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How does a servant combine love and fear in their heart simultaneously?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Combining the love of Allah with the fear of Him is possible and obligatory for a Muslim. It is a part of the perfection of worship that combines love, fear, and hope. This combination does not contradict, and it is present in people's daily dealings. It is obligatory for a Muslim to worship Allah with these three pillars: love is the head, and fear and hope are the two wings, as Ibn al-Qayyim likened it, to ensure the rectitude of worship. Some of the Salaf said: "Whoever worships Allah Almighty with love alone is a heretic (zindiq); whoever worships Him with fear alone is a Kharijite (Haruri); whoever worships Him with hope alone is a Murji'ite; and whoever worships Him with love, fear, and hope is a believer." Allah Almighty mentioned these stations in His Book: {Those are the ones who seek means of access to their Lord, [striving as to] which of them would be nearest, and they hope for His mercy and fear His punishment.} (Quran 17:57).

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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