22899: Meanings of the word fitnah in the Qur'aan
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Question:
I see the word fitnah repeated often in the Qur'aan in several soorahs and
aayahs. Is there a difference in the meanings of this word, and what are its
various meanings?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Definition of fitnah:
1 _ The word fitnah from a linguistic point of view:
Al-Azhari said: "The Arabic word fitnah includes meanings of testing and trial.
The root is taken from the phrase fatantu al-fiddah wa'l-dhahab (I assayed
(tested the quality of) the silver and gold), meaning I melted the metals to
separate the bad from the good. Similarly, Allaah says in the Qur'aan
(interpretation of the meaning): `(It will be) a Day when they will be tried
[yuftanoona] (punished, i.e. burnt) over the Fire!' [al-Dhaariyaat 51:13],
meaning, burning them with fire." (Tahdheeb al-Lughah, 14/196).
Ibn Faaris said: "Fa-ta-na is a sound root which indicates testing or trial."
(Maqaayees al-Lughah, 4/472). This is the basic meaning of the word fitnah in
Arabic.
Ibn al-Atheer said: "Fitnah: trial or test… The word is often used to describe
tests in which something disliked is eliminated. Later it was also often used
in the sense of sin, kufr (disbelief), fighting, burning, removing and
diverting." (al-Nihaayah, 3/410. Ibn Hajar said something similar in al-Fath,
13/3).
Ibn al-A'raabi summed up the meanings of fitnah when he said: "Fitnah means
testing, fitnah means trial, fitnah means wealth, fitnah means children, fitnah
means kufr, fitnah means differences of opinion among people, fitnah means
burning with fire." (Lisaan al-`Arab by Ibn Manzoor).
2 _ Meanings of the word fitnah in the Qur'aan and Sunnah:
1- Testing and trial, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: `We believe,
and will not be tested [la yuftanoon]" [al-`Ankaboot 29:2]
i.e., that they will not be subjected to trial, as Ibn Jareer said.
2- Blocking the way and turning people away, as in the aayah (interpretation of
the meaning):
"but beware of them lest they turn you [yaftinooka] (O Muhammad) far away from
some of that which Allaah has sent down to you" [al-Maa'idah 5:49]
Al-Qurtubi said: this means blocking your way and turning you away.
3- Persecution, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Then, verily, your Lord for those who emigrated after they had been put to
trials [futinoo] and thereafter strove hard and fought (for the Cause of
Allaah) and were patient, verily, your Lord afterward is, OftForgiving, Most
Merciful" [al-Nahl 16:110]
Put to trial means persecuted.
4- Shirk and kufr, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of
others along with Allaah)" [al-Baqarah 2:193]
Ibn Katheer said: this means shirk (worshipping others besides Allaah).
5- Falling into sin and hypocrisy, as in the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
"(The hypocrites) will call the believers: "Were we not with you?" The
believers will reply: "Yes! But you led yourselves into temptations [fatantum
anfusakum], you looked forward for our destruction; you doubted (in Faith) and
you were deceived by false desires" [al-Hadeed 57:14]
Al-Baghawi said: i.e., you made yourselves fall into hypocrisy and you
destroyed yourselves by means of sin and whims and desires.
6- Confusing truth with falsehood, as in the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And those who disbelieve are allies of one another, (and) if you (Muslims of
the whole world collectively) do not do so [i.e. become allies, as one united
block under one Khaleefah (a chief Muslim ruler for the whole Muslim world) to
make victorious Allaah's religion of Islamic Monotheism], there will be Fitnah
(wars, battles, polytheism) and oppression on the earth, and a great mischief
and corruption (appearance of polytheism)"[al-Anfaal 6:73]
What this means is that "unless believers are taken as close friends instead of
disbelievers, even if they are relatives, there will be fitnah on earth, i.e.,
truth will be confused with falsehood." This is how it is explained in Jaami'
al-Bayaan by Ibn Jareer.
7- Misguidance, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"And whomsoever Allaah wants to put in AlFitnah (error, because of his
rejecting of Faith), you can do nothing for him against Allaah"
[al-Maa'idah 5:41]
The meaning of fitnah here is misguidance. Al-Bahr al-Muheet by Abu Hayaan,
4/262.
8- Killing and taking prisoners, as in the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
"if you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial [yaftinakum] (attack
you)"
[al-Nisa' 4:101]
This refers to the kaafirs attacking the Muslims whilst they are praying and
prostrating, in order to kill them or take them prisoner, as stated by Ibn
Jareer.
9- Difference among people and lack of agreement, as in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):
"and they would have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and
sowing sedition among you [yabghoonakum al-fitnah]" [al-Tawbah 9:47]
i.e., they would have stirred up differences amongst you, as it says in
al-Kashshaaf, 2/277.
10-Insanity, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Which of you is afflicted with madness (maftoon)" [al-Qalam 68:6] Here it
means madness.
11-Burning with fire, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, those who put into trial [fatanoo] the believing men and believing
women (by torturing them and burning them)"
[al-Burooj 85:10]
Ibn Hajar said: the meaning may be understood from the context.
(al-Fath 11/176)
Note:
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With regard to the "fitnah"
which Allaah attributes to Himself or which His Messenger attributes to Him, as
in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning), `Thus We have tried [fatannaa]
some of them with others' [al-An'aam 6:53] and the words of Moosa, `It is only
Your trial [fitnatuka] by which You lead astray whom You will' [al-A'raaf 7:155
_ interpretation of the meaning], that carries a different meaning, which is a
test or trial from Allaah to His slaves by means of good things and bad,
blessings and calamities. This is one thing; the fitnah of the mushrikeen is
another thing; the fitnah or trial of the believer by means of his wealth,
children and neighbour is another thing; the fitnah (tribulation, differences)
that happen amongst the Muslims, like the fitnah that happened between the
supporters of `Ali and Mu'awiyah, and between him and the people of the camel,
and between Muslims when they fight one another or boycott one another, is
another thing.
(Zaad al-Ma'aad, vol. 3, p. 170).
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(Go here for Reference & More Islamic Questions & Answers:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?vid=ISBN1861791542)
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone
astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy
Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in
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follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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