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From all the things I've learned so far, I reckon that Allah (SWT) is perfect and there's none comparable unto him; all other beings other than Him (SWT) are bound to be imperfect. However, while reading Surat-Alshams (91:15), I came across the following translation:
Sahih International
And He does not fear the consequence thereof.
(**Emphasis is mine.*)
Now, if this translation is correct, does Allah (SWT) fear anything? If not, why did He (SWT) refer to Himself in this way?
According to Almizan Tafsir:
Allah didn't fear punishing them, like kings fear the consequences of punishing their enemies, because kings don't know what will be happening next and what will be the consequences, but Allah knows what will be the consequences of the punishment: it will be according to his will and his command.
This was my translation, if you can read Arabic or Persian, please read the links given.
No, as you said Allah is the perfect and his power is ultimate, he fears nothing at all.
Regarding the ayah "وﻻ يخاف عقباها", there are many understandings:
First One: It refers to Allah as He is the latest mentioned in ayat before it. Some mufasireen say it means that He doesn't fear the consequence of the punishment, as if He is clarifying that he did the rightful thing (doing right things doesn't have bad consequence), And all what He does is full of wisdom and is rightful so he doesn't fear its consequence. Others say it means the punishment is so easy-doing for Allah the Almighty. Others say it's a stressing to tell that the punishment was extremely torment and painful; that is: Kings usually fear sequences and so don't punish so much, but since Allah doesn't fear sequences (He is the Perfect and the Almighty), and didn't ease the punishment, so telling the fearlessness doesn't express that He didn't fear, but rather how greatly torment the punishment was.
Second one: It refers to the Proepht Saleh (PBUH); i.e: Saleh shouldn't fear the sequence of this punishment that Allah sent to those people, this means that it was a promise from Allah to Saleh that he will aid and protect him.
Third one: It refers to the one who killed that camel: the ayah came at the end but it will be interpreted as if it was after (إذ انبعث أشقاها), so as a meaning it would be: (إذ انبعث أشقاها * وﻻ يخاف عقباها), that أشقاها (the worst person among the people of Thamoud) was so stupid and ignorant that he killed the camel and was sure no punishment will touch him and his people without having any real guarantee, and only a stupid and ignorant commits something despite the big fear of the consequence that comes.
Source: Tafseer Al-Razi, by Imam Fakhr-Aldin Al-Razi (And sorry if the translation is bad).
Allah is not like humans but if we want to talk about Allah there is no way to use words unless we cannot talk about Allah. Words have not capacity of transmitting meanings about Allah but finally we have no way to use them. They are words used for us to understand the meanings. Also Qur'an is for all audience of people and if be in high complicated language only few people can understand it.
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? http://tanzil.net/#54:17
Allah can not be known correctly by words and best way of knowing Allah is Intiotion and meeting him.
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَى رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ
O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it. http://tanzil.net/#84:6
Abbas said, "Allah does not fear any consequences from anyone else.'' Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Bakr binAbdullah Al-Muzani and others all said the same. – user926 Mar 30 '13 at 8:03