“So Do Not Fear Them, But Fear Me”

Indeed, witnessing the power of oppression, the influence and authority of the insignificant, and seeing the signs of prosperity, comfort, status, and dominance among the wrongdoers can cause the Shaytan to magnify matters and weave doubts in the hearts of believers. However, Shaytan’s magnification is merely an image of falsehood’s fleeting surge: it has no stability and no permanence. The believer must be certain that this is deception and not be misled by it, for it is only a brief enjoyment. Shaytan’s aim in this fluctuation of the wrongdoers is to weaken the resolve of the people of truth, undermine them, and instill fear in them. Here, the Quran comes to establish a principle and uncover a truth and reality that have been veiled by this process of deception. “Do not be deceived by the movement of those who disbelieve throughout the land: it is but a brief enjoyment; then their abode is Hell — an evil destination” (3:196-7).

The principle is: do not be deceived by their movement throughout the land. The underlying reality of this movement is the trial that Shaytan stirs in the hearts of believers: “That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So, fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers” (3:175). Therefore, do not be deceived by the movement of those who disbelieve, for the phenomenon of their power, victory, and dominance is merely one of the cycles of falsehood’s ascendancy. As Allah, Exalted is He, says: “And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs. And Allah does not like the wrongdoers” (3:140).

This dominance occurs according to Allah’s wisdom and will, as part of testing, purification, and granting authority. As He, Exalted is He, says: “Indeed, Iblis’ assumption about them has come true, so they ˹all˺ follow him, except a group of ˹true˺ believers. He does not have any authority over them, but ˹Our Will is˺ only to distinguish those who believe in the Hereafter from those who are in doubt about it. And your Lord is a ˹vigilant˺ Keeper over all things” (34:20-21).

Thus, the emergence of the people of disbelief is founded upon falsehood, the very nature of which is to perish. A believer’s certainty in the eventual perishing of falsehood protects from being deceived by their fluctuations. Striving to resist being deceived by the condition of the wrongdoers is a fundamental aspect of faith — it is an obligation.

Let us analyze the effect of this deception on the soul, and consequently on the individual and society. When a servant is deceived by the movement of those who disbelieve, fear overtakes them — and this fear gives rise to helplessness, withdrawal, and turning away. It demoralizes the soul and instills in it a spirit of defeatism, so that the unspoken attitude becomes: “Leave us to be among those who stay behind,” those who imagine that sitting apart from the believers guarantees them safety.

These are the ones who have deceived themselves and wronged their own souls. The deception of غرور (delusion) is rooted in a narrow vision that has been severed from the comprehensiveness and universality of divine power. This is the vision of the anxious, restless one who, when afflicted by harm, panics, despairs, and disbelieves, as Allah Exalted is He, says: “And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We withdraw it from him, indeed, he is despairing and ungrateful” (11:9).

The ones who hold this outlook, when deceived by the movement of the wrongdoers, become fearful and panicked, then fall into despair. This outlook confines them to their present moment, overwhelmed by what surrounds them — they neither remember what has passed, nor reflect on what is to come. Thus, they are despairing of good and ungrateful for blessings, as though their present moment stretches endlessly and as though the disbelievers hold the reins of all affairs. Therefore, it becomes imperative for the believer, in order to protect themselves from these harms, to master the worship of responding to Allah — by first understanding it precisely, and then practicing it accordingly.

It is well known that in responding (to Allah) there is life, as Allah, Exalted is He, says: “O, Believers! Respond to Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life” (8:24). This verse is mentioned after the warning concerning turning away at the time of battle – verses 15-16 from Surat Al Anfal (8). Turning away from facing trials in accordance with divine guidance represents a state of lifelessness — that is, death — which encompasses misguidance, a constricted life, and blindness of insight. This death occurs after fear, frustration, and then despair. Thus, the worship of responding, in light of the meaning of death within the framework of faith, is embodied in cultivating a spirit of certain hope that springs from sincere reliance upon Allah, trust in His promise, and the certainty of meeting Him.

Sincere reliance (tawakkul) is grounded in the fact that Allah is the Trustee, and wholehearted trust in His promise stems from the certainty that Allah does not break His word. Certainty in meeting Him arises because He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, as He, Exalted is He, says: “Whoever hopes for the meeting with Allah — indeed, Allah’s appointed time is sure to come. And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing” (29:5).

Living with awareness of the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing elevates the soul to the level of certainty, like ʿAbdullah ibn Jahsh, who spoke to himself, supplicating his Lord that if his Lord were to ask him, “For what were your nose and ear severed?” he would reply, “For Your sake and for Your Messenger’s sake,” and he would tell himself that Allah would say to him, “You have spoken the truth.”

This is the model of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, who mastered the meaning of response (istijābah). Because of their excellence in it, Allah, Exalted is He, described them by it in Surah Āl ʿImrān: “Those who responded to Allah and the Messenger after injury had struck them. For those who did good among them and feared Allah is a great reward” (3:172). Their sincere reliance, trust in their Lord’s promise, and certainty in meeting Him caused their faith to increase as trials and hardship increased: “Those to whom people said, ‘Your enemies have gathered against you, so fear them,’ but it only increased them in faith, and they said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Protector’” (3:173).

Responding is among the defining qualities of the believers mentioned in Surah Ash-Shura: “And those who have responded to their Lord and established prayer and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves, and from what We have provided them, they spend ...” (42:38). It is known that all who believe in Allah have responded to Him, but its mention here carries special significance: first, the use of the letters sīn and tāʾ in the verb istajībū indicates emphasis in responding — a response free from reluctance or hesitation; second, it signifies a response of immediacy, like that of Abu Bakr and Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with them.

Whoever responds to Allah possesses a soul in which the spirit of certain hope has taken firm root, operating in a vast realm as wide as the universe and extending into eternity. Thus, they work, and strive, relying on Allah, trusting Him, and being certain of meeting Him. These are the ones to whom their Lord responded: “And their Lord responded to them, 'Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another'” (3:195).

As for those who disbelieve, their abode is the Fire, and evil is the destination. So, “Do not be deceived by the prosperity of the disbelievers throughout the land. [It is but] a brief enjoyment; then their [final] refuge is Hell, and wretched is the resting place” (3:196-197).