What is the difference between khawf (fear) and khashyah (awe/reverence) in His, the Almighty's, saying: "They stand in awe of their Lord, and fear the evil of the reckoning"?
Fear (khawf) and awe (khashyah) are two closely related terms. Awe (khashyah) is more specific than fear (khawf) and holds a higher status, because it is fear coupled with knowledge. Fear (khawf) is the heart's agitation and movement upon recalling something dreadful, or the heart's flight from the onset of something undesirable upon perceiving it. As for awe (khashyah), it is a state of withdrawal, contraction, and stillness; it is fear coupled with knowledge. For this reason, Allah Almighty described the scholars as possessing awe (khashyah), because when they fear their Lord, they find tranquility in Him. Thus, fear (khawf) is an escape from what is dreaded, and awe (khashyah) is the stillness that follows it.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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