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The question

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"?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

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.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

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Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
37629
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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