Do we need to cherish fear for God?
One day, Rabia Basari gathered a torch of fire in one hand and a bucket of water in another hand, and then flew in the air. People were astonished seeing the scene. They asked her for the reason, for flying in the air with antipodes. She descended and replied that she was adamant to burn the so-called bounties of heaven, and extinguish the blazing flames of hell. She continued that people practiced virtues, for the sake of earning good place in heaven. They even feared the fire of hell. That was the reason of major sufferings. People asked for the alternative to live a better life. People continued in an accord that they could perform well under the rule of fear. She replied that Allah loved them seventy times more than a mother’s love. He could not punish anyone, or throw them in the hell fire.
He is love, and nothing else. He can be attained through love.
If we feel Him, we shouldn’t be scared of God. Fear cannot minimize the errors. If we will be fearless, we will become capable of minimizing self. Wishing for heaven, and taking steps to avoid hell are grave sins. This will be a kind of business. A mother washes our bodies, when we return with soiled clothes. She washes us, and kisses us. She wipes away our tears and gives us a warm hug, feeds us with her gentle hands. God’s love is seventy times more than a mother’s love. He cannot make us suffer in the hell fire forever. We are often scared of Him. Let us consider an illustration. Generally, we are frank to our mother, and maintain some distance from our father. We give our mother a hug, and convey all our grievances to her. But, slightest fear from our father makes us commit mistakes. The presence of the person, from whom we fear or love a little, will make our efforts erroneous, with greater probability. When we are scared, we often tell lies. We never tell lies to the ones we love. We do good, when we under the shelter of love. When we have love, we lack fear or hesitation, we always walk on the right path. We have often seen the idols, sculpted with the hands for showering blessings unto their devotees. The hands actually denote the blessings of fearlessness (abhaya daan). He says, “Why fear when I am here.”. Even the fear of death should not conquer us. If the body dies, we attain mrityu, but when mind dies, we attain moksha. If we remember Him, repeat His Name, and feel His presence incessantly, love will grow exponentially. We can become Mansoor. He was an enlightened being, and when he proclaimed that he was Allah, he was sentenced to death. He was slaughtered in the ground of red fort, but each and every droplet of his blood, enunciated ‘Anal-haq‘ (I am Allah). Body was destroyed, but the soul merged with the Divinity. Respect out of fear and respect out of love portray a fine line, which has become the need of the day.