12. Khashiyat Allah — The Fear and Awe of Allah
خشیت اللہ
Dear friends! Consider — in the world, what kind of people are there? Are any of them truly without fault? Every one of them has some kind — cowardly, somewhat cowardly, somewhat daring, somewhat daring to excess, somewhat lawbreaker, somewhat shameless, sometimes even a tyrant. The nature of every person is different — different temperaments. Each person's temperament is distinct and the point of their moderation is distinct. The temperament of a greedy person is very distinct — the temperament of a courageous person is also distinct. When the different temperaments come together they may also be different. The one whose temperament includes hatred — its opponent will always appear out of place. He will reveal his true temperament and show his own base character. By displaying his outward temperament, the oppressor will slaughter his enemy. Out of his simple and plain manner, he will make his countenance threatening and his cruelty will be in every way apparent — in some way he will use his authority to suppress and tyrannize — and appoint a fair court, a judge and an honest supreme court, a high court — to make a decision against those in power, to investigate tax accounts, to remove corrupt officials from their positions — against those in high positions — to appoint honest supervisors. Now you have begun to understand that it is impossible to make every official upright — for among human beings there is no one who is infallible. Officials are not infallible! Every official has some quality of error, and so the decisions of the higher officials must be subject to correction.
And what is there to inquire — who is infallible among them? None — and a poet says:
شَيْطَانُ شَأْنَانِ لِلْإِسْلَامِ أَرْشُو وَانْتَقُوا وَالشَّفَاعَةُ عِنْدَ الْحُكَّامِ
"Two satanic practices for Islam: Bribery and intercession before the rulers." — Bribery and intercession with rulers are two things that block the way to justice — they are the chief destroyers of any just order.
The only true remedy is the Fear of Allah. The one who has the Fear of Allah in his heart — he will remain upright in all conditions. Where there is no human witness, where no supervisor can see, where no accountability committee can reach — the Fear of Allah keeps the believer upright. The person who fears Allah will be honest in his dealings, honest in his duties, honest before his Lord.
Dear friends! The greatest remedy for all corruption is the Fear of Allah — and the Qur'an is full of reminders of Allah. Every verse is a reminder and the Qur'an's frequent recitation is its proclamation. One must be present in His court every day. The fear of Allah must be so deep that it becomes a continuous state of the heart.
Allah Most High describes the coming of the Day of Judgment in Surah al-Takwir:
إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انكَدَرَتْ وَإِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ وَإِذَا الْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَتْ عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا أَحْضَرَتْ
"When the sun is rolled up, when the stars fall, when the mountains are set in motion, when the pregnant camels are abandoned, when the wild beasts are gathered, when the seas are filled with fire, when the souls are paired, when the girl who was buried alive is asked — every soul will know what it has brought." (At-Takwir, 81:1-14)
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ
"O mankind! What has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous?" (Al-Infitar, 82:6) — What has deceived you about your Lord? You have done good and bad deeds before Him — in the court of the Lord on that Day your deeds will be placed in the scale. If you have done good, you will have peace — if you have recorded bad deeds in your account, you will find yourself in difficulty. Dear friends! The Fear of Allah is the greatest antidote for all corruption — and this is the reason it appears in the Qur'an so frequently.
Dear friends! Islam is a foundational principle — and that principle is the Fear of Allah.