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Is it permissible to describe the Sharia of Allah as "frightening" (mukheef) or "intimidating" (makhuf), and are "frightening" (mukheef) or "intimidating" (makhuf) among the attributes or names of Allah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The names of Allah are Tawqifiyyah (restricted to what has been revealed), and only what is supported by evidence from the Quran and Sunnah can be affirmed as His names. A name of Allah cannot be derived from a verb form or an appended noun. However, the scope of informing about Allah is broader; anything that can be correctly attributed to Him, Exalted be He, is permissible, and it is not required to be Tawqifiyyah. It has been mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah that Allah frightens His servants so that they may fear Him, as in His saying: "With this, Allah frightens His servants. O My servants, then fear Me." (Quran 39:16), and the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him, regarding the eclipse: "But Allah frightens His servants with it." Some scholars, such as Al-Ghazali, believe that Allah being a source of fear does not preclude Him from being a source of security. Some researchers have mentioned that the term "Al-Mukhawwif" (The One Who Frightens) can be applied to Allah in the context of descriptions, actions, and informing.

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

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