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Journal of Religion and Health
Published in: Journal of Religion and Health 1/2018

01-02-2018 | Original Paper

The Concepts of Hope and Fear in the Islamic Thought: Implications for Spiritual Health

Authors: Fatemeh Bahmani, Mitra Amini, Seyed Ziaeddin Tabei, Mohamad Bagher Abbasi

Published in: Journal of Religion and Health | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

The Holy Qur’ān and medieval Islamic writings have many references to “hope” (rajā) and “fear” (khawf) as both single and paired concepts. However, a comprehensive analytical study on these two notions from an Islamic point of view still seems lacking. Both paper and electronic documents related to Islamic and Qur’ānic literature are being used in this study. Also Web resources are searched for keywords of fear, hope and Islam in three languages of Arabic, English and Persian, including Tanzil.net, Almaany.com, Tebyan.net, Holyquran.net, Noorlib.ir, Hawzah.net and Google Scholar. Findings indicate that hope and fear are comprised of three conceptual elements: emotional, cognitive and behavioral, and are identified as “praiseworthy” hope or fear, when associated with God as the ultimate object. Nonetheless, this praiseworthy hope or fear is only distinguishable as “true,” when both are in equilibrium, a necessary condition for spiritual health, which results to perfection. Islam rejects excessive hope or excessive fear, describing both as a “pseudo”-type, which would respectively contribute to self-deceit and despair, and end in spiritual decline.
Footnotes
1
See (Ohlander 2005) for details.
 
2
These verses include: Qur’ān; 2:182,229 & 4:3, 9 & 19:5 & 28:7.
 
3
“But as for him who feared the Station of his Lord and forbade the soul its caprice” (Qur’ān; 79:40).
 
4
This translation is adopted from the Shakir's English translation of the Holy Qur’ān.
 
5
“Do not despair of God's comfort; of God's comfort no man despairs, excepting the people of the unbelievers” (Qur’ān; 12:87).
 
6
It is He who shows you the lightning, for fear and hope, and produces the heavy clouds (Qur’ān; 13:12) and also (Qur’ān; 30:24).
 
7
These verses include, “they hope for His mercy, and fear His chastisement” (Qur’ān; 17:57), “being afraid of the world to come and hoping for the mercy of his Lord” (Qur’ān; 39:9), “and call on Him fearfully, eagerly” (Qur’ān; 7:56), “they call on their Lord in fear and hope” (Qur’ān; 32:16), “called upon Us out of yearning and awe” (Qur’ān; 21:90).
 
8
"So We answered him, and bestowed on him John, and We set his wife right for him; truly they vied with one another, hastening to good works, and called upon Us out of yearning and awe; and they were humble to Us.” (Qur’ān; 21:90).
 
9
“Surely those who tremble in fear of their Lord” (Qur’ān; 23:57).
 
10
“Those only are believers who, when God is mentioned, their hearts quake” (Qur’ān; 8:2).
 
11
“Whereat shiver the skins of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of God” (Qur’ān; 39:23).
 
12
“Those of His servants, fear God who have knowledge” (Qur’ān; 35:28).
 
13
“Who hopes for the encounter with his Lord, work righteousness, and not associates with his Lord's service anyone?” (Qur’ān; 18:110).
 
14
“They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded” (Qur’ān; 16:50).
 
15
'Yet if thou stretchest out thy hand against me, to slay me, I will not stretch out my hand against thee, to slay thee; I fear God, the Lord of all Being’. (Qur’ān; 5:28).
 
16
Referring to the verse (Qur’ān; 2:185), “the Koran was sent down to be a guidance to the people, and as clear signs of the Guidance and the Salvation.”.
 
17
Referring to the verse (Qur’ān; 1:6), “Guide us in the straight path”.
 
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Metadata
Title
The Concepts of Hope and Fear in the Islamic Thought: Implications for Spiritual Health
Authors
Fatemeh Bahmani
Mitra Amini
Seyed Ziaeddin Tabei
Mohamad Bagher Abbasi
Publication date
01-02-2018
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Religion and Health / Issue 1/2018
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0336-2

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