How can the Sacred Hadith, "I am as My servant expects Me to be, so let him expect what he wishes," be reconciled with the saying of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, "Were one of my feet in Paradise and the other outside, I would not feel safe from the stratagem of Allah," especially considering that Umar is among those given glad tidings of Paradise?
The summary of the fatwa is that a Muslim should have a good opinion of Allah and be between fear and hope.
Fear of Allah's deception (makr) is obligatory, because Allah condemned those who feel safe from His deception. Allah's deception means that Allah gives respite to the sinner and increases His blessings upon him while he persists in his disobedience.
Having a good opinion of Allah is achieved by performing good deeds and acts of obedience. If one sins, he should have a good opinion by repenting, not procrastinating, and hoping for forgiveness.
As for what is attributed to Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, that they said: "If one of my feet were in Paradise and the other outside, I would not feel safe from Allah's deception," it has no basis and is not authentically reported from the Companions nor from any other scholars. Rather, a believer does not feel safe from Allah's deception until he actually enters Paradise.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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