How should love, fear and hope be balanced in worship?
2026-09-21
T33 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Selected explanation · Selected source passage(s) — fully translated
Selected passage quoting the early generations, rather than issuing a verdict on a named individual. The technical labels in the quotation are retained: zindīq (a heretic concealing unbelief), Murjiʾī (an adherent of irjāʾ), and Ḥarūrī (a Khārijite). The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
وَكَرِهَ مَنْ كَرِهَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالْعِلْمِ مُجَالَسَةَ أَقْوَامٍ يُكْثِرُونَ الْكَلَامَ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ بِلَا خَشْيَةٍ؛ وَقَالَ مَنْ قَالَ مِنْ السَّلَفِ: مَنْ عَبَدَ اللَّهَ بِالْحُبِّ وَحْدَهُ فَهُوَ زِنْدِيقٌ وَمَنْ عَبَدَهُ بِالرَّجَاءِ وَحْدَهُ فَهُوَ مُرْجِئٌ وَمَنْ عَبَدَهُ بِالْخَوْفِ وَحْدَهُ فَهُوَ حروري وَمَنْ عَبَدَهُ بِالْحُبِّ وَالْخَوْفِ وَالرَّجَاءِ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ مُوَحِّدٌ.
English translation
English translation reviewed against the displayed Arabic by SalafAlSalih editorial preparation (AI-assisted); explanatory additions appear in square brackets or separate notes.
Selected explanation
Some of the people of spiritual understanding and knowledge disliked sitting with people who spoke much about love without fear. Some of the early generations said: “Whoever worships Allah through love alone is a zindīq; whoever worships Him through hope alone is a Murjiʾī; whoever worships Him through fear alone is a Ḥarūrī; and whoever worships Him through love, fear, and hope is a believing monotheist.”
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 10/207
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic passage checked against the cited volume and printed page. English reviewed against every displayed Arabic paragraph on 14 October 2026.