Fear of fear itself can be greater than the thing we think we fear
Accept, but place God's power as Higher
Do you often find yourself anxious at the thought of the supernatural- like things otherworldy are terrifying? I think it's natural to feel this way. But, sometimes an excessive fear of something we know that God has created may undermine our belief in His power.
We often fear the unknown and things we don't completely understand. But, we have to remember that the God that we believe in is greater and stronger than the evil that exists in anything unknown to us.
It can often be the case that our fixation on our fear itself is what increases the trepidation around the supernatural. If we instead accept its existence as something that God created then maybe we can learn to be less afraid. If we restrain from involving ourselves overly in seeking it out-there is no reason why it should be of harm to us.
For example, in an authentic hadith, Abu al-Malih reported that a man said:
“I was riding on a mount behind the Prophet and it stumbled, so I said: May Satan perish!” The Prophet (PBUH), said, “Do not say: May Satan perish! If you say that, he will swell with pride until he becomes as big as a house and he says: By my might! Rather, you should say: In the name of Allah. If you say that, he will shrink until he becomes as small as a fly.”
This shows that we should not give significance to the things we fear because the more we do- the larger in importance they become.
Phasmophobia
A controllable but excessive fear of the supernatural however differs from Phasmophobia. This is the fear of ghosts and the unknown- and is a more debilitating disorder. This phobia can cause intense discomfort and difficulty sleeping, including socio and functional impairment (De Oliveira-Souza, 2018). The use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and/or psychopharmaceutical treatments can help to alleviate this.
Protection from Harm
As Muslims, we believe that there is nothing greater than God. Therefore, we must never let irrational fear get the better of us. God has always prescribed us certain solutions for protection and to alleviate our fear.
For example, one of our strongest solutions to curb our fear comes from recitation from the Quran. For example, reciting the four Quls and Ayatal- Kursi. These verses hold such power and protection for us.
The Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH)
It is important to note that anyone can be affected by the supernatural, including evil eye. Even the Prophet (PBUH) was afflicted with evil eye. However, it is important to never act as though these things are larger than the power of Allah (swt). Just like all trials that are faced, this too is just another test from Allah(Swt) and a test of emaan.
‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said the following:
If anyone says every morning and evening: 'In the name of Allah with whose name nothing on earth or in the heaven can cause harm, and He is All-Hearing and All-Knowing,’
In arabic this is recited as:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لاَ يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَىْءٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلاَ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Bismillaahil-lathi la yaDorro ma’asmehe shay’on feel-ArDe wala fees-samaa’ wa who-wa As-samee’o Al-Aleem.
This is to be recited 3 times in the morning and 3 times in the evening to be protected from all evil.
Reference:Whoever recites it three times in the morning will not be afflicted by any calamity before evening, and whoever recites it three times in the evening will not be overtaken by any calamity before morning." Abu Dawud 4/323, At-Tirmidhi 5/465, Ibn Majah 2/332, Ahmad. Ibn Majah's chain of transmission is good (Hasan), Ibn Baz, p. 39.
Therefore, it is clear from the Quran and Sunnah that Allah(swt) has provided us with a multitude of protection. But most importantly, one must always remember that our protection and safety lie with Him. And this must be an inherent belief that we hold close.
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