In the words of Imam Ali (a)

THE ATTITUTDES OF
THOSE WHO FEAR
HIM…
 O' creatures of God, fear
God keeping in view the
reason why He created you
and be afraid of Him to the
extent He has advised you
to do so…
 Make yourself deserve
what He has promised
you, by having confidence
in the truth of His promise
and entertaining fear for
the Day of Judgement…
Fear God like a person…
 Who listened (good
advice) and bowed before
it, who admits the sins
committed by him and
recognizes their
enormity…
 …Who is afraid of the
consequences of his
actions; performed good
deeds…
…Who dreads the Wrath
of the Lord and hastens
to lead a virtuous life…
…Who believes in the Day
of Judgment and
undertakes honesty and
piety…
 …and when advised to
take a warning accepts
the advice and abstains
from evil deeds.
Fear God like a person…
Who faithfully believes in
His Commands and
sincerely decides to
follow them…
…Who repents the sins
committed by him and
the good work left
undone by him…
…Who carefully follows in
the footsteps of virtuous
people gone before him;
and when he is told of
truth, he recognizes it and
follows it.
Fear God like a person…
 Who spends his life in
search of truth, and when
alarmed by ties of
worldly life, discards and
renounces it…
 …Who provides himself
carefully for the
Hereafter…who keeps his
mind free from evil
desires…who purifies his
soul and prepares to
secure for himself a place
where he has to stay
permanently.
Fear God like a wise
man…
Whose mind is so filled
with thoughts of
tomorrow that he has
forgotten everything
else…
 …Whose mind has
realized the enormity of
His Wrath and to escape
it, he exerts himself to
the best of his ability…
…Night prayer has turned
even his short sleep into
awakening…
 …In the hope of Divine
recompense his days are
spent in doing good
deeds, even under the
scorching sun, under
fatigue and thirst of fast…
 …Piety has kept his
desires in control…
Remembrance of God is
ever moving his tongue...
 …He entertains fear
before dangers… and
avoiding dubious and
crooked ways, he takes to
the true and straight path
so that he may reach his
destination safely…
…Vanity and pride do not
lead him towards self-
deception and do not
upset his mind…
…He is never deceived
with doubtful or false
arguments…
 …He passes his days
happily because of the
happiness of good tidings
and pleasure of eternal
bounties...
 …He knows the dangers
one has to face there and
protects himself well with
the help of sublime
thoughts, ideal virtues
and noble deeds…
…He concentrates on the
ways and means of
attaining His Favor,
successfully endeavors to
shun vice and
wickedness, he prepares
himself to meet his death.
He passes the pathway of
this world in a
praiseworthy manner…He
reaches the next world
with virtues…
 Thus, he leads a glorious
life and passing this period
of transition with
meritorious and exemplary
character, he reaches the
next world happily and
gracefully.
In this way he passes the
few days of the transient
stay allotted to him in this
world.
Thus explains Imam Ali (a) the
attitudes of those who feared
God.
[Nahjul Balagha, Sermon al-Ghurra]