Why is worship through fear alone unsound?
2026-09-21
T61 · 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. The labels zindīq, Ḥarūrī and Murjiʾī are retained as historical theological terms; this is not a judgment about a named individual. The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
وَسَبَبُ هَذَا عَدَمُ اقْتِرَانِ الْخَوْفِ مِنْ اللَّهِ بِحُبِّهِ وَإِرَادَتِهِ؛ وَلِهَذَا قَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: مَنْ عَبَدَ اللَّهَ بِالْحُبِّ وَحْدَهُ فَهُوَ زِنْدِيقٌ وَمَنْ عَبَدَهُ بِالْخَوْفِ وَحْدَهُ فَهُوَ حروري وَمَنْ عَبَدَهُ بِالرَّجَاءِ وَحْدَهُ فَهُوَ مُرْجِئٌ وَمَنْ عَبَدَهُ بِالْحُبِّ وَالْخَوْفِ وَالرَّجَاءِ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ.
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
The cause of this is that fear of Allah is not joined to love of Him and seeking Him. For this reason, some of the early generations said: “Whoever worships Allah through love alone is a zindīq; whoever worships Him through fear alone is a Ḥarūrī; whoever worships Him through hope alone is a Murjiʾī; and whoever worships Him through love, fear, and hope is a believer.”
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 15/21
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.