It is used thus: for the one who feels secure is the one who acts audaciously towards Allah. Therefore, in ḥaqīqa (inner reality), the opposite of khawf (fear) is audacity.
There are four situations that necessitate khawf: The first is to frequently recall your sins and the hostilities you have committed. Even if you do so, salvation is still distant for you. The second is to often remember Allah's punishment, which you could never endure. The third is to recall that your nafs (the lower self) is too weak to bear this punishment. The fourth is to remember that you do not know when and how Allah will decree what He has destined for you.
Rajāʾ (hope) is the joy the qalb (the heart) feels due to knowing Allah's grace towards oneself, and the tranquility found in the vastness of His mercy. This (knowledge and tranquility) are among the inspirations not decreed for the servant, whereas rajāʾ is decreed. This occurs by remembering Allah's bounty and the vastness of His mercy. As an exception, the act of asking for what comes to mind is also called rajāʾ.
There are four situations that necessitate rajāʾ: The first is to remember Allah's grace towards you without any intermediary or initiative, without khawf-rajāʾ (fear and hope).
The second is, in a state (ḥāl) in which you have not earned anything by your own actions, to remember the abundant rewards and great honors Allah has promised you out of His own grace. If these were in return for your actions, they would perhaps be very insignificant and meager (what you do is nothing compared to His blessings).
The third is to remember the abundance of blessings and honors Allah has given you for your religion and your worldly life, without you having any right or claim to them.
The fourth is to remember that Allah's mercy is broader than His wrath, and that He is al-Raḥmān (the Most Merciful), al-Ghanī (the Self-Sufficient), al-Karīm (the Generous), and al-Raʾūf (the Compassionate) to His believing (muʾmin) servants. (Minhāj, 63)
They asked, "What is the key to intention in (ritual) prayer?" I replied, "Certainty (yaqīn)." To those who asked about the key to certainty, I said, "Tawakkul (reliance upon God)." Then they asked about the key to tawakkul, and I answered, "Khawf." To those who asked about the key to khawf, I replied, "Sabr (patient endurance)," and to those who asked about the key to sabr, I said, "Riḍā (contentment with God's decree)."
Then they asked, "What is the key to riḍā?" I said, "Obedience (ṭāʿa)." To those who asked about the key to obedience, I replied, "Confession (iʿtirāf)," and to those who asked about the key to confession, I answered, "Confession of oneness (waḥdāniyya) and rubūbiyya (divine lordship)." When they asked how I obtained all this knowledge, I said, "Through knowledge (ʿilm)." To those who asked how I obtained knowledge, I said, "Through learning (taʿallum)." To those who asked how I learned, I answered, "Through intellect (ʿaql)."
Then they asked, "How did you obtain intellect?" I said: Intellect is of two kinds: the first is the intellect related to Allah's uniqueness in His creation; the other is the intellect that servants acquire through learning and gaining knowledge. When these two come together, both support their possessor.
When they asked how I learned all this information, I replied: Take it.