LIFE IS A FITNAH

hassana elkoussi

hassana elkoussi

Junior Member
Life is a Fitnah!​
(as Understood From Soorah Al-'Ankaboot)​
Shaykh Saalih ibn 'Abdil-'Azeez Aalish-Shaykh​


[The central theme of Soorah Al-'Ankaboot, as some of the scholars have mentioned, is fitnah (trials and tribulations). Fitnah is mentioned right from the very beginning of the soorah where Allaah says [2]:

( Alif - Laam - Meem. Do people then think they will be left alone upon saying, "We believe in Allaah," and they will not be faced with fitnah? And verily we put those who came before them to trials, so that Allaah would make known those who have been truthful, and so that Allaah would make known the liars. )


So in this soorah, Soorah Al-'Ankaboot, Allaah mentions the varieties of trials and the foundations that they are built upon. He also mentions how a man may be saved from
these kinds of trials.That is because this worldly life, in reality, is merely a test and a trial.

(Allaah says) [4]:

( And We shall test you with trials of evil and good, and to Us you will return )

Look to what Allaah mentions in the beginning of this soorah:

( Do people then think they will be left alone upon saying, "We believe in Allaah," and they will not be faced with fitnah? )

You say you are a believer, so when can your faith be considered true eemaan? That is when trials have been placed in front of you, and you have passed them successfully upon Allaah's Order.
You might even be tried by your own self! There are people who are put to fitnah because of their beauty and good qualities. A woman may be tested by her own possessions, and a man may also be tested by his own wealth. One may be tested by his parents as well. So you will find in this soorah mention of all these kinds of fitnah, their origins, and solutions to them.

I-The Fitnah of Disbelieving Parents​

Take this example: In the first part of the soorah, Allaah says [5]:

( And we have commanded the people to be good to their parents. But if they strive to make you join partners with Me, those that you have no knowledge of, then do not obey them! To Me is your return. )

Note here that some parents cause fitnah and strive to make a servant commit shirk. Isn't this a fitnah? Indeed it is a tremendous fitnah!

The scholars of Tafseer have mentioned that this verse was revealed about the events involving Sa'd ibn Abee Waqqaas, when his mother tried to turn him back to disbelief. Even with this kind of situation, Allaah ordered him to bear the company of his parents with kindness, but not to obey them. He said [5]:

( But if they strive to make you join partners with Me, those that you have no knowledge of, then do not obey them! To Me is your return and I will inform you of what you used to do. )]

And He said in the beginning of the verse:

( And we have commanded the people to be good to their parents )

This is a tremendous fitnah! So then what is the way out of it? The answer is, with the proper understanding of Allaah's Legislation, that you do not obey them when they command you with kufr, shirk, or disobedience to Allaah, however you still bear their company with kindness.
 
hassana elkoussi

hassana elkoussi

Junior Member
II-The Fitnah of Being in the Minority​

Another kind of fitnah is when a person sees a great number of people disbelieving in Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. They do not believe, and so along comes a man and feels that he and the people of faith are very few, and that the disbelievers, the hypocrites, criminals, or disobedient ones are the majority. How can he keep straight himself, how? This is a kind of fitnah that attacks the heart.

Very few of the people in this kind of situation stay firm. Most of them look to the people - the majority are into evil, so they fall into it. In this soorah Allah says,
" And whoever strives, he strives only for himself. Verily, Allah stands not in need of any of 'Alameen ( mankind, jinn and all that exists)
 
hassana elkoussi

hassana elkoussi

Junior Member
III-The Fitnah of Passions and Desires​

Allaah mentions the story of Loot ('alayhis-salaam). In it is mention of the fitnah of the desires of men that go against man's very nature. This, along with a number of other passions and their outward promotion of them, they claimed that there was no harm in them. They would refute anyone who prohibited them from their actions.

He (Loot) prohibited them, and said, "You are practicing all kinds of evil in your gatherings!" But all they said to him was, "Bring us Allaah's Punishment if you are indeed truthful!" [14]
It was great fitnah for Loot that his wife from his own house had given into their evil and became like them, encouraging the men to have intercourse with the men who came to their land, and the likes. (Allaah says) [15]:

( So we saved him and his family, except his wife, as she was from those who stayed behind )

So then the desires are a form of fitnah. How can one escape his desires and passions? He escapes them by recognizing that they are a source of fitnah.

Allaah intended for the passions in the flesh of mankind to be something that leads him to preserve his lineage (by having children), and to test the servant as well. Does he have perseverance or not? Does he push forward, firm upon what Allaah wants from him, or does he turn to his desires and lose hold of his grasp over them, going after anything he wants?

So in this story, the fitnah was something that led to the release of Allaah's Punishment upon those who did not cease doing things He, the Mighty and Majestic, had forbidden.
 
hassana elkoussi

hassana elkoussi

Junior Member
IV-The Fitnah of Disobedience Upon Knowledge​

Another kind of fitnah is when the people have knowledge, the society knows what is correct, but they do not act according to the knowledge. An ignorant man can be taught, but when knowledge has spread throughout a society and the people know the boundaries and they have some insight, but they contradict what they know, isn't that a fitnah?!

Knowledge has not been a blessing for them, rather it has only been a fitnah. Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, mentions that the tribes of 'Aad and Thamood were people of knowledge. They knew and had insight, but with that they rebelled and disobeyed. Allaah, may He be glorified, said [16]:

( And (remember the destruction of) 'Aad and Thamood! Verily their (destroyed) places of residence have made clear to you (how they were destroyed). The Shaytaan beautified their actions for them and kept them away from the Path, while they were people of insight. )

The Shaytaan beautified their actions for them, and then kept them away from the Path, while they were people of insight! Were they ignorant? No. Were they deficient in some of their knowledge? No. They had knowledge, but the Shaytaan had beautified their actions for them, and thus kept them away from the Path! All of this while they had good insight and clear vision.

This is a tremendous fitnah, that a man has knowledge but he obeys the Shaytaan, leaving behind the knowledge that he has received from his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, and from His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).
 
hassana elkoussi

hassana elkoussi

Junior Member
V-The Fitnah of the Dunyaa​

Another fitnah mentioned in this soorah is that Allaah makes this life beautiful, with all of its vain pleasures and playing about, and all the things that are fun to enjoy in it. A person may indulge in these things and forget about the Next Life.

( And this worldly life is nothing but vain pleasures and playing about )

So many of the people are put to fitnah because of this life, with its vain pleasures and amusement, thinking these things will last,
( And indeed the Next Abode is the Hayawaan, if they only knew )

the verse means that the Next Abode, Paradise and the Hellfire, is the truly complete and everlasting life. So whoever wants true delight and complete enjoyment and satisfaction, then it is in Paradise in the Next Life.

This worldly life, with its amusement and playing about, is only just that - vain amusement and playing about. So it is a source of fitnah.

Look to the people today .Why have the hearts become hardened and unreceptive? Because the people have turned to amusement and play!

Why have they turned away from the Next Life? Because they have turned to amusement and play!

Why don't they have hardly anything memorized from the Qur'aan? Because they have turned to amusement and play!

The earnest, intelligent man is the one who looks into His Statement [21]:

( And indeed the Next Abode is the Hayawaan, if they only knew )
 
S

sakina101

New Member
اسلام عليكم

جزاك الله خيرا
May Allah except our good deeds and make us company of those on whom Allah had bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets,the Siddiqun,the Martyrs, and the righteous. and how excellent these companions are!
 
hassana elkoussi

hassana elkoussi

Junior Member
VI-The Fitnah of Safety and Security​

Another kind of fitnah mentioned here in this soorah, is the fitnah of safety and security.

Look at the security of the Haram (in Makkah), the security of the places surrounding it, after years and years of security, the people begin to believe that what befalls the other people will not befall them.
Earthquakes,atrocities,difficult living conditions happen in other places, and the people who live near the Haram think they do not happen to them.

Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, has said clarifying this kind of fitnah near the end of the soorah [22]:

( Have they not seen how We have made a secure Haram, and people are being snatched away from all around them? )

. This security- this blessing of Allaah should not be a source of fitnah for the people

What is the intent here? (Allaah says) [22]:

( Will they then believe in falsehood and become ungrateful for the blessings of Allaah!? )

Are they going to engage in shirk, kufr, and the rejection of the message of Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), pledging obedience to the devils. Or are they going to fall into things less than that, like disobedience, sinning, and transgression?

Then therefore, from the many varieties of fitnah that Allaah may allow to befall some of his servants is what has been mentioned in this soorah, that a servant feels that trials and tribulations are only for other people, and that he is not tried or tested with difficulties.
So the loss of wealth, Sickness, Severe illnesses strike the people, and only befall the others, as for him, he feels they will not befall him.

Strokes and things like that are for the other people and he feels that he will not face them, so he does not contemplate.

Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, says, explaining this example [22]:

( Have they not seen how We have made a secure Haram, and people are being snatched away from all around them? Will they then believe in falsehood and become ungrateful for the blessings of Allaah!? )
 
nyerekareem

nyerekareem

abdur-rahman
:salam2:

yes, life is definitely a fitna. we all have our tests that we must face. i think that we all have one or two things that we are struggling with that we have to overcome. it's at those moments when we really need to have our iman strong and perform in the way ALLAH SWT intended for us to perform. sometimes we are strong and sometimes we are weak. ask ALLAH SWT to make our iman strong and for us to be successful in those test that we face. i pray that we are better muslims today than we were yesterday and that we will be better muslims tomorrow if we our fortunate enough to have tomorrow. AMEEN
:wasalam:
 
hassana elkoussi

hassana elkoussi

Junior Member
VII-The Fitnah of Seeing the Enjoyment of the Disbelievers

Another kind of fitnah that is mentioned in this soorah is that a man sees the enemies of Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) living long, secure lives. He sees that they live long lives on earth, enjoying their strength and oppressing others, and they are the enemies of Allaah, polytheists!
This may lead him to start following the pleasures of the dunyaa, and join them in preventing others from the path of Allaah. (Allaah says) [7]:

( The life of this dunyaa is made beautiful to those who have disbelieved. They have mocked the people who believed, but the people who have taqwaa will be above them on the Day of Judgement )

That was from Soorah Al-Baqarah. In this soorah, Soorah Al-'Ankaboot, Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic mentions the story of Nooh ('alayhis-salaam) in only two verses.
Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, says [8]:

( And verily we sent Nooh to his people, and stayed amongst them (calling them to Allaah) for all of 1000 years, save 50. Then the great flood overtook them while they were oppressive. So we saved him and those on his boat, and we made it a sign for all the creation. )
The story of Nooh is found here in only two verses? What is the reason for that? This entire time, 950 years, he was inviting them, while the believers were very few, as is understood from another soorah [9]:

( And no one believed along with him, except very few )

Some of the scholars explained that the number of believers had only reached 13 individuals. Others said that seventy-some men and women had believed.

He stayed amongst them a thousand years while shirk was the predominant practice, the worshipping of idols: And he was advising them and inviting them day and night, secretly and openly, and no one responded except this small number.
Wouldn't the hearts be facing a fitnah? Indeed this was a fitnah. But this was definitely for a reason.
(Allaah says) [11]:
( So that Allaah would make known those who have been truthful, and so that Allaah would make known the liars. )

The lesson here is fitnah, and what will save you from the fitnah that lasts for a long time : It is to have patience in the face of trials.
(Allaah says) [12]:

( So we saved him and those on his boat, and we made it a sign for all the creation )
 
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