The phobias of the people of the ignorant

Phobic anxiety or phobic fear is an irrational fear which the individual in question knows is unnecessary and out of proportion to the demands of the situation concerned, but which, nevertheless, he is unable to overcome. It occurs without logic in situations which ordinarily should not cause fear. Despite being a mental problem, however, ignorant people accept those suffering from phobic anxiety or phobic fear as normal people rather than patients who need treatment. Medical dictionaries list between 250 and 300 phobias. Indeed, the ignorant can become phobic about anything. It is not rare for a person to have a list of situations which cause phobic distress for him.

Some of the fears may be rational for all people. Yet, the fears of phobic individuals are quite extreme. A person with a phobic fear of snakes, for instance, screams, jumps on the sofa or faints at the sight of a snake on television or newspaper. Some associate enclosed places with a grave or a place under earth and hence develop agoraphobia, the fear of enclosed places. This is, in fact, a manifestation of the fear of death. In their minds, they equate darkness with disasters and hence feel restless even at home, a place where they should normally feel secure. They attribute a power to darkness, assume it to be separate and apart from Allah, and believe that it is the source of all evil. In darkness, they feel terrified, assuming that unseen forces lie in wait to assault or to kill them.

There is one main reason why these people feel terrified with no rational and apparent reason: they do not trust Allah and ascribe partners to Him. In the Qur’an, Allah relates that groundless fear is a temptation of evil and that there is neither fear nor grief for true believers who fear Allah.

It is only the devil who would make (men) fear his partisans. But do not fear them; fear Me, if you are true believers.(Surah Al 'Imran: 175)

But whoever surrenders himself to Allah while doing good, his reward is with his Lord; and no fear shall overtake them, neither shall they grieve.(Surah Al-Baqara: 112)