The Muslim should adopt towards
fitnah to that this fitnah will not have a negative effect on him, and so that
he will not have a negative effect on the Muslim community.
This attitude includes the
following:
(a)- Deliberation, gentleness,
forbearance and not being hasty
Deliberation, gentleness and
forbearance at times of tribulation and upheaval are praiseworthy traits,
because they enable the Muslim to see things as they really are and to
understand what is going on.
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: «There is no gentleness in a thing but it adorns
it, and the absence of gentleness in anything makes it ugly» (Narrated by
Muslim [4698]).
And he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said to Ashajj ‘Abdul Qays: «You have two characteristics
which Allaah loves, forbearance and deliberation» (Narrated by Muslim [24]).
So we must all be gentle in our
thinking and attitudes, and with regard to all events that occur, and we should
not be hasty, because that is not the way of the Muslim ummah, especially at
times of fitnah.
(b)- Sabr (patience)
We need a great deal of patience,
especially at times of fitnah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
{And certainly, We shall test you
with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad
tidings to As- Saabiroon (the patient)}.
{Who, when afflicted with
calamity, say:Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return}.
{They are
those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from
their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are
the guided ones} [Al-Baqarah:155157]
It was narrated from Abu
Tha’labah al-Khushani that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: «After you there will come the days of patience (i.e. days which
require patience). Patience during those (days) will be like grasping a live
coal. During those (days) the reward for the one who adheres to the commands of
Allaah will be equivalent to the reward of fifty men who did an action like
his». He said, “O Messenger of Allaah, the reward of fifty of them?” He said,
«The reward of fifty of you».
(Narrated by Abu Dawood [4341];
Ibn Maajah, [4014]. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Saheehah [494]).
With patience, the difference
between those who are determined and confident and those who are cowardly and
weak becomes apparent. Hence the righteous salaf understood the importance of
patience at times of tribulation and new developments. There follow some
examples from their life stories:
When the Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them) were being persecuted and tested at the beginning of Islam
in Makkah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would pass
by them and remind them to be patient. When he passed by the family of Yaasir
he would say, «Patience, O family of Yaasir, for you are promised Paradise»
(Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Takhreej Fiqh alSeerah [p.103]).
It was narrated that al-Zubayr
ibn ‘Adiyy said: We came to Anas ibn Maalik and complained to him about what we
were suffering from al-Hajjaaj. He said, “Be patient, for there never comes to
you a time but what follows it is worse, until you meet your Lord. I heard this
from your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari [7068]).
Al-Mustawrid al-Qurashi said to
‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say: «The Hour will begin when the Romans are the greatest
people in number»” ‘Amr said, “Watch what you say!” He said, “I am saying what
I heard from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)”. He said, “If you say that, it is a fact, for they have four qualities.
They are the most patient of people at times of tribulation; they recover
quickly from calamity; they are quick to recover and attack again after defeat;
and they are good to the poor, orphans and the weak. And a fifth good quality
that they have is that they resist the oppression of kings.” (Narrated by Muslim [2889]).
Al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer said: “If
there is nothing left in the world but trials and tribulation, then face the
trials with patience.”
When the imam of Ahl al-Sunnah
wa’l-Jamaa’ah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, faced the overwhelming fitnah of those who
said that the Qur’aan was created, during the reigns of al-Mu’moon, al-Mu’tasim
and alWaathiq, when he was subjected to lengthy imprisonment and severe
beatings, he bore that with patience and adhered to his religion, the straight
path, until Allaah granted him victory and relieved him of that distress.
(c)- Justice and fairness in all
things
One of the strongest causes of
differences among people, especially at times of fitnah, is the lack of justice
and fairness. If the Muslim strives to become fair to himself and to other
people, then many of the problems that arise among Muslims, whether on the
individual or communal level, will be solved, in sha Allah.
Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
{And whenever you give your word
(i.e. judge between men or give evidence), say the truth} [AlAn’aam:152]
{And let not the enmity and
hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety}
[Al-Maa’idah:8]
So it is essential to be just in
our words and deeds, especially at times of fitnah, in the sense that we should
examine each matter and note its good and bad aspects, weigh them up, and then
pass judgement, because examining matters thoroughly will protect the Muslim
from attributing to Islam things that are not in accordance with the commands
of Allaah. So your justice and fairness at the time of fitnah will save you, in
sha Allah.
Sheykh Muhammad ibn Saalih
al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, I urge you, my brothers, to
be just and balanced in all things, to look at all issues surrounding any given
matter, to find out the more correct ruling concerning it, and to judge all
matters in the same way. This is an important principle which the wise man must follow in his relationship
with Allaah and in his relationship with other people, to be fair, for Allaah
loves those who are fair.
There follow some examples from
the lives of our righteous forebears (the salaf) of their keenness to be just
and fair:
(Muslim [1828]) narrated that
‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Shimaasah said: I came to ‘Aa’ishah and asked her about
something, and she said, “Where are you from?” I said, “I am from Egypt.” She
said, “What was the behaviour of your governor towards you in this war of
yours?” I said: “We did not experience anything bad from him. If the camel of
one of our men died, he would give him another camel. If any one of us lost his
slave, he would give him another slave. If anybody was in need of the basic
necessities of life, he would provide them with provisions.” She said: “The
treatment that was meted out to my brother, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, does not
prevent me from telling you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said in this house of mine: « O Allaah,
whoever gains some kind of control over the affairs of my people and is hard
upon them, be hard upon him, and whoever gains some kind of control over the
affairs of my people and is kind to them, be kind to him»”.
Al-Nawawi said, commenting on
this hadeeth:
This
indicates that we should mention the virtues of good people, and not refrain
from doing so because we dislike them etc. They differed concerning the way in
which this Muhammad was killed. It was said that he was killed in battle, and
that he was killed as a prisoner of war after the battle
