With my recent reminders on forgiveness and mercy, it’s important to remember: while Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is Al Ghafur, Ar Raheem, the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful, He is also As Sami, Al Basir, Al Kabeer, the All Hearing, All Seeing, All Aware. He is Al Muhsiy, the Accounter, and Al Haseeb, the Bringer of Judgement. He is Al Muntaqim, the Avenger, Al Muqsit, the Requiter, and He is the Destroyer, Al Mumit, and Ad Darr, the Afflictor.
We shouldn’t get too comfortable…
It’s a balancing act: we can rely on Allah azza wa jall to be the Most Merciful; we can also rely on Him to be the Most Just. We can’t just happily sin and be confident in His Forgiveness; we also can’t just cower in fear all the time, refusing to do anything out of fear of falling into sin and earning His Wrath. Ibn Al-Qayyim said
The heart on its journey towards Allah the Exalted is like that of a bird. Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the head is healthy, then the two wings will fly well. When the head is cut off, the bird will die. When either of two wings is damaged, the bird becomes vulnerable to every hunter and predator.
May Allah help us to love Him, and in our love for Him, to hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath appropriately, Ameen.
