No Fear of Allah

“…do not yield to those whose hearts We have made heedless of Our Quran, those who follow their own low desires, those whose ways are unbridled. Say, ‘Not the truth has come from your Lord: let those who wish to believe in it do so, and let those who wish to reject it do so.’ We have prepared a Fire for the wrongdoers that will envelop them from all sides. If they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like molten metal, scalding their faces. What a terrible drink! What a painful resting place!” (18:28–29)

These men have no fear of Allah, evident by their constant pursuing of wealth and power which is used to their advantage to sin. These are little men, who have no spiritual understanding and refuse to bow their spirits in humility before the Almighty Lord. They mock and stone Allah’s messengers forgetting what lies ahead. Allah is All-Knowing and All-Aware. They pretend they are close to Allah by their respectful behavior in the Mosque’s, but are far away from the will of Allah. He sees the deception in their hearts-they manipulate believers into believing they are on the Straight Path, but in reality they are sowing corruption wherever they go.

“Some people say, ‘We believe in God and the Last Day,’ when really they do not believe. They seek to deceive God and the believers but they only deceive themselves, though they do not realize it. There is a disease in their hearts, to which God has added more: agonizing torment awaits them for their persistent lying. When it is said to them, ‘Do not cause corruption in the land,’ they say, ‘We are only putting things right,’ but really they are causing corruption, though they do not realize it…They have bought error in exchange for guidance.” (2:8–12)

They are big in their own eyes, but don’t acknowledge the Most Powerful High Lord by submission. They have no fear now, but when That Day comes they will all fall in great fear and their sin will the only thing they see in the mirror. And, many men support each other in sin, instead of encouraging each other to stay on the Straight Path.

Men are developed with a team mindset and strategies by playing sports and later joining the military. It is a brotherhood where a group of men operate as a unit and protect each other. At its worse, each member reinforces corruption to protect each other’s wrongdoing, or at its best the group becomes a strong force of goodness that works towards accomplishing Allah’s will. Unfortunately, because of this mindset, Shaitan can spread mischief even in places of worship. The leader can set the direction of the group, and some of the others may not actively engage in the same sin as the leader, but will turn a blind eye to the behavior out of loyalty. This is being a lukewarm believer which is just dangerous as the overt sinner. Their silence and inaction at sin in their places of worship makes them useless to Allah.

A friend of mine was worried about her brakes failing on her vehicle as she presently has no money to pay for new brakes. Recently, while backing out of a parking spot, her rear tires refused to turn spilling brake fluid all over the pavement. She has no family here, and didn’t have any calling time on her phone. So she leaned over her steering wheel and prayed and prayed. Suddenly, she heard a knocking on her driver’s side window, and put down her window to see what the man wanted. He told her he was concerned, and asked her if she was alright. She explained to him her situation, but he told her he knew nothing about car repairs, told her he hoped everything worked out okay, and walked away.

So she went back to praying. A short time later, a Les Schwab brake truck arrived at her vehicle with the man who had knocked on her window leading the way. The Manager of Les Schwab managed to get her vehicle the short distance to their shop, and when she explained she was unemployed and living out of her car, he told her not to worry. They ordered the brake part, which wouldn’t come in for four more days. He let her park her car in the back and sleep there while allowing her to stay in their lobby during the day. Not only the Manager, but his service men have brought her food, and ask how she is doing during the day. The Manager is taking care of a $600 brake job at no cost to her to help her out. It is obvious the Manager is leading the way in goodness for his employees — and his staff are reinforcing each other’s kindness towards a needy woman. Allah immediately answered my friend’s prayers in ways she couldn’t even have imagined while increasing her faith and trust in Allah. However, frequently it is pious believers that Allah uses to answer a person’s prayers. This is the male group dynamic at its best.

Consistent, ongoing, intentional sin is a clear sign of a man who does not fear Allah. And a man who does not fear Allah, is not really a true believer. He builds his own kingdom floating on his inflated ego, somehow believing in his own greatness instead of honoring Allah’s greatness by obedient behavior. Having fear of Allah doesn’t mean obeying because you are afraid of the Judgment Day, but means having proper respect of our relationship to the Creator of the World. Men are nothing without Allah, and if understood correctly, the response is to honor Allah by submission.