Ibn Abi Ahmed
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How to Escape from Fitnah: Fifteen Pointers
1 - Fear Allah and Keep Your Duty to Him
{"...and whoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out of every difficulty."} [at-Talaq; 2]
{"...and whoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him."} [at-Talaq; 4]
2 - Place Your Trust in Allah
{"...and whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him."} [at-Talaq; 3]
{"Those to whom the people said: "Verily, the people have gathered against you, so, fear them." But it only increased them in faith, and they said: "Allah is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs!" So, they returned with Grace and Bounty from Allah. No harm touched them; and they followed the good Pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty."} [Al 'Imran; 173-4]
3 - Repent and Turn to Allah with Humility
{"And Yunus, when he went off in anger, and imagined that We would not punish him! But he cried through the darkness: "None has the right to be worshipped but You, Glorified are You. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers." So, We answered his call, and delivered him from distress, and thus We do deliver the believers."} [al-Ambiya'; 87-8]
{"Verily, We sent Messengers to many nations before you, and We seized them with extreme poverty and loss in health with calamities so that they might believe with humility. When Our Torment reached them, why then did they not believe with humility? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan beautified for them that which they used to do."} [al-An'am; 42-3]
{"And indeed We seized them with punishment, but they did not humble themselves to their Lord, nor did they invoke with submission to Him."} [al-Mu'minun; 76]
4 - Seek Strength Through Patience and Prayer
{"O you who believe! Seek help in patience and prayer. Truly! Allah is with the patient ones."} [al-Baqarah; 153]
{"Indeed, We know that your heart is strained at what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves to Him."} [al-Hijr; 97-8]
{"And Verily, they were about to frighten you so much as to drive you out from the land. But in that case they would not have stayed after you, except for a little while. This was Our rule with the Messengers We sent before you, and you will not find any alteration in Our rule. Perform the prayer from mid-day till the darkness of the night, and recite the Qur'an in the early dawn. Verily, the recitation of the Qur'an in the early dawn is ever witnessed. And in some parts of the night, also offer the prayer with it as an optional prayer. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a station of praise and glory!"} [al-Isra'; 76-9]
{"So bear patiently what they say, and glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun, and before its setting, and during some of the hours of the night, and at the ends of the day that you may become pleased with the reward that Allah will give you."} [Ta Ha; 130]
{"Many of the people of the Book wish that they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their ownselves, even after the truth has become clear to them. But forgive and overlook until Allah brings His Command. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things. And perform the prayer and give charity, and whatever of good you send forth for yourselves before you, you shall find it with Allah. Certainly, Allah is All-Seer of what you do."} [al-Baqarah; 110-1]
5 - The Prophet Would Wake His Family to Pray to Prepare for the Fitnah
Umm Salamah - the wife of the Prophet - reported that one night, the Messenger of Allah got up and said: "Glory be to Allah! How many trials have descended tonight, and how many treasures have been disclosed! Go and wake the sleeping women of these houses up to pray. A well-dressed person in this world may be naked in the Hereafter."
[Reported by al-Bukhari (7069) and at-Tirmidhi (2196)]
6 - Congregational Prayer During the Times of Fitnah
'Abdullah bin 'Udayy reported that he went to visit 'Uthman bin 'Affan when he was under siege in his home, and said to him: "You are our leader, and we see what has happened to you, and we are led in prayer by the originator of this tribulation, and we feel uneasy about praying behind him." So, 'Uthman said to him: "The prayer is the best of the people's actions, so, if the people do something good, then participate in that action with them. If they do something bad, then avoid participating in that action with them."
['Sahih al-Bukhari'; # 695]
Ibn Hajar said:
"And in this narration, there is an encouragement to pray with the congregation - especially during the times of tribulation - so that the Muslims would not be divided. Also, it proves that the prayer behind one that is disliked takes precedence over abandoning the congregational prayer." ['Fath al-Bari'; 2/190]
7 - Happiness Is for the One Who Avoids Fitnah
al-Miqdad bin al-Aswad reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: "Verily, the happy one is the one who avoids tribulations! Verily, the happy one is the one who avoids tribulations! Verily, the happy one is the one who avoids tribulations, and how excellent is the one who is subject to tribulation, yet he is patient!"
[Reported by Abu Dawud (4263), and it is authentic]
8 - Escape from Fitnah
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: "One day, the best wealth that a Muslim has will be some livestock that he herds to the peaks of the mountains and the bottoms of the valleys, seeking to escape with his religion from the trials and tribulations."
[Reported by al-Bukhari (19), Abu Dawud (4267), an-Nasa'i (8/123), and Ibn Majah (3980)]
It was asked of the Messenger of Allah: "O Messenger of Allah! Who is the best of people?" He replied: "A believer who strives in the Path of Allah with his soul and his wealth." He was then asked: "Then who?" He replied: "A believer in a secluded area who fears Allah and protects the people from his evil."
[Reported by al-Bukhari (2786), Muslim (1888), Abu Dawud (2485), at-Tirmidhi (1660), an-Nasa'i (6/11), and Ibn Majah (3978)]
Salamah bin al-Akwa' reported that one time, he entered upon al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf, so he said to him: "O Ibn al-Akwa'! Have you returned to being a bedouin?" Salamah replied: "No; rather, the Messenger of Allah allowed me to remain with the bedouins (during the times of tribulation)."
['Sahih al-Bukhari'; # 7087]
*Issue: Is It Better to Seclude Oneself from the People or Mix With Them?
Ibn Hajar mentions - quoting al-Khattabi:
"The ruling on seclusion and mixing depends on the situation. The clear proofs encourage mixing with the people when this involves acts of obedience and fulfilling the affairs of ther religion, and the opposite is true when the situation is reversed (i.e., when this involves disobedience). As for physically mixing and secluding oneself, then, for the one who fears for himself in terms of his livelihood and his religion, then it is upon him to seclude himself from the people as long as he maintains the congregational prayer, spreading and answering the greetings of peace, and the rights of the Muslims that include attending funerals and visiting the sick. Rather, what is intended here is to avoid unnecessary socialization, because of what that leads to of wasting of energy and time that could be used for better things, and to make one's mixing with the people similar to his need for food: he limits himself to that which he needs, as this is more relaxing for the body and the soul, and Allah Knows best." ['Fath al-Bari'; 11/333]
al-Qushayri said, in 'ar-Risalah':
"The path of the one who chooses seclusion is that he should believe that he is protecting the people from his harm, not the opposite. The first case indicates one's belittling of himself, and this is a trait of the humble. The second case indicates his assumption of his superiority to others, and this is a trait of the arrogant."
Ibn Taymiyyah said:
"A person must have time for himself to engage in supplication, remembrance, prayer, reflection, taking himself to account, and recitifying his heart. These are issues that nobody else can participate with him in. These are affairs that need to be seen to on an individual basis, whether that be in his home or otherwise, as Tawus said: "How excellent of a refuge is the home; in it, one can restrain his gaze and his tongue."" ['Majmu' al-Fatawa'; 10/425]
Ibn 'Umar said: "The Muslim that mixes with the people and is patient upon their harm is better than the Muslim who does not mix with the people and is not patient upon their harm."
[Reported by at-Tirmidhi (2507), Ahmad (5/365), and Ibn Majah (4032). and it is authentic]
