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Fatwa CenterTypes of Fear
Question
What is the difference between fear of Allah and fear of created beings? How to balance both? Please answer my question as soon as possible. Thanks,
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
We evoke your attention to the fact that fear, as an emotion, is of three types:
1. Inner Fear: It is when a person fears others than Allah to cause him sickness, poverty, or any other misfortune, based upon their power and will.
2. A person fears others in a manner that causes him to neglect his religious obligations, including jihad, commanding what is good, and so on.
3. A person fears an enemy, a wild animal, drowning, and the like. Such is normal fear.
That being said, it is an act of disbelief to fear people according to the first type. Fear, as mentioned in the first type, is exclusively due to Allah. The disbelievers used to invest this type of fear in their idols; they would frighten pious people with idols. According to the Quran, when the disbelievers frightened Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham) 
with idols, Ibraheem said: {And I fear not what you associate with Him [and will not be harmed] unless my Lord should will something. My Lord encompasses all things in knowledge; then will you not remember? And how should I fear what you associate while you do not fear that you have associated with Allah that for which He has not sent down to you any authority? So which of the two parties has more right to security, if you should know?} [Quran 6: 80 – 81]
Fear of others according to the second type is prohibited. In this regard, Allah Almighty says (what means): {That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.} [Quran 3: 175] In relation to this type, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, “On the Day of Judgment, Allah will ask His servant, ‘What prevented you from changing the evil?’ He will say, ‘I feared people.’ Allah will say to him, ‘You should have feared Me alone, for I am more worthy of being feared.’” [Ahmad]
The third type of fear is a normal feeling that one cannot help. There is nothing wrong if one fears others according to this third type. In this regard, Allah Almighty mentions an example about Prophet Moosa (Moses) . Allah says about Moosa (what means): {So he left it, fearful and anticipating [apprehension]. He said, “My Lord, save me from the wrongdoing people.”} [Quran 28: 21] Allah also says about Moosa in his confrontation with Pharaoh (what means): {So I fled from you when I feared you.} [Quran 26: 21]
With the above mentioned typology of fear in mind, it is obvious that there is no contradiction between fearing Allah and fearing others. Fear of Allah is a great sign of faith and is experienced by the angels, the prophets, and pious people, about whom Allah says (what means): {They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.} [Quran 16: 50] Allah also says about them (what means): {And they, from fear of Him, are apprehensive.} [Quran 21: 28] Allah also says about the prophets (what means): {[Allah praises] those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him and do not fear anyone but Allah. And sufficient is Allah as Accountant.} [Quran 33: 39] Fearing others than Allah is either an act of shirk (polytheism) or an act of disobedience, unless such fear refers to normal fear, as explained above.
Allah knows best.
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