Question
I would like to know about the right mindedness of fearing Allah. It seems that many people I talk to will admit to love of Allah but fall shy of admitting fear of Allah, preferring to quote that Allah is as His servants see Him. But in the Quran in only a very small number of Ayats are we told to love Allah but in a very great number we are told to fear Allah. Of course I have great love for Allah but isn't it important to also fear Allah as Allah commands us so much in the Quran? Shouldn't a Muslim live between fear and Hope. I so often hear such Muslims who only admit to love of Allah justify their sins or disobedience to Allah by claiming oh I am weak and Allah is Merciful, should we not also fear Allah's punishment? And if we love Allah so much shouldn't we striving to make Allah pleased with us?
Fatwa
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
Allah ordained His creation to love Him, have hope in Him and fear Him, and this is what the Prophets, may Allah exalt their mention, and the pious people did. Allah Says describing them (what means): {And [mention] Zakariyyaa (Zechariah), when he called to his Lord, “My Lord, do not leave me alone [with no heir], while You are the best of inheritors.” So We responded to him, and We gave to him Yahya (John), and amended for him his wife. Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.}[Quran 21:90]. The verse means that there is no contradiction between fear and hope, and thinking good of Allah.
Allah Says (what means): {…but fear Me, if you are (true) believers.}[Quran 3:175]. Makhool Ad-Dimashqi [from Damascus] who was an outstanding scholar among the generation which followed the companions, said: 'Whoever worships Allah with love only, will eventually come out of the fold of Islam.'
The praised fear is that which urges the person to do good and refrain from doing evil, whereas the fear which makes the person despair from Allah’s Mercy, is certainly dispraised.
The excuse of some people who persist in their disobedience to Allah while claiming to be weak and that Allah is The Most Merciful, is not a sound reason. This is nothing but an evil excuse which the devil whispered to them as he lured them to disobey Allah and commit what entails His Wrath, because how could a person claim to love Allah while he persists in disobeying Him?
The matter is as the questioner mentioned, may Allah enable her to do good; a believer should combine between loving Allah and fearing Him, as Allah mentioned about His Prophets, may Allah exalt their mention.
Allah Knows best.