Are humanists and atheists not right to want to free people from the fear of God?

They would be right if the fear of God meant dread and terror. In Islam, however, it means being anxious not to displease God and lose His love, and that kind of fear is another word for love.

Everything depends on what we mean by fear. If people fear God the way they fear a wolf or a snake, that is a paralysing dread. Many humanists and atheists want to free people from that kind of dread, and their concern is understandable.

Islam understands the fear of God differently. In the light of other verses of the Holy Qur’an and the teaching of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), it means the fear of displeasing God. An everyday comparison makes this clear. A child who loves his parents is not afraid of them. He is afraid of disappointing them and losing their love. There is no horror in that fear. It is another word for love.

In this sense a believer should be careful in his thoughts and actions. He does not want to think or do anything that could cost him God’s favour and God’s love. This attitude does not make a person small and fearful. It gives life a direction and gives the heart peace, as the first verse above says.

So those who want to free people from the fear of God are often fighting a caricature. A fear that comes from love does not need to be removed. It protects a person from what harms him and others.

Where atheists work for the good of humanity, there is an area in which believers are glad to cooperate with them. On the question of God Himself the paths remain different, but people can still meet each other with respect.