Warding off Fitnahs1


Part One


Praise be to Allah the Sovereign, the Holy, and, the Source of Peace, (), for His great boons


and blessings, and I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah Who is alone


without a partner, and I bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad (), is His servant


and Messenger; he is an example to believers and master of all creatures. Oh, Allah, send Your


Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) Peace and Blessings upon your servant and messenger,


Muhammad (), and upon his family and Companions constant peace and blessings that last as


long as day and night alternate.


Oh, Muslims!


Fear Allah, Oh servants of Allah, and remember that you stand between His hands (): The


Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail (88), Except him who brings


to Allâh a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifâq (hypocrisy).


[Ash-Shu‘arâ : 88-89]


Oh, Muslims!


Perfect precaution to ward off Fitnah (sedition) and vigilance not to follow its path or be


exposed to the causes that lead to encountering it are but the customary practice of sagacious


people and the road taken by those who fear the Almighty even though unseen. It is also the


approach pursued by those servants of Allah prompted by the power of their certitude and the


perfect nature of their faith in those texts and Hadiths that came from Allah and His Messenger,


(), warning against the consequences of this Fitnah, indicating how to escape its evils, and


guiding the way that should be followed when it occurs.


1 Fitnahs ( فتن ), plural of fitnah ( فتنة ), is an Arabic word with connotations of sedition, affliction, trial, secession,


upheaval, and chaos. It is widely used in Arabic daily language as an adjective which refers to "causing problems


between people" or attempting to create a chaotic situation that tests one's faith. The exact translation of this


word is often ambiguous for non-Arabic speakers. The word fitnah also has several similarities with the idea of


tribulation in Christian belief.


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At the forefront of this is what Allah () said in His warning against it and in His pointing


out the general evils that result therein: And fear the Fitnah [affliction and trial)


which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong (but it may


afflict all the good and the bad people), and know that Allâh is Severe in


punishment. [Al-Anfâl: 25]; and the words of our Prophet (): “There will be Fitnahs


(seditions) during which a sitting person will be better than the one standing, and the one


standing will be better than the one walking, and the one walking will be better than the one


running, and whoever exposes himself to these Fitnahs will be destroyed.”


The gist of which is that whoever faces these Fitnahs in person, will be exposed to their harm.


The Prophet () also said: “Whoever found a shelter or haven [to protect himself [in it] let


him resort to it.” [Narrated by the two Sheikhs in their Saheehs.]


The Prophet () also said: “Rush to perform good deeds now before Fitnahs of pitch-black


darkness (appears) wherein a man wakes up as a believer and becomes a disbeliever by


nightfall, and another man goes to bed as a believer and wakes up as a disbeliever selling his


religion for some worldly commodities.” [Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, from the hadiths


compiled by Abi Hurairah ()]


There is no doubt that knowing the truth about Fitnah signals the first stage in warding off its


dangers and preserving oneself from getting burnt with its fire.


Fitnah as Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, is of two kinds: “The


Fitnah of misconception, which is the greater of the two, and the Fitnah of lusts or desires. They


may both be found in one person, or an individual may suffer from only one. The Fitnah of


misconception results from weak perception or deficient learning especially if combined with a


corrupt intention and the subservience to whim; then, we have the major Fitnah and the greatest


catastrophe.”


You can say as much as you want about a person who has deviated from the right path with


bad intentions and whose deviation is actuated by whim and not by right guidance and is


accompanied by weakness of perception and deficiency of knowledge of what Allah and His


Messenger () have said. Such a person is one of those about whom Allah has said: They are


but names which you have named - you and your fathers - for which Allâh


has sent down no authority. They follow but a guess and that which they


themselves desire, whereas there has surely come to them the Guidance


from their Lord! [An-Najm: 23]


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Allah () has informed us that following one’s whim leads to going astray. He said: O


Dâwûd (David)! Verily! We have placed you as a successor on the earth; so


judge you between men in truth (and justice) and follow not your desire -


for it will mislead you from the Path of Allâh. Verily, those who wander


astray from the Path of Allâh (shall) have a severe torment, because they


forgot the Day of Reckoning. [Sâd: 26]


Fitnah, O servants of Allah, leads to infidelity and hypocrisy. It is the Fitnah of the hypocrites


and innovators according to the degree of their innovations. There is no salvation from such a


Fitnah except through following the guidance of the Messenger () and deference to his


judgment on the minutest points of religion and on religion as a whole, what is apparent in it and


what is hidden or ambiguous, its beliefs and actions, and its confirmed tenets and laws.


Thus we can receive from him () the true facts about belief and the laws of Islam, and the


attributes, actions and names which he affirms about Allah and those he negates about Him. We


also receive from him the obligation to perform prayers, their times and number, the amounts of


Zakat2 (charity) we should pay and their recipients, the obligation to perform ablution, fast


Ramadan, and go on pilgrimage to Allah’s House in Makkah for those who can, and other


canonical laws that pertain to Islam.


Allah did not charge him to be His Messenger about certain matters and not others: he is His


Messenger for everything that the nation needs to observe concerning its actions and what it


needs to know. Such knowledge and information can be received only from him ().


As for the second kind of Fitnah, it is the Fitnah of lusts or desires. Allah () mentioned the


two kinds together when He said: Like those before you: they were mightier than


you in power, and more abundant in wealth and children. They had enjoyed


their portion (awhile), so enjoy your portion (awhile) as those before you


enjoyed their portion (awhile)… [At-Taubah: 69]. That is, they enjoyed their share of the


world and its pleasures [desires]. The word “Khalaq” in the verse means the predetermined share


2 The Arabic word Zakat ( زكاة ) means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside


a proportion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new


growth. Zakat is the amount of money that every adult, mentally stable, free, and financially able Muslim, male


and female, has to pay ‒after a time span of one lunar year‒ to support specific categories of people.


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[allotted to each one]. Then He said: … and you indulged in play and pastime (and


in telling lies against Allâh and His Messenger Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ) as


they indulged in play and pastime … [At-Taubah: 69]. This “Khawdh” is “wrongful


Khawdh [discussion, negotiation]” in other words, misconceptions.


In this Ayah, Allah () referred to the corruption that may overtake the hearts and religions as


a result of enjoying one’s share of pleasures and engaging in falsehood because the corruption of


religion occurs either when a person believes in falsehood and endorses it in his conversation or


when, in his actions, he departs from true learning.


The origin of every Fitnah can be found when personal opinion is given precedence over


Shar’(canonical Islamic law) and whim over reason. Giving precedence to personal opinion over


Shar’ is the origin of the Fitnah of misconception; whereas giving precedence to whim over


reason is the origin of the Fitnah of lusts or desires. The Fitnah of misconception can be repelled


by means of certitude, and the Fitnah of lusts or desires can be averted through patience.


Therefore, Allah () has made the imamate (the leading position) of the Religion contingent


upon these two matters. Allah () says: And We made from among them (Children of


Israel), leaders, giving guidance under Our Command, when they were patient and


used to believe with certainty in Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs,


revelations, etc.) [As-Sajdah: 24]. It is a proof that with patience and firm conviction, the


imamate (the leading position) of the religion is reached, a proof that the Fitnah of lusts is


repelled with the perfection of mind and patience and a proof that the Fitnah of suspicious


matters is repelled with perfect insight and firm conviction; that is with the clear proofs and


guidance that came from Allah.


Fear Allah, O servants of Allah! And verily beware of following the Fitnahs of suspicious


matters and lusts. Beware of them!


O Allah! We ask You to guide us to follow Your Religion and hold tight to Your sharia! And


we ask You to protect us from the misleading Fitnahs, O You, Who hears and answers our


prayers!


May Allah benefit you and I of His Book's guidance and His Prophet's () Sunnah. This is


said, I ask Allah, the Almighty, the Exalted to forgive my sins, yours and those of all Muslims;


He is truly Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!


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Part Two


All praise be to Allah Who has created (everything), and then proportioned it and Who has


measured (preordainments for everything even to be blessed or wretched); and then guided (i.e.


showed mankind the right as well as the wrong paths, and guided the animals to pasture). I praise


Him () and I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone. To Him


belongs all that is in the heavens, all that is on the earth, all that is between them and all that is


under the soil. I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, is His


chosen and beloved Messenger. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honors, Mercy) and Peace


on Your servant and Messenger Muhammad, on his family, his Companions, the tab’in (the


contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet () after his death), and those who were


guided by his guidance!


O Servants of Allah!


Opposing the commandment of Allah’s Messenger (); that is his way, his path, his Sunnah


and his Sharia, is among the most serious reasons for Fitnah in religion, as Allah () said: And


let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ) commandment


(i.e. his Sunnah - legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects)


beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing,


overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on


them. [An-Nur: 63]


What is meant is that those who have opposed the Sharia of the Messenger () visibly and


invisibly have to guard against and fear that some Fitnah may befall them; that is disbelief,


hypocrisy or innovation in their hearts or a painful torment be inflicted on them; that is killing,


punishment or imprisonment in this worldly life. As the Hadith included in the two Sahihs, i.e.


Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari (Muslim’s Books of authentic hadiths): Abu Huraira () said


that: ‘I heard Allah's Messenger saying’, "My example and the example of the people is that of


a man who made a fire, and when it lighted what was around it, moths and other insects


started falling into the fire. The man tried (his best) to prevent them, (from falling in the fire)


but they overpowered him and rushed into the fire.” ‘The Prophet added’: “Now, similarly, I


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take hold of the knots at your waist (belts) to prevent you from falling into the Fire, but you


insist on falling into it."


Fear Allah, O Servants of Allah, and verily beware of opposing the commandment of Allah’s


Messenger (); for the consequence of this is Fitnah in this Worldly life, and severe punishment


in the Hereafter.


And always remember that Allah has ordered you to ask Him to send His Salat (Graces,


Honours and Mercy) and Peace upon the last of the prophets and the Imam [leader] of those


fearing God and Allah’s Mercy to the ‘al-‘alamin (the worlds). He () says in His Qur’ân:


Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet


(Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and


forgive him). O you who believe! Send your salat on (ask Allâh to bless) him


(Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the


Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum). [Al-Ahzâb: 92]


O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honors, and Mercy) and Peace upon Your servant and


Messenger Muhammad ()! Be pleased with the four Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and


Ali, with the Prophet’s family, Companions, the tab'in, and those who follow them righteously


until the Day of Resurrection! O Allah! Be also pleased with us all, along with them, by Your


Pardon, Generosity and Bounty, O You, the Most Generous and Bounteous of all!


O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O


Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! Protect the unity of Your Religion! Destroy the


enemies of religion and all tyrants and corrupters! Unite the hearts of Muslims, unify them, guide


their leaders and unite their word on the Truth, O You, Lord of al-'ālamîn (the Worlds)!


O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad


() and Your truly-believing servants!


O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands, make good our leaders and those responsible for


our affairs, support with truth our Imam and leader, provide him with righteous retinue and guide


him to do whatever you love and accept! O You, All-Hearing of our prayers! O Allah! Guide


him, his Crown Prince and his brothers to do what is good for Islam and Muslims, for the


country and for the people! O You, to whom people shall return on the Day of Resurrection!


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O Allah! Make better our belief which is the bond of our lives! Make better our Dunya (life in


this world) where we live! Make better our Hereafter to which we are returning! Make life an


increase of every good and death a relief from every evil!


O Allah! We seek refuge in You against the vanishing of Your blessing, the change in the


good health you granted us, the suddenness of Your vengeance, and all kinds of Your wrath! O


Allah! We ask You to guide us to do good deeds, forsake reprehensible actions and love the


needy! O Allah! We ask You to forgive us and have mercy upon us! O Allah! If You want to


send an affliction on a nation, please make us die before your affliction was sent!


O Allah! Make good all our last deeds (just before we die)! Save us from the disgrace of this


Worldly life and the punishment of the Hereafter!


O Allah! Cure those of us who are sick. O Allah! Bless the souls of those of us who are dead!


O Allah! Fulfill our hopes in accordance with Your pleasure and make our last deeds good ones!


O Allah! Save us from the evil of Fitnahs! O Allah! Save us from the evil of Fitnahs, those of


them which are apparent and those which are concealed, in this country in particular and in all


the Muslim countries, O Lord of al-'ālamîn (the Worlds)!


O Allah! We leave Your enemies and ours to You (to deal with them) and seek refuge in You


from their evils! O Allah! Protect us against Your enemies and ours in any way that pleases You,


O Lord of al-'ālamîn (the Worlds)! O Allah! Protect us against Your enemies and ours in any


way that pleases You, O Lord of al-'ālamîn (the Worlds)!


(They say): "Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have


guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower." [Âl ‘Imrân:


8]


They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and


bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers." [ Al-A’raf: 23]


O Allah! Protect the Muslims in all of their countries! O Allah! Protect them in Syria, in


Palestine and in Myanmar! O Allah! Protect them against Your enemies and theirs, O You, Lord


of al-'ālamîn (the Worlds)! O Allah! Be with them! O Allah, reunite them, have mercy upon


their weakness, cure the wounded among them and accept their dead as martyrs, O You, Lord of


al-'ālamîn (the Worlds)!


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… Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that


which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah: 201]


Finally, I pray that Allah’s Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace be sent on His


Servant and Messenger, our Prophet, Muhammad, on his family and all of his Companions! All


praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!