The fear of God should guide people to do the right thing and avoid doing wrong, imams will tell worshippers during today's sermon. "Fear of God is the main factor that prevents people from committing evil and sins. It prevents a person from doing injustice to another person," the sermon says. "Fear of God is a lifestyle that pursues happiness for the society. You find a man who fears God to be fair to his wife and children, give them their rights and treat them well ... A merchant who fears God is honest and truthful in his job, so he does not cheat. And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'One who cheats us is not one of us.'"
The benefits are not just spiritual but social, said Dania al Azraq, 27, an internal auditor from Syria. "Fear of God is in feeling His presence in our lives and abiding to His laws and guidance, which is in favour of humanity," she said. For example, if an employee follows his conscience and knows that God is watching him, he will not accept bribes or embezzle money, even if he knew he could get away with it.
"Sincerity would be in everything man does, starting from the business owner to the smallest employee," she said. "That brutal fight between humans for material things would be eliminated. Capital investments could be done in ways which are more in the welfare of society and growth." Raising children to fear God is a great way to guarantee they will stay away from bad things, even if their parents are not watching, she added.
"Raising your child with a fear of God is relieving; after all, your child is doing the right thing for God and not for you. "God is always there but a parent isn't. A living conscience is more protective than a parent's presence or threat," she said. According to Ms al Azraq, fear does not necessarily mean fear of the punishment. To her, it is a relationship of gratitude with God. "After all that God gave me, the least I can do is stay away from what he forbids and follow his orders.
"It also creates synergy with the universe." @Email:hdajani@thenational.ae
