Life is a Fitnah!
(as
Understood From Soorah Al-'Ankaboot)
Shaykh Saalih ibn
'Abdil-'Azeez Aalish-Shaykh
From a recorded lecture [1] translated exclusively for bakkah.net
[ In the Name
of Allaah, the All-Merciful, may His Salaah and Salaam be upon His final Messenger to all
mankind, and upon his companions and family members, and all those who follow
his path until the Day of Judgement, to proceed: ]
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 fitnah is mentioned specifically in the beginning of the soorah.
So what kind
of fitnah are people tried with? A man may be put to
trial due to his intellect, or by the dunyaa. He may
be tried by his parents or by his family. He may be put to fitnah
by way of a long lifespan. His fitnah may be that he
faces no hardships at all in life! So the reality is that a man may be tested
by a variety of trials, all of them are mentioned here in this soorah.
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. The
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) said, as 'Iyyaadh ibn Himaar
narrated, and it has been collected by Imaam Muslim
in his Saheeh:
"Allaah, Most High, has said, 'Yaa
Muhammad! Verily I have only sent you to put you to trials and to put others to
trial by way of you.'" [3]
So life, in
reality, is just a fitnah. And this fitnah - is it by way of evil things or good things? It is
by way of evil and good things alike! (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…)
Who is
included in the word ( people )? It includes both the
believer and the disbeliever. It includes both the old and young. It includes
all categories of people as they interact with all other categories.
( 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.
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 no 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.
There are some
people who are tried by this fitnah, and they
accompany their parents, not in kindness, but with harshness, and have thus
fallen into the prohibition to some degree. The one who can
be patient with such a difficult affair, bearing their companionship with
kindness and not obeying them (when they order him with disobedience to Allaah), is the one who is successful in dealing with fitnah in such a case.
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, there is mention of this issue, along
with the solution! So read the soorah and contemplate
over that. [6]
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. What is the
relationship of this story to the them of the soorah, which is fitnah?
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: Wadd, Suwaa',
Yaghooth, Ya'ooq, and Nasr. [10] 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. It was not just 10, 20, or 50 years, or
even 100 years. 200 years went by, 300, 400, 500, to a complete 1000 years,
save 50. Then finally came the way out from Allaah,
the Mighty and Majestic.
Therefore, a
man may be put to trial by seeing the long lives of the enemies. So this soorah causes the true believer to take heed and realize
that this is 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. )
When will this
be made known? When the fitnah is
encountered, and it is dealt with successfully. So the theme of the soorah, as we are noting, is fitnah,
even with the story of the Prophet (Nooh). The lesson
here is fitnah, and what will save you from the fitnah that lasts for a long time.
Some people
mistakenly think that Allaah's affair will reach him
however they want. No, rather the wisdom of Allaah is
all-encompassing. He will test people, as He tested Nooh
('alayhis-salaam) and his people, as they lived
amongst their people (calling them to Allaah) for 950
years, and after that only a small group of people responded.
So one way to
succeed in the face of trials is mentioned here in the soorah,
and that is by way of patience. (Allaah says) [12]:
( So we saved him and those on his boat, and we made it a sign for
all the creation )
The Fitnah of Argumentation
Then we see in
the story of Ibraaheem another kind of fitnah - opponents who argue and fight against the
invitation, they do not submit, rather they only plot and plan. Certain things
from the dunyaa that they love are made very dear to
them, as Allaah says [13]:
( And he (Ibraaheem) said, "You have
taken idols as objects of worship instead of Allaah,
loving them. But this love is only for the dunyaa, as
on the Day of Judgement you shall disown each other…" )
So in
argumentation there is a kind of fitnah. Few people
have patience upon the Truth, remaining upon it, without becoming affected by
this kind of fitnah, the doubts that the polytheists
and disbelievers may instill in one's mind. These doubtful thoughts become
renewed with the passing of time.
The Fitnah of Passions and Desires
After this, 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.
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).
The Fitnah of Argumentation
Strength can
also be a fitnah, just as dialogues and debates are fitnah in many situations. Today dialogues are commonly
being propagated: debating with Christians, debating between people, debating
between the religions, between math-habs, between
sects, etc. This debating is a kind of fitnah!
Programs about
this idea are currently being broadcast on television, since they have an
effect on those with weak hearts. You see the different religions and sects -
this one is worshipping something, and that one is worshipping something else.
A person could become doubtful and be tried due to this. But the true believer
knows that this variety and assortment is only a further proof that the Truth
is only one way, and that those other people are as Allaah,
the Mighty and Majestic, says [17]:
( Laboring hard and weary, they will be put into a blazing hot Fire
)
They wanted to
follow the path to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic,
but they were mistaken. But as for the subject of debating - does a man debate
or not? Does he argue or not? This is indeed a fitnah.
But who is the
one who should debate them? The one who has knowledge, not just anyone! So it
should be mentioned here that, as some of you know, some people that enter into
debates with either the corrupt Muslims, the Christians, the Jews, or some
other religion or stray ideology, they are occasionally defeated, or the
opponent is stronger. So then the people are tried by this.
Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, has clarified in this soorah that fitnah will spread if
the dialogue is not done by the scholar arguing in a way that is better.
Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, says [18]:
( And do not debate the People of the Book (the Jews and the
Christians) except in a way that is better, except the oppressors from them.
And say: "I believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to
you, and our God and your God is one, and we are submitting to Him." And
thus we revealed the Book to you... )
Until He, the
Mighty and Exalted, said [19]:
( Rather they are clear proofs in the chests of those who have
been given knowledge )
So Allaah prohibits us from debating the People of the Book
except in a way that is better. But who is to do the debating? The one who
debates is the one who knows the Qur'aan, as Allaah says [19]:
( Rather they are clear proofs in the chests of those who have
been given knowledge )
So based on
this, whoever does not know the Qur'aan, the proofs
found in the Qur'aan, the clear examples found in the
Qur'aan, the evidences in the Qur'aan,
how examples of debating have been given in the Qur'aan,
examples of debating the wicked sinners, the people of arrogance, those who go
beyond all boundaries, and all categories of people - whoever does not know all
this, then he is not fit for debating.
So it is not
for every individual to enter debates with them, using his own opinions and
thoughts, rather this debating is to be done by the scholars. Hiwaar (debating), or mujaadalah
as it has been named in the Qur'aan, is only for the
people of knowledge, those who know the limits that Allaah
sent down to his Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).
So therefore fitnah could very well take place with argumentation. A man
comes and says, "Debate with me! Why won't you debate
me!?" So he begins by looking for a subject to debate about, what
issue can he argue over… This is a way that the common
people are destroyed!
So a man must
look to his religion in a situation like this, and uphold and display the honor
of his religion. He must know that the Qur'aan is the
Truth, and whoever has it in his chest is upon the Truth, since the Qur'aan is the ongoing evidence against all the people!
It could be
that a man does not know some of the proofs needed, and if that is the case,
then verily he must say, as Allaah, the Mighty and
Exalted, has said [20]:
( And say: "I believe in what was revealed to us and in what was
revealed to you, and our God and your God is one, and we are submitting to
Him." )
This is the
general manner of debating them, and the specific and complete details are
known to those who know the Qur'aan, and to those who
know the Sharee'ah.
The Fitnah of the Dunyaa
Another fitnah from those 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.
Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, says in the latter part of the soorah [21]:
( 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, but they do
not know the reality of life! Allaah, the Mighty and
Majestic says after that [21]:
( And indeed the Next Abode is the Hayawaan,
if they only knew )
Hayawaan is an extreme expression of the word hayaat
(life), so the verse means that the Next Abode,
Whoever wants
to be free from harmful things, then all of the
harmful things are in the Hellfire. So whoever wants to flee from them, then he
flees from the Hellfire.
A number of
scholars, including Ibn Al-Jowzee,
have said, explaining this, "Whatever Allaah
mentions in the Qur'aan about the delights of the dunyaa, that
is for you to look at the delights of this world and contemplate over the
delights of the Next Life.
For every
example of an enjoyable thing or something the people indulge in, it is a proof
against you if you have not reflected over the delights of
And every
example of a harmful thing in the dunyaa, even if it
is something that causes a slight amount of grief, or even something as light
as a slight fever, verily they are examples that Allaah
is using to remind you about the things in the Next Life, the punishment,
torture, and deprivation (of the Hellfire)."
So whoever
seeks the real, true life and happiness, then let him
look for the everlasting happiness.
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 and how they are being tried by the amusement and play of the dunyaa! 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 )
The Fitnah of Safety and Security
Another kind
of fitnah mentioned here in this soorah,
and the escape from it is also mentioned, 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
happen in other places, as for the people who live near the Haram,
it does not happen to them.
Atrocities,
difficult living conditions, things that befall the others… the people who live
in the Haram say: "We are the children of Allaah and his beloved ones!" Or they say, "We
are His favored ones," or they say similar things.
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? )
We are to look
to this kind of fitnah, a blessing from Allaah. This blessing of Allaah
should not be a source of fitnah for the people, it
should not be that Allaah's Blessing becomes a fitnah, as Allaah caused the
people to be safe and secure during the time of one of the previous prophets,
and as much of the time after him that He willed.
Allaah says [22]:
( Have they not seen how We have made a secure Haram, and people are being snatched away from all around
them? )
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 believe in falsehood after Allaah has blessed them
so much!? 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?
They are
ungrateful for the blessings of Allaah! Who is it
that gave them those blessings? Allaah, the Mighty
and Exalted! (Allaah says) [23]:
( And what you have of blessings is only from Allaah!
Then when some harm reaches you, to Him you cry for help. )
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, as one may think, that was for So-and-So, not for him. Sickness is for
So-and-So, as for him, then he does not get sick.
Severe illnesses strike the people, and may Allaah
give us security from them, verily they only befall the others, as for him, he
feels they will not befall him.
Strokes and
things like that are for the other people, 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!? )
Conclusion
These are
examples from the many kinds of fitnah and trials,
and things that relate to the subject of the soorah.
So the beginning and the end of this soorah meet each
other upon the same subject, providing proof for those of the scholars who say,
"The subject of the soorah will be found in the
agreement of the beginning and the end of a soorah."
Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, says in the beginning of the soorah [2]:
( 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. )
What is the
way out from all of these situations? The answer is found in the end of the soorah, in the very last verse [24]:
( And those who strive hard in Our Way, verily We will guide them to
Our Paths. And verily Allaah is with those who do good. )
I ask Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, to bless us all in what we
have heard, and that He makes us from the people of the Qur'aan,
those who are His special and favored people, and that He increases us in
knowledge and that He reminds us of what we forget.
I also ask
that He makes us from those who make halaal what is halaal in His Book, from those that consider what has been
prohibited in His Book as haraam, and from those who firmly believe in what is
reported in His Book about the unseen affairs. Verily He, Most High, is the Bestower of Good, the Generous One.
This article was taken from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)