Is there a contradiction in the remembrance of Allah between tranquility and trembling awe?

In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful

And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings…

May Allah bless you; I thank you for your good opinion…

I set down here what reflection on the verses has yielded concerning what you asked, and I ask Allah for right guidance…

The matter can be viewed from two angles, and both can be held valid, since each of them confirms the other and does not contradict it; this is what may be called the dimension of inner meanings (butun).

The first angle: A difference in the direction of view: (tranquility) concerns the affairs of this world, and (trembling awe) the affairs of the Hereafter.

Its explanation:

First: Tranquility.

Tranquility concerns the state of the believer in the affairs of this world, whether they relate to (food security, political security or intellectual security) and the like, which usually make a person anxious. The believer is one who believes that everything is in the hand of Allah the Exalted, and so he arrives at (patience) or (contentment), and likewise (striving) and (gratitude). The Exalted has said: “let them worship the Lord of this House, who has fed them [and saved them] from hunger, and secured them from fear.” (Qurʾan 106:3–4)

The opposite side is those who do not believe in Allah: either they are struck by agitation, as in His words, exalted is He: “Indeed man has been created covetous: (19) anxious when an ill befalls him (20) and grudging [charity] when good comes his way (21) —[all are such] except the prayerful”. (Qurʾan 70:19–22)

or they become tranquil with this world, with a tranquility of sufficiency in it, without regard to Allah and the Hereafter, as in His words, exalted is He: “Indeed those who do not expect to encounter Us and who are pleased with the life of this world and satisfied with it, and those who are oblivious of Our signs”. (Qurʾan 10:7)

And there is one whose tranquility is entrusted to his worldly state, when he comes to enjoy abundant outward blessings, even though he is among the believers; this is a defect in faith, as the Exalted said: “And among the people are those who worship Allah on the [very] fringe: if good fortune befalls him, he is content with it; but if an ordeal visits him he makes a turnabout, to become a loser in the world and the Hereafter. That is manifest loss.” (Qurʾan 22:11)

If we trace more of the verses, we will find that Allah the Exalted reinforced the Muslims in war with five thousand angels for the sake of (tranquility) regarding (military, political) victory, which is a worldly matter; that is in His words, exalted is He:

“When you were saying to the faithful, ‘Is it not enough for you that your Lord should aid you with three thousand angels sent down?’ (124) Yes, if you are steadfast and Godwary, and should they come at you suddenly, your Lord will aid you with five thousand angels sent in [to the scene of battle]. (125) Allah did not appoint it but as a good news for you and to reassure with it your hearts; and victory comes only from Allah, the All-mighty, the All-wise.” (Qurʾan 3:124–126)

And the Disciples, with Allah's prophet Jesus: they ask for a table from the sky so that their hearts may (be at rest) in (their faith and belief), which is an intellectual, worldly matter, as in the words of Allah, mighty is His affair:

“When the Disciples said, ‘O Jesus son of Mary! Can your Lord send down to us a table from the sky?’ Said he, ‘Be wary of Allah, should you be faithful.’ (112) They said, ‘We desire to eat from it, and our hearts will be at rest: we shall know that you have told us the truth, and we shall be among the witnesses to it.’” (Qurʾan 5:112–113)

Likewise in the words of Abraham (a): “And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord! Show me how You revive the dead,’ He said, ‘Do you not believe?’ He said, ‘Yes indeed, but in order that my heart may be at rest.’” (Qurʾan 2:260)

Whether Abraham asked for an increase in faith for himself or it was a request on behalf of the people, the truth in this verse is that sound faith, correct belief and certainty in it are a cause of intellectual tranquility.

From here we come to the verse that says: “those who have faith and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Behold! The hearts find rest in Allah’s remembrance!” (Qurʾan 13:28).

The context in which this verse came is the context of the disbelievers casting doubt on the prophethood of the Prophet (s), in His words: “The faithless say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’” (Qurʾan 13:27). So the believers' tranquility through the remembrance of Allah the Exalted comes about because of what made them believers in Him and in His noble Messenger (s).

Second: Trembling awe.

Trembling awe is the state of the believer when he looks to the dimension of the Hereafter; he lives in a state of fear so as to be on the path of obedience and of fulfilling what Allah wants of him.

So it is with every blessing that comes to him or responsibility placed upon him: he looks to Allah in fear, that is, seeking the good pleasure of Allah the Exalted in it. We find, for example, in His words, exalted is He:

“They ask you concerning the anfaal. Say, ‘The anfaal belong to Allah and the Apostle.’ So be wary of Allah and settle your differences, and obey Allah and His Apostle, should you be faithful. (1) The faithful are only those whose hearts tremble [with awe] when Allah is mentioned, and when His signs are recited to them, they increase their faith, and who put their trust in their Lord, (2) maintain the prayer and spend out of what We have provided them. (3) It is they who are truly the faithful. They shall have ranks near their Lord, forgiveness and a noble provision.” (Qurʾan 8:1–4)

The context of the verses is one of assigning responsibilities and explaining rulings in which the believer should be wary of his Lord; he deals with them out of fear of Allah's Fire and His displeasure, and this is what calls him to uprightness.

The same holds in the words of Allah the Exalted:

“For every nation We have appointed a rite so that they might mention Allah’s Name over the livestock He has provided them. Your God is the One God, so submit to Him. And give good news to the humble (34) —those whose hearts tremble with awe when Allah is mentioned, and who are patient through whatever visits them, and who maintain the prayer and spend out of what We have provided them.” (Qurʾan 22:34–35)

The verses in Surat al-Muʾminun have made clear that the believer's uprightness and the trembling awe of his heart are only because he looks to the Hereafter (“that they are going to return to their Lord” (Qurʾan 23:60)). We find this truth in His words, exalted is He:

“Indeed those who are apprehensive for the fear of their Lord, (57) and believe in the signs of their Lord, (58) and do not ascribe partners to their Lord; (59) who give whatever they give while their hearts tremble with awe that they are going to return to their Lord.” (Qurʾan 23:57–60)

And as the Commander of the Faithful (a) said: “Blessed is he who has made trembling awe his inner garment, given the lie to hope, and avoided slips.”

The second angle:

Tranquility can be viewed as coming about because of trembling awe: trembling awe is what impels and moves the believer, and tranquility is a goal he reaches.

This is known through the verse: “The faithful are only those whose hearts tremble [with awe] when Allah is mentioned, and when His signs are recited to them, they increase their faith, and who put their trust in their Lord” (Qurʾan 8:2).

The hearts of the believers tremble with awe at the remembrance of Allah the Exalted—that awe which leads them to uprightness and to seeking [His] good pleasure; then, “when His signs are recited to them, they increase their faith” (Qurʾan 8:2), and an increase in faith is an increase in tranquility.

His Eminence the religious authority (marjaʿ) Sayed al-Modarresi mentioned this aspect in his exegesis Min Huda al-Qurʾan, where he pointed out that the root sense of (wajal) is movement and shaking; the hearts of the believers are affected when they hear the verses of Allah, and so they arrive at an increase in faith and tranquility.

I quote here an explanatory passage by His Eminence Sayed al-Modarresi on the verse; he says:

(The believers are those whose hearts, when Allah is mentioned, tremble with awe and are shaken with fear, hope and love; their faith increases whenever the spoken signs of Allah and other [signs] are mentioned to them; and they do not feel lowly before any thing or person, because they rely on Allah, their Lord and the Disposer of their affairs. This firmly rooted faith of the heart is reflected in their conduct, so that they maintain the prayer and spend out of all that Allah has provided them.)

In conclusion:

It is evident that each aspect has its indications, which do not contradict the other, and support for each of them can be derived from the narrations. And Allah knows best.

Please accept my greetings

Mahmoud Al-Mosawi