What is the balance of fear and hope (khawf and rajāʾ)?
The classical scholars compared fear of Allah and hope in His mercy to the two wings of a bird. Tip too far in either direction and the heart cannot fly.
10 passages from 8 books in the library
Fear of Allah (khawf) and hope in His mercy (rajāʾ) must be held in balance — the classical scholars likened them to the two wings of a bird, for tipping too far either way grounds the heart. Imam al-Ghazali devotes a book of the Iḥyāʾ to Fear and Hope, teaching that the believer should keep them in equilibrium so as to walk the straight path and 'attain great dominion,' and that for some, like ʿUmar, the two should stand equal. He counts fear and hope among the preliminary stations leading to love of God, and notes that when their grounds conflict, one chooses between caution and leniency.
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 8 books by Imam al-Ghazali and Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"The states we have mentioned, such as repentance, patience, asceticism, fear and hope, are preliminaries"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"was previously discussed in the section on zakat. The book of fear and hope, the first part on hope,"
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
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"followed by King Mujir ibn Dhu al-Raja, King Kubula, who holds a large stature, immense prestige,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"balancing fear and hope, striving for knowledge and love of God, and preparing for the ultimate"
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"of fear and hope in balance, with predominance and dominance, but in a way of equilibration"
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"and equality. Therefore, for someone like Umar, his fear and hope should be equal. However,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"yourself with fear and hope to the straight path. By doing so, you will attain great dominion"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"with divine decree, gratitude for blessings, balanced fear and hope, detachment from worldly"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Let your hope in Allah be great that he will have mercy upon you as you enter it, so enter"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"When reasons for fear and hope conflict, one has the choice between caution and leniency."
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