Adh-Dhariyat · Makki · ayah 28 of 60

Adh-Dhariyat 51:28

فَأَوْجَسَ مِنْهُمْ خِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوا۟ لَا تَخَفْ ۖ وَبَشَّرُوهُ بِغُلَـٰمٍ عَلِيمٍ

“And he felt from them apprehension.[1540] They said, "Fear not," and gave him good tidings of a learned boy.”

Saheeh International

Essence

A prophet feels fear stir quietly inside him; the visitors calm it first, then hand him news of a son who will know.

A reflection

A prophet who felt afraid

Fa-awjasa minhum khīfatan: he sensed a fear of them within himself.

The verb is precise. Wajs is a faint, hidden sound, and the start it gives the heart. Tawajjus is a hunter or a camel listening hard for it. Awjasa is to sense fear within and hold it there, unshown. The lexicons establish this picture: an ear pricked at a faint noise in the dark. Not panic. A quiet alarm, felt and kept inside.

The commentaries confirm the inside part. One says he felt the fear in himself and concealed it. Another classical scholar counts it among Ibrahim's courtesies: he was afraid of them, and did not show it to them.

This matters, because many believers carry a hidden assumption. If my faith were strong, I would not feel afraid. Fear becomes a secret failure, something to be ashamed of.

The Quran says otherwise, plainly. Ibrahim, the close friend of Allah, the father of prophets, felt fear in his own home. Fear did not make him less. It was a natural response to a strange sign, and he managed it with dignity.

Picture a father driving his children home on a motorway when sleet turns suddenly to heavy snow. Visibility drops to a few car lengths. His hands tighten on the wheel and his heart is racing. In the back, the children are singing. His voice stays light. 'Let's see who can spot the next sign.' Inside, he is asking Allah to get them home.

That is awjasa. The fear is real. It is held, not denied, and not dumped on others.

Faith is not the absence of fear. It is what you do with the fear when it comes. It is whom you turn to, and how you treat others while your heart is pounding.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.