Tafsir of Ar-Ra'd 13:21

The apparent meaning is generality, encompassing everything that Allah the Exalted has commanded to be joined in His Book and upon the tongue of His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Al-Hasan said: The intent is connecting with the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) by believing in him, and a similar narration is reported from Ibn Jubayr. Qatadah said: The intent is the joining of kinship. It was also said: It is joining faith with action. Another view is that it is joining the bonds of Islam by spreading peace, visiting the sick, attending funerals, and observing the rights of neighbors, companions, and servants.

Those who held the view of generality included in this the Prophets (peace be upon them), where joining them means to believe in all of them and make no distinction between any of them; and people of all different ranks, where joining them means observing their rights; and even all animals, where joining them means observing what is required regarding them, whether as an obligation or a recommendation. It is reported from Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad that a group came to him in Mecca and said: "From where are you?" They said: "From the people of Khurasan." He said: "Fear Allah the Exalted and be from wherever you wish. Know that if a servant performed all goodness, but owned a hen and treated it poorly, he would not be a doer of good."

The object of "commanded" (amara) is omitted; the estimation is "what He commanded them to join." The phrase "that it be joined" (an yusala) is a substitution for the implied genitive pronoun; meaning: that which Allah commanded to be joined.

Meaning: They fear His threat, may He be glorified. The apparent meaning is that it is intended absolutely. It was also said: The intent is His threat (may He be exalted) regarding the severing of what they were commanded to join.

Meaning: They hold themselves to account before they are held to account. This is from the category of mentioning the specific after the general to emphasize its importance.

Regarding khashyah (fear/awe) and khawf (fear), it is said they are synonymous. In Al-‘Askari’s Furuq (Distinctions), it is stated that khawf relates to the hated thing and the place, as one says: "I feared Zayd" and "I feared the illness." Khashyah relates to the place rather than the hated thing itself. For this reason, He (may He be glorified) said: "They fear (yakhshawna)" first, and "they fear (yakhafuna)" second. Based on this, the consideration of "threat" would not be in its proper place, but this is not conceded, due to His words: "for fear of poverty (khashyata imlaq)" and "for whoever among you fears sin (khashiya al-‘anat)."

Al-Raghib differentiated between them, saying: Khashyah is a fear accompanied by reverence, and it is mostly derived from knowledge; therefore, the scholars were singled out for it in His words: "It is only those among His servants who have knowledge who fear Allah (innama yakhsha Allah min ‘ibadihi al-‘ulama)."

Some said: Khashyah is the most intense form of fear, because it is derived from their saying "a dry tree" (shajarat khashyah), meaning withered. For this reason, it was restricted to the Lord in this verse.

They also differentiated between them by saying that khashyah is due to the greatness of the one feared, even if the one who fears is strong, whereas khawf is due to the weakness of the one who fears, even if the thing feared is insignificant. This is evidenced by the fact that the transposing of the letters Kha, Shin, and Ya indicates negligence and lack of contemplation.

The truth is that such distinctions are generalities, not absolute or established linguistic rules; therefore, many did not differentiate between them. Indeed, the Imam chose that the intent of "they fear their Lord" is that they fear Him with a fear of reverence and majesty, claiming that otherwise, repetition would be necessary—and in that there is what there is.