بسم الله
والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله
، وبعد
Being afflicted by trials and tribulations is part of this
worldly life. Man – from the cradle to the grave – will be tested with these
trials. As Allaah تعالى says:
﴿لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا
الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ﴾
{Verily, We have created man in toil (hardship)}
[Surah al-Balad (90): 4]
There is no one but is afflicted and tested with one or the
other type Fitnah. In generality, the afflictions are of five types, as Allaah تعالى says:
﴿وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم
بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ﴾
{And We will surely test you
with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits…}
[Surah al-Baqarah (2): 155]
Everyone is tested according to his level of Imaan (Faith).
Allaah تعالى says:
﴿لَا يُكَلِّفُ
اللَّـهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا﴾
{Allaah does not charge a
soul except (with that within) its capacity} [Surah al-Baqarah (2):
286]
It was narrated from Mus`ab bin Sa`d that his father, Sa`d
bin Abu Waqqaas رضي الله عنه said: I said: O Messenger of Allaah, which
people are most severely tested? He صلى
الله عليه وسلم
said:
الْأَنْبِيَاءُ، ثُمَّ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ، يُبْتَلَى الْعَبْدُ
عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ صُلْبًا، اشْتَدَّ بَلَاؤُهُ، وَإِنْ
كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ رِقَّةٌ، ابْتُلِيَ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ، فَمَا يَبْرَحُ الْبَلَاءُ
بِالْعَبْدِ، حَتَّى يَتْرُكَهُ يَمْشِي عَلَى الْأَرْضِ، وَمَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ خَطِيئَةٍ
“The Prophets, then the
next best and the next best. A person is tested according to his religious
commitment. If he is steadfast in his religious commitment, he will be tested
more severely, and if he is frail in his religious commitment, his test will be
according to his commitment. Trials will continue to afflict a person until
they leave him walking on the earth with no sin on him.” [Sunan
al-Tirmidhee (4159) and Sunan Ibn Maajah (4023) and graded as “Hasan Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]
Some afflictions are more severe and worse than the others. The
afflictions could be in a person’s Deen (religion) or his Dunya (worldly life) through
loss of wealth, death of someone, illness, or harm done by others. But the most
severe ones are those in the Deen, as Allaah تعالى
says:
﴿وَالْفِتْنَةُ
أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ﴾
{…and Al-Fitnah is worse than killing} [Surah
al-Baqarah (2): 191]
He تعالى also says:
﴿وَالْفِتْنَةُ
أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ﴾
{...and Al-Fitnah is greater than killing} [Surah
al-Baqarah (2): 217]
These trials of the Deen are through Shirk, Kufr, Hypocrisy,
facing the enemy in the battlefield etc.
Some benefit from these trials:
﴿وَلَمَّا رَأَى
الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْأَحْزَابَ قَالُوا هَـٰذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّـهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَدَقَ
اللَّـهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ۚ وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّا إِيمَانًا
وَتَسْلِيمًا﴾
{And when the believers
saw Al-Ahzaab (the Confederates), they said: “This is what Allaah and His
Messenger had promised us, and Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) had spoken
the truth, and it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness (to
Allaah).} [Surah al-Ahzaab (33): 22]
While others lose:
﴿وَمِنَ النَّاسِ
مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍ ۖ
فَإِنْ
أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ ۖ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ
انقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ﴾
{And of the people is he
who worships Allaah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by
it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face (i.e. reverts back to
disbelief after embracing Islaam). He has lost (this) world and the Hereafter.
That is what the manifest loss is.} [Surah al-Hajj (22): 11]
Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
بادروا بالأعمال فتناً كقطع الليل المظلم، يصبح
الرجل مؤمناً ويمسي كافراً، أو يمسي مؤمناً ويصبح كافراً، يبيع دينه بعرض من الدنيا
“Be prompt in doing good
deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of
the dark night. During (that stormy period) a man would be a Muslim in the
morning and an unbeliever in the evening or he would be a believer in the
evening and an unbeliever in the morning, & would sell his faith for
worldly goods” [Saheeh Muslim (213)]
From the Tafseer of Imaam Ibn
Katheer رحمه
الله:
Allaah تعالى says:
﴿وَالْفِتْنَةُ
أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ﴾
{…and Al-Fitnah is worse than killing} [Surah
al-Baqarah (2): 191]
Since Jihaad involves killing and shedding the blood of
men, Allaah تعالى indicated that
these men (the Mushriks of Makkah) are committing disbelief in Allaah,
associating with Him (in the worship) and hindering from His path, and this is
more severe and much greater evil and more disastrous than killing.
Abu Maalik commented about what Allaah تعالى said:
﴿وَالْفِتْنَةُ
أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ﴾
{And Al-Fitnah is worse
than killing}, meaning: “what you (disbelievers) are committing is
much worse than killing.”
Abu Al-`Aaliyah, Mujaahid, Sa`eed bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah,
Al-Hasan, Qataadah, Ad-Dahhaak and Ar-Rabee` bin Anas said about the saying of Allaah
تعالى:
﴿وَالْفِتْنَةُ
أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ﴾
{And Al-Fitnah is worse
than killing}, they said: “Shirk (polytheism) is worse than killing.”
And Imaam Ibn Katheer continues:
﴿وَالْفِتْنَةُ
أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ﴾
{...and Al-Fitnah is greater
than killing} means, trying to force the Muslims to revert from
their religion and re-embrace Kufr after they had believed, is worse with Allaah
than killing.
--end of quote
Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Saaleh
al-`Uthaymeen رحمه
الله
said:
Al-Fitnah (here) means to prevent the people (the
Muslims) from (practicing) their religion; as Allaah تعالى
said:
﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ
فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ
وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ﴾
{Verily, those who put
into Fitnah (trial) the believing men and believing women (by torturing them
and burning them), and then do not turn in repentance, (to Allaah), will have
the torment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the burning Fire.}
[Surah al-Burooj (85): 10]
So preventing the people from their religion is a Fitnah more
severe than killing them. This is because by killing them, the utmost they can
do is cutoff the person from pleasures of this Dunyaa (world); whereas the
Fitnah cuts them off from the Dunyaa and the Aakhirah, as Allaah تعالى said:
﴿وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ
فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ
الْمُبِينُ﴾
{…but if a trial befalls
him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing
Islaam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.}
[Surah al-Hajj (22): 11]
--end of quote
From Tafseer al-Muyassar (by a
group of prominent scholars in Tafseer):
“And the Fitnah – which is al-Kufr, al-Shirk and
preventing people from (practicing) Islaam – is more severe than their killing
you.”
--end of quote
Tafseer al-Sa`dee رحمه الله:
And when the fighting took place near the Masjid
al-Haraam (i.e. in Makkah), (and after He تعالى)
conveyed that it is evil (to fight) in this Sacred land, He تعالى
informed that the evil Fitnah of Shirk and preventing people from His religion
is more severe than the evil of killing. Therefore, O Muslims, there is no sin
on your part to kill them (near the Masjid al-Haraam).
And this Verse is used as an evidence for the famous principle,
i.e.: “Choosing the lesser of two evils to ward off the greater one.”
--end of quote
The purpose of these afflictions is to purify our sins
and to separate the Believers from the hypocrites:
﴿أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ
أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ * وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا
الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّـهُ الَّذِينَ
صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ﴾
{Do people think that they
will be left alone because they say: “We believe,” and will not be tested. And
We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allaah will certainly make
(it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it)
known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allaah knows all that
before putting them to test).} [Surah al-`Ankaboot (29):2-3]
Allaah تعالى also says:
﴿لِّيَجْزِيَ اللَّـهُ
الصَّادِقِينَ بِصِدْقِهِمْ وَيُعَذِّبَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ إِن شَاءَ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ
ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾
{That Allaah may reward
the men of truth for their truth (i.e. for their patience at the accomplishment
of that which they covenanted with Allaah), and punish the hypocrites if He
will or accept their repentance by turning to them in Mercy. Verily, Allaah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} [Surah al-Ahzaab (33): 24]
Therefore we should constantly ask Allaah تعالى that He تعالى keeps us firm upon
the religion:
وصلى الله وسلم وبارك على نبينا
محمد
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