Does the remembrance of Allah cause tranquility or fear?

Overview

The verses Al-R’ad: 28, Al-Anfāl: 2, Hajj: 35 discuss affects of the remembrance of Allah on the mu’minīn (believers). In the verse Ar-R’ad: 28 the Qur'an explains that the only path to tranquility is in the remembrance of Allah. However, on the other hand, the verses Al-Anfāl: 2 and Hajj: 35, tell us that the remembrance of Allah is accompanied with internal fear. These two sets of contradicting verses emphasize on the spiritual state of the mu’minīn whilst in remembrance of his Creator; either fearful or tranquil.

Detailed explanation

The contradicting verses

The following verse describes the remembrance of Allah as a source of peace, tranquility and reassurance:

«الَّذينَ آمَنُوا وَ تَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ »

"—those who have faith, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah.’ Look! The hearts find rest in Allah’s remembrance!" [Ar-R'ad: 24]

It is clear from the verse that only through the remembrance of Allah can the believers achieve peace and tranquility.

The following verses show the remembrance of Allah to be a cause of fear:

«إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذينَ إِذا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَ إِذا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آياتُهُ زادَتْهُمْ إيماناً وَ عَلى‏ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُون‏»

"The faithful are only those whose hearts tremble [with awe] when Allah is mentioned, and when His signs are recited to them, they increase their faith, and who put their trust in their Lord," [Al-Anfāl: 2]

This verse indicates that the remembrance of Allah should lead to fear and with the remembrance of Allah are believers fearsome.

«فَإِلهُكُمْ إِلهٌ واحِدٌ فَلَهُ أَسْلِمُوا وَ بَشِّرِ الْمُخْبِتين‏. الَّذينَ إِذا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَ الصَّابِرينَ عَلى‏ ما أَصابَهُمْ وَ الْمُقيمِي الصَّلاةِ وَ مِمَّا رَزَقْناهُمْ يُنْفِقُون‏»

"Your God is the One God. So submit to Him. And give good news to the humble. —those whose hearts tremble with awe when Allah is mentioned, and who are patient through whatever visits them, and who maintain the prayer and spend out of what We have provided them." [Al-Hajj: 34-35]

Summary of the verses

In the verse Ar-Ra'd: 28, the remembrance of Allah is described as a source of tranquility and peace. Whereas, in the verses Al-Anfāl: 2 and Hajj: 35, the remembrance of Allah is described to cause fear in the hearts of the mu'minīn (believers). There is a clear contradiction existing within these verses; as we know that the approval of one, negates the other. We also know that one cause cannot lead to two contradicting affects.

Detailed Answer

Premise

1. The unification of two perspectives is a necessary clause for contradiction:

In order to determine whether two statements are contradicting, the two must discuss one subject whilst also looking at it from one perspective. If the relation between the two statements is such that each is made from a different perspective to the other, they cannot be understood as contradictory. For instance, an individual says that he finds peace at nights but that same individual also says that he is fearsome at nights. The two mentioned statements can be true side-by-side. In the former statement the individual is discussing the silence of the night which in affect causes him peace. Whereas, in the latter he is discussing the darkness itself and how it instills fear within him. Therefore, any two statements can seem to be at odds with one another and still hold to be true as long as the speaker or author is speaking from a different angle or perspective.

A look into the definitions of fear and tranquility

The definition of fear:

Fear is an emotional state or reaction which presents itself in times of danger. As a result of fear the individual creates a defensive system against the danger, whether that danger be material or immaterial. The individual will then resort to any force necessary get rid of this threat. Allah has placed this fear into the hearts of mankind so that they can protect themselves from potential danger. For example, when an individual is encountered by a wild animal, fear overtakes him and he takes the necessary steps to escape from that situation.

The definition of tranquility:

To understand tranquility we must start from its antonym, agony, which only exists when an individual is deprived of something. This deprivation causes the individual to recognize an absence and go into a state of despair. But, when he finally responds to this feeling and reaches his necessary objective, he senses a feeling of tranquility. For example, when one is in a condition of extreme thirst, it brings about a feeling of agony and despair. Thirst itself is caused by a deficiency of water in the body and if the body gains the required amounts of water, the individual will reach a state of tranquility.

The remembrance of Allah from one perspective causes fear and from another tranquility:

With attention to what was said before, it is clear that the two verses are not at all in contradiction. The affect of the remembrance of Allah will depend on the perspective in which you remember Him. If one is to think about the absolute justice of Allah and that hence each and every action will be accounted for, it will bring about a feeling of fear and concern. On the other hand, if one was to think about the attributes of Allah and His perfection and to know that He can be relied upon at all times, it would bring about a feeling of security and tranquility. We will discuss this further in the following paragraphs.

The remembrance of Allah leads to tranquility, if the remembrance is attentive to the fact that He possesses all perfection.

With attention to all that has been said, true tranquility can only be obtained by having a relationship with Allah. The reasoning behind this is that mankind seeks ultimate perfection, and his desires are not limited. The Qur’an demonstrates that mankind is poor and needy as they have nothing from themselves, but rather everything they have is given to them from Allah. Similarly, it introduces Allah as One who possesses all perfections.

‎ «يا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنْتُمُ الْفُقَراءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَ اللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَميدُ»

"O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah—He is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable." [Al-Fāṭir: 15]

This verse emphasizes on the needy nature of mankind and the absoluteness of Allah. Placing this verse alongside the other, we can come to a conclusion that it is only Allah that can drive us to perfection, and that mankind can rely solely upon Allah and reach perfection through Him. This promising thought would spark a feeling of tranquility and satisfaction, as mentioned in the verse Al-Ra'd: 28.

The remembrance of Allah leads to fear, when it is accompanied with the acknowledgement of His divine justice and judgement.

When a mu'min (believer) understands his position before Allah; recalling his sins; his faults and mistakes; whilst, also being aware of the fact that Allah is just and watchful over all his actions, as well as being quick to respond. The mu'min taking all these factors into consideration realizes that he bears a huge responsibility before Allah and even the thought of disobeying His Lord by even the slightest, brings out intense fear within him. Consequently, this fear brings him closer to Allah by keeping him on the path of servitude and causing him to stay away from the downfalls in life. , . The following verse is a relevant example to understand the origin of this fear for Allah. It goes to explain how reflection of one's actions, shortcomings and sins can in fact drive one towards Allah.

«وَ الَّذينَ يُؤْتُونَ ما آتَوْا وَ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلى‏ رَبِّهِمْ راجِعُونَ»

"and who give whatever they give while their hearts tremble with awe that they are going to return to their Lord" [Al-Mu’minūn: 60]

This verse tells us that even a mu'min; whilst being faithful in his actions; due to the acknowledgement of the divine justice and judgement, is struck with the fear of Allah.

Conclusion

To conclude, one can have two opposing reactions subsequent to the remembrance of Allah, as long as he is remembering Allah from two different aspects or perspectives, like we explained above.

Fear and tranquility are both means to reach perfection and to guide us to our true objective; they take hold of one's situation to give it direction. Fear, gives the mu’minīn (believers) a wake up call in face of their responsibilities whereas tranquility, gives hope in times of difficulty.

An example of common use

The remembrance of Allah that causes one to be tranquil or fearful is similar to that of a child's remembrance of his father. The child is aware of the love his father has for him, he is his aid and protects him from harm's way. If the child is faced with hardship and was to remember his father, he would sense a feeling of tranquility. On the other hand, the child is also aware that his father will follow-up on his actions, and the slightest slip-up will be the cause of anger in his father, this thought will bring about a fear in the child. This state of thought will result in a good upbringing and will keep the child away from falling into mistakes. Therefore, the child remembers his father accompanied with fear as well as another recollection which leads to tranquility. These two side by side encourage a healthy upbringing for the child, prepare and aid him for his future, and prevent him from corruption.