Religious Meaning of Fitna (Plural, Fitan): A trial or tribulation from Allah for the purpose of extracting the liers from the truthful on the Day of Judgement.
In the Holy Quran, Allah (Most Glorified and High) tells us that each and every incident (blessing or catastrophe) that occurs to us as individual or collectively as a community can be qualified as a fitna.
For example, if you have a good job and making good money, will you pass the fitna by being thankful to Allah or fail it by being more arrogant and proud of yourself. Or if you loose your job, will you pass the fitna by being patient and asking Allah for assitance or will you fail it by feeling frustration and committing unlawful acts to make your money.
The Prophet (pbuh) warned us of the following major Fitan:
This world (dunya). Including money, luxuary, and children. These fitan will make you forget the overall purpose of this life (worship).
Opposite gender - temptation and fornication. Men are fitan for women, and women are fitan for men. The straight path is marriage.
Between people. Muslims are fitan to the ungrateful, Ungrateful are fitan to Muslims. Or poor are fitan to rich, and vice versa.
Splitting up of the Muslim ummah. Divided into 73 different groups.
Fighting amongst the Muslims - when you shed the blood of your fellow Muslim you leave the fold of Islam.
Muslims being attacked by non-Muslims
Remember that Fitan will be continually presented to the heart.
In the Quran, Allah (the most glorified and high) warns us that every believer will experience fitna. Allah (Most Glorified and High) causes fitan upon us so He can differentiate the truthful and pure from the liers and filthy among us.
Allah is testing us to see our reactions. There are two types of reactions to a fitna:
1. Use it to come closer to Allah (TRUTHFUL IN FAITH)
2. Use it as a barrier to Allah (LIERS IN FAITH)
When a fitna or trial comes and continues, the mumin will say "this will destory me". Then once he overcomes it, another one comes and he will say "This is the one! This is the one!". This is exactly the scenario Allah is testing us with today.
How do we React to these Tests?
We know fitan will come one after another, so what do we do?
1. Seek Allah's refuge from fitan (Arabic: Authu bil Allah min al fitan)
Make the following duas which were made by the Prophet (pbuh):
"Oh Allah if you desire to send a fitna upon us, then allow me to die before this fitnah inflicts us."
"Oh you who turns hearts back and forth, strengthen my heart to your rememberance, and make my heart firm to your religion." In Arabic:
ya mukaliba alkuoobee, thabit kalbee al ta3atik, thabit kalbee 3la deenik
2. Remain Firm to Allah and my Religion (never waiver in my certainity of the truth)
The Prophet (pbuh) said:
Whoever wishes to be saved from the fire of hell, and enter janna, let his death come to him while he is believing (sincere and firm) in Allah and the last day.
Prophet (pbuh) said:
Worshipping in times of fitna is like is equivalent to the hijra.
3. Increase my good deeds. Prophet (pbuh) warned us to rush to do good deeds before the fitan come. During times of fitan, people forget the worship of Allah.
4. Learn and study my Religion. Study the aqeedah (belief) of Islam. The more knowledge we have the more cognizant we are of our thoughts and actions, the more ignorant we are, the more easily we will be tempted by these fitan.
5. Teaching and Spreading Knowledge to others (Muslim and non-Muslim)
When you see an evil, we as collective society must correct it. If evil becomes commonplace and no one says anything, then even pious will be destroyed.
6. Patience from beginning of fitnah to the end of it.
The ones who are saved from the fitnah are indeed lucky. But the ones who are tried and remain patient have proven themselves, that is the truthful person.
Conclusion
Whatever heart fails that fitna will be touched with a black spot, whatever heart that passes that fitna will be touched with a white spot.
In the end, two types of hearts will remain, white as snow (will remain firm, conditioned himself to reject fitan), the other heart will be dark and murky (it has no concept of good and evil, does only what his/her desires wants to do, no fear of Allah (taqwa), no belief in Allah (iman)).
Source: Sheik Yaser Qadhi's video on YouTube titled "The Trials and Tribulations of Life".
In the Holy Quran, Allah (Most Glorified and High) tells us that each and every incident (blessing or catastrophe) that occurs to us as individual or collectively as a community can be qualified as a fitna.
For example, if you have a good job and making good money, will you pass the fitna by being thankful to Allah or fail it by being more arrogant and proud of yourself. Or if you loose your job, will you pass the fitna by being patient and asking Allah for assitance or will you fail it by feeling frustration and committing unlawful acts to make your money.
The Prophet (pbuh) warned us of the following major Fitan:
This world (dunya). Including money, luxuary, and children. These fitan will make you forget the overall purpose of this life (worship).
Opposite gender - temptation and fornication. Men are fitan for women, and women are fitan for men. The straight path is marriage.
Between people. Muslims are fitan to the ungrateful, Ungrateful are fitan to Muslims. Or poor are fitan to rich, and vice versa.
Splitting up of the Muslim ummah. Divided into 73 different groups.
Fighting amongst the Muslims - when you shed the blood of your fellow Muslim you leave the fold of Islam.
Muslims being attacked by non-Muslims
Remember that Fitan will be continually presented to the heart.
In the Quran, Allah (the most glorified and high) warns us that every believer will experience fitna. Allah (Most Glorified and High) causes fitan upon us so He can differentiate the truthful and pure from the liers and filthy among us.
Allah is testing us to see our reactions. There are two types of reactions to a fitna:
1. Use it to come closer to Allah (TRUTHFUL IN FAITH)
2. Use it as a barrier to Allah (LIERS IN FAITH)
When a fitna or trial comes and continues, the mumin will say "this will destory me". Then once he overcomes it, another one comes and he will say "This is the one! This is the one!". This is exactly the scenario Allah is testing us with today.
How do we React to these Tests?
We know fitan will come one after another, so what do we do?
1. Seek Allah's refuge from fitan (Arabic: Authu bil Allah min al fitan)
Make the following duas which were made by the Prophet (pbuh):
"Oh Allah if you desire to send a fitna upon us, then allow me to die before this fitnah inflicts us."
"Oh you who turns hearts back and forth, strengthen my heart to your rememberance, and make my heart firm to your religion." In Arabic:
ya mukaliba alkuoobee, thabit kalbee al ta3atik, thabit kalbee 3la deenik
2. Remain Firm to Allah and my Religion (never waiver in my certainity of the truth)
The Prophet (pbuh) said:
Whoever wishes to be saved from the fire of hell, and enter janna, let his death come to him while he is believing (sincere and firm) in Allah and the last day.
Prophet (pbuh) said:
Worshipping in times of fitna is like is equivalent to the hijra.
3. Increase my good deeds. Prophet (pbuh) warned us to rush to do good deeds before the fitan come. During times of fitan, people forget the worship of Allah.
4. Learn and study my Religion. Study the aqeedah (belief) of Islam. The more knowledge we have the more cognizant we are of our thoughts and actions, the more ignorant we are, the more easily we will be tempted by these fitan.
5. Teaching and Spreading Knowledge to others (Muslim and non-Muslim)
When you see an evil, we as collective society must correct it. If evil becomes commonplace and no one says anything, then even pious will be destroyed.
6. Patience from beginning of fitnah to the end of it.
The ones who are saved from the fitnah are indeed lucky. But the ones who are tried and remain patient have proven themselves, that is the truthful person.
Conclusion
Whatever heart fails that fitna will be touched with a black spot, whatever heart that passes that fitna will be touched with a white spot.
In the end, two types of hearts will remain, white as snow (will remain firm, conditioned himself to reject fitan), the other heart will be dark and murky (it has no concept of good and evil, does only what his/her desires wants to do, no fear of Allah (taqwa), no belief in Allah (iman)).
Source: Sheik Yaser Qadhi's video on YouTube titled "The Trials and Tribulations of Life".