he heard Allah's voice, he turned around, wallamudbaran.
He turned around, he ran away scared. And
Allah said, don't be scared. Come towards me.
You should not be fearful in front of
me. Then Allah says to him, go to
Firaun. And what does Musa say? Inni akhafu
an ya'tuloon.
I am scared
Firaun will kill me. Allah says, I'm gonna
protect you. Then Musa lowers it a bit,
and it goes, Inni akhafu an yukadziborn.
I am scared that they're gonna reject me.
Musa is going back and forth with Allah.
I'm scared, you Allah. I'm scared, you Allah.
And Allah says, what?
I am with you. Don't be scared. And
when when Musa stood in front of the
magicians of Firaun, and the magicians of Firaun
threw their, their,
wands. Right?
Musa became scared when he saw this magic.
This is in front of Fir'aun. He became
scared. How am I gonna do this? Allah
says, Ulna
Lataghaf Innaka anta'ala
Allah calmed him down and Allah gave him
courage. And Allah said, don't be scared. You
shall be victorious.
So we have a constant theme. The mother
of Musa, and she was not a prophetess.
She does not have wahi. Right? The mother
of Musa. Well Allah Azzawajal says that,
Fa idaghfifty alayhi
falatakafi walatahasani
Inna raduhu ilayku wa jalmur salin If you
are scared for Musa, don't worry and don't
be scared and don't grieve. I promise you
he shall be protected and he shall be
returned back to you. Now what is interesting
in this ayah,
Allah is essentially speaking to the mother of
Musa but not directly because she's not a
prophetess. This is not wahi. This is not
wahi. So Allah is indicating in the Quran.
This is a very powerful point that Allah
gives you courage.
Allah gives you courage. That courage that comes,
it comes from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Because
the mother of Musa, no Jibreel is coming
and giving her wahib. No angel is coming
to speak to her, but within her, she
feels a bravery. She overcomes the fear. And
here is where we get to the whole
point of today's lecture. Feeling the fear is
not to sin. The test is to overcome
and act in the proper manner. To feel
it is natural. You're going to feel it.
But the more iman you have and the
more you turn to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala,
you will gain courage by belief in Allah
Subhanahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. You will overcome your
fear. Fear in and of itself, it is
a natural instinct. In fact, Allah describes even
the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam in the beginning
of the message. Right? The when the what
he first came down, when he first saw
Jibril, what did he do? You all know
what he did. Right? He went back, zambiluni
dathiruni,
and he says the hadith is zaybukhari.
I
am scared. What's going on? Hashitu. It's the
wording he used. I am scared. Hashitu alanafsi.
It's normal in the battle of, the khandaq,
the trench. In the battle of the trench,
the ajab. Allah azza wa jal describes in
the Quran that,
idjaaookuminfaookikumum
bumin asfala milkum wazzaqatil abusaruabalagatil kulubalhanajir
You were so scared your hearts
were in your throats, literally in the Quran.
Who is Allah talking about? The best of
all generations.
The best of all generations. And Allah did
not criticize them for that fear. Because if
you're not scared facing an army larger than
you, something is wrong with you as a
human being. That fear factor gives you adrenaline.
It gives you a rush. It makes you
act in a way that you should act
if you control that fear and you overcome
that fear. So to be very explicit here,
the emotion of fear is a tool. It's
not a sin. And if you utilize that
tool, and you control it, and you channel
it, and you turn to Allah to overcome
that fear, then you have passed the test.
Having the fear is not failing the test.
Is that clear here? Right? Feeling the fear
is natural. Of course, you're gonna have a
fear when you see the enemy, when you're
Allah says in the Quran, you're gonna be
scared of losing wealth, losing family. It's a
natural fear. So you have to act in
accordance with the sharia. Now the question therefore
comes, how do we overcome this fear? How
do we overcome this fear? The Quran mentions
a number of things. Generically, you'll mention 3
of them. 3 of them. Number 1,
when Allah sent Adam down, He gave him
the commandment to avoid fear.
Whoever follows My guidance
shall not have any fear nor shall they
worry. Following the
guidance
of
of
Islam.
Whoever
truly believes and lives a righteous life.
Having iman in Allah helps you overcome that
fear. Being a pious person helps you overcome
that fear. And Allah azza wa Jal also
mentioned something specifically to overcome fear, and that
is giving charity, giving sadaqah. The Quran in
multiple verses links being generous with overcoming fear.
Why? Because one of the biggest causes of
fear
is to be in poverty. We're scared of
losing money. We're scared of not being able
to take care.
So when we give fee sabillillah, this is
one of the highest acts of courage. It
is an act of courage and iman. When
you give for Allah and you trust Allah
will give you back more, you are demonstrating
you are fearless. You are demonstrating your tawakkul
in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And so amazingly,
the Quran literally links the absence of fear
with being generous in multiple verses. For example,
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, balamanaslamawajahuulillahi
wahuamuhsinun
falahu ajurundrabiwalaqhuun
alayim walam yazaloon Whoever turns to Allah Subhanahu
wa ta'ala while he is generous practicing Ihsan.
And Allah says in the Quran, aladeena yunfikunamwalayim
walahari
sirranwalaniatin
Those who are giving of their wealth, morning
and evening, publicly and secretly. Those who are
generous with their wealth, yun fikhullahamwalahum
These are the people. They shall not have
any fear, and they shall not have any
grief. So notice how it explicitly
Allah links, yun fiqoona amwalahum
with not having fear. Unbelievably, and of course,
you understand it why now. But Allah says,
when you are generous,
your heart will gain courage. You will become
courageous when you are generous. A third thing
that is mentioned in the Quran is
to not fall prey to being fearful of
other than Allah and to cleanse your heart
of fearing any except Allah. When you fear
only Allah, then obviously you will become courageous
to fear the aspects of this world. So
Allah says in the Quran, Innamathalikumashaytanu
yukawifu a'uliya
This is Shaytan. He's trying to make you
scared
from his team, from his allies.
He's trying to make you scared of everything,
and Allah is saying don't be scared of
them. Fear only me if you have iman.
So the more our iman becomes stronger, then
the less we will fear other than Allah
and we will overcome our fears. And we
actually see this in the seerah of Musa
of our Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. It's very
powerful. It's a nukta. It's a fa'idah. It's
an interesting anecdote. Look at how many times
Allah described Musa as being scared in the
beginning of his da'wah. 4 or 5 times
Allah said, he was scared, he was scared,
he was scared. But then what happened? What
happened when he reaches up the pinnacle and
now he is fleeing from Fir'awn? And now
at you would say the most fearful time
when Fir'awn is behind him and the Red
Sea is in front of him. And even
the Bani Israel they say, Inna la mudraqoon
That's it, we're gone. The forces of fir'awn
are behind us and the Red Sea is
in front of us. Now, Allah did not
say anything to Musa, but Musa has learned
the tarbiyah. Musa for 20 years, he's been
giving da'wah. Musa has gained in that level
of iman so that Allah does not have
to say, kullnalataqaf.
No. Now Musa says, no, we will not
be caught. Allah is with us, and he
will help us. Right? Allah This is in
the in the Quran that Musa says, qalaballalakallah
inna mayirabbi sayadeen. Also our prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam in the beginning of the message, yes,
he said, kashito alarafsi and all other small
issues happened that demonstrated there was an element
of khawf. But then 10 years later, 13
years later, when they're all alone in the
cave and Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu is trembling,
what did our Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasalam say?
Laatahazaninnallaha
ma'ana. Don't worry, Allah is with us. This
is what happens when you strengthen your iman
and you perfect your trust in Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala, automatically you will become courageous, automatically
you will become brave. So these are three
mechanisms of overcoming our fear. And when we
do so, we will gain the ultimate,
the ultimate glad tidings and basharah from Allah
Subhanahu wa ta'ala. When we live our lives
overcoming the fears of this dunya and fearing
only Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, what is the
reward? Allah says in the Quran, Inna ladheenaqalurabunallahuthum
mastakamu
The reward of overcoming fear and of passing
the test and of being courageous
is that at the time of death, when
you shall be facing the angel of death,
Allah himself will send down the angels. Tatanazaloo
alayhimul malaika And the angels will say to
you while you're still alive, the angels will
comfort you. Allatahafu
walataazanu
Allah will console the believers and Allah will
say to the believers, don't worry, don't be
scared, we will take care of you. Nahluawliya
ookum filhaatudunya
o fil akhirah What greater blessing can there
be? What greater
act of divine intervention can there be? That
just when you're leaving this dunya and you're
facing your biggest uncertainty
because every uncertainty of this dunya, even if
you don't face it, other people face it.
You know what it's like. The uncertainty of
the akhirah, you have no idea what it's
like. No, none of us have faced it
and come back to tell us what happens.
That is the biggest uncertainty.
That is the biggest fear. And at that
point, when you've overcome the fears of this
dunya, and you've shown courage battling the fears
of this dunya, Allah himself will send down
the angels at the ultimate time of fear.
And Allah will say to the angels, go
tell this person, don't worry and don't grieve.
We will take care of you like We
took care of you throughout your life by
overcoming every single fear, every single tragedy. So
brothers and sisters to summarize, InshaAllahu ta'ala,
having fear is natural.
It's not a sign of weakness of iman.
If it were, Allah wouldn't describe Musa and
Isa and Ibrahim and Dawud with having fear.
Having fear is natural, but you must battle
that fear, temper that fear, control that fear.
And how do you do so? You turn
to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. You have Islam
and iman, you have tawakul and nikhlas, you
are generous with your wealth, and you
are a person who fears only Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala. So you battle that fear internally
and you channel that fear to act in
accordance with the sharia. And when you do
so, then Insha'AllahHu Ta'ala, when you leave this
world