“In Sufism, fear denotes abstaining not only from all that is forbidden, but also from those deeds from which it is advisable to refrain. It also signifies, as the opposite of hope or expectation, that a traveler on the path to Truth does not feel secure against deviation and thereby incurring Divine punishment in the Hereafter. As a result, the traveler refrains from conceit and self-praise.

According to Al-Qushayri, fear forces a traveler on the spiritual path to hold back and refrain from displeasing God. As such, it pertains to the future. Fear arises from one's apprehension of being subjected to something displeasing, or uneasiness over not obtaining what is desired. In that sense also, fear pertains to the future.”¹⁾

“In His luminous Speech, God Almighty uses fear as a whip to force us to His Presence and honor us with His company. Like a mother's reproofs to her child that draws him or her to her warm, affectionate arms, this whip attracts the believer toward the depths of Divine Mercy and enriches him or her with God's blessings and bounties that He compels humanity to deserve and receive out of His Mercy and Graciousness. For this reason, every decree and command mentioned in the Qur'an and forced upon humanity originates in Divine Mercy and uplifts souls, in addition to its being alarming and threatening.”²⁾

“To fear one’s Majestic Creator is to find a way into the compassion of His mercy and take refuge there. Khawf is a whip—it throws you into the embrace of His mercy.”³⁾

“One of the most important and fundamental feelings in a human being is the emotion of fear. Cunning tyrants exploit this ‘fear nerve’ greatly; through it, they rein in the fearful.”⁴⁾

“God gave the ‘fear faculty’ for safeguarding life—not for destroying it. And He did not give life to make it heavy, difficult, painful, and torturous. Fear that is a reasonable caution—when the danger is one out of two, three, four, even five or six possibilities—can be legitimate. But fearing on the basis of one chance in twenty, thirty, or forty is mere paranoia; it turns life into torment.”⁵⁾

“Fear and weakness encourage external pressures to take effect.”⁶⁾

“If a person’s fear and love are directed toward other people, fear becomes an affliction and a pain, and love becomes a kind of calamity—because the one you fear may not pity you or even hear your pleas, and the one you love may not know you or may not value your love. So turn your fear and your love away from the world and worldly people and direct them to the All-Wise Creator. Then your fear becomes a sweet humility that carries you into His merciful embrace—like a child fleeing into its mother’s arms—and your love becomes a means to everlasting happiness.”⁷⁾

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