Dealing with Fitnah - Sheikh Ahsan Hanif

Khutbah al-Jumu'ah: Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ وَسَلَّمَ وَبَارَكَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَخَيْرَ الْهُدَى هُدَى مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman: The Companion of Secrets

Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman رضي الله عنه is one of the greatest and most illustrious companions of our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. A companion from the companions of the Ansar. He is one of the most well-known, one of the most famous of the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

He has a number of virtues that are mentioned in the Sunnah. From amongst the virtues of this illustrious companion رضي الله عنه is that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم disclosed to him — and him alone — the names of all of the hypocrites in Medina. From all of the companions, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم chose him and informed him: these are the people who are hypocrites in Medina.

He was therefore known as ṣāḥib al-sirr — the companion who had the secrets of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. It was for this reason that after the death of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, Umar رضي الله عنه came to him and asked: "I ask you, O Hudhayfa, by Allah — was my name mentioned amongst that list of names that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave to you? Did he consider me to be one of those hypocrites?" And Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه replied: "No, but I will never tell anyone after you." This was a secret that was disclosed to him by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

And that is why there are even narrations that afterwards, when Umar رضي الله عنه during his khilafah would say to Hudhayfa: "In my inner circle, my advisors, my governors — is there anyone that you know to be a hypocrite?" Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه would say yes, but he would not name them. If he knew that someone had hypocrisy and was one of those people mentioned by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, he would say yes, but he would not disclose the name — because this was a secret given to him by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

His Role in the Battle of al-Ahzab

From amongst the virtues of this illustrious companion رضي الله عنه: on the Battle of al-Ahzab — the battle where the Confederates came and surrounded Medina — the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said one night, addressing his companions: "Who from amongst you will go out and find news of the Quraysh — what they are doing, what they are planning?" And he said: "Whoever does this will have my companionship on Yawm al-Qiyamah. He will be my companion on the Day of Judgment."

Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه says: no one answered, no one spoke. So a second time the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Who will bring me news of the enemy, and in return he will have my companionship on Yawm al-Qiyamah?" But again no one spoke. A third time he asked again and again no one responded. On the fourth time the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "O Hudhayfa, go and bring me news." He pinpointed him. Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه said: "I went and I walked as if I were a bird" — meaning lightly, secretly. And I saw what I saw from the people of Quraysh and Abu Sufyan, and I came back and reported to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The Specialist in Fitan

This illustrious companion, amongst the many virtues that he has and is known for, perhaps the most famous is that he was a specialist in fitan — in trials and tribulations. From amongst all of the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and in fact even today, many of the narrations that we have from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم concerning the issue of trials that this ummah will face — they are narrated by this illustrious companion رضي الله عنه.

He was known for being a specialist in this field. He was someone who was preoccupied with this issue because he was afraid that it would affect him. He was afraid that he would have to confront these types of issues.

And that is why Umar رضي الله عنه, after the death of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, one day said to the companions sitting around him: "Who from amongst you will narrate to me the hadith of the fitnah — of the trials?" So Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "From the trials that we face as Muslims, from the trials of the people, are the trials they have in their wealth, and in their family, and in their children. And that which expiates these types of trials is your salah and your sadaqah, and to enjoin the good and forbid the evil."

Umar رضي الله عنه said: "It is not this fitnah that I was referring to, O Hudhayfa — but it is the fitnah that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم spoke of, that it will crash upon us like a wave. It will come upon us like a tidal wave." Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه said: "O Umar, why are you preoccupied with this? For there is between you and that trial a door — a gate that is locked. It will never open. For you, it is not an issue you have to deal with. For those who come after you, it will be an issue."

So Umar رضي الله عنه said: "This gate — will it be broken or will it be opened?" Hudhayfa said: "Rather, it will be broken." He is narrating to him the hadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. So Umar said: "Therefore, if it is broken, never again will it be sealed. An open door you can close. A broken door will never again be sealed."

So Umar رضي الله عنه left. The companions around Hudhayfa said: "O Hudhayfa, why did Umar رضي الله عنه not ask you about what the door referred to? Did he know the meaning of this gate?" He said: "Yes, he knew the meaning of the gate — just as one of us knows for certainty that after night there is day." They said: "So what does it refer to?" He said: "It refers to Umar رضي الله عنه himself. The gate is Umar." Meaning: after his death, it will be broken and the fitan will begin to come upon this ummah.

The Hadith of Hudhayfa: Asking About Evil

This companion رضي الله عنه says concerning himself — in the hadith that is in al-Bukhari and Muslim:

"The people would ask the Messenger of Allah about good, and I would ask him about evil, out of fear that it would reach me." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3606; Sahih Muslim, Book 52, Hadith 42)

This was a companion who lived in the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — the best of generations. During the lifetime of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, in the companionship of the likes of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali رضي الله عنهم and many other virtuous companions. All of the ahadith of fitan speak about trials that will come upon this ummah, but most of them speak of what will come after the generation of the companions رضي الله عنهم. Yet still, despite him living in that age of piety — living in that age where the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is alive and advising and guiding them — still he would be extremely afraid. Frightened for himself, for his religion, when these trials would come.

And this is an important point, because today we live in one of those eras of trials. We live in a time when there are many problems and difficulties that we face — whether as individuals, communities, or as a Muslim ummah in its totality. We're living in a time of fitnah, a time of trials. Yet for the vast majority of us, we are heedless and neglectful when it comes to this issue. We don't really study it, we don't really look into it, we don't research it, we don't see what Allah says in the Qur'an concerning trials.

And the word fitnah in the Qur'an is mentioned many, many times. Nor do we study or analyze the ahadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم where he speaks about fitnah and the trials that will come — the trials that this ummah will face. Yet the companions, for some of them, this was one of the most important issues. Because in times of ease and felicity, in times of goodness and hope, it is easy to worship Allah. It is easier to worship Allah because you are not being tried or tested in your faith.

It is when those trials come upon you — whether it is a trial of a personal nature in your wealth, your family, your children, your parents, your siblings, your job, your health — or whether it is a trial that we as a Muslim community face, like the trials we are facing in our current time. When it is difficult to distinguish between right and wrong, falsehood and truth. When it is difficult to distinguish between those people who are truthful and those people who are lying. And that in and of itself is a trial that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم warned us of: that a time would come when the one who is truthful would be considered a liar, and the one who is a liar would be considered truthful, and the one who is trustworthy is considered treacherous, and the one who is treacherous is considered worthy. From the signs of Yawm al-Qiyamah — it is a fitnah.

Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه was a companion to whom in this regard we owe a great debt. Because he, from amongst the companions, used to ask the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم concerning this issue. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم understood that this was something that Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه grasped, so he would tell him what he needed to know.

The Hadith of the Callers to the Gates of Hellfire

In this hadith that I have narrated to you, Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه says: "I said to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم:"

"O Messenger of Allah, we were in evil — we were in jahiliyyah, that is what we lived in. Then Allah brought to us this good — meaning Islam, meaning the Qur'an, meaning the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. So will there be evil after this good? Will there be a time after this good when evil will come upon this ummah?" The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied: "Yes, a time will come when evil will follow this good."

So Hudhayfa said:

"Is there after that evil another time of good?" So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

"Yes, there is a time that will be good, but it will have dakhan — impurity, a taint." So I asked him:

"What is this taint in this time of good?" So he replied:

"A group of people who will guide by other than my guidance. They will use other than my guidance to guide. Some of the things that you see from them you will approve of, and other things that you see from them you will disapprove of."

So Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه said:

"So then will there come a time of evil after that time of good?" He said — and this is the part of the hadith I want us to concentrate upon:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3606; Sahih Muslim, Book 52, Hadith 42)

"Yes. A time will come when there will be callers to the gates of hellfire. Whosoever responds to them, they will throw them into it." Whosoever responds to these callers, they will take them and throw them into the fire.

So I said:

"O Messenger of Allah, describe them to me." Who are these people? Because Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه is afraid — he is not just asking because he wants theoretical knowledge or abstract information, but because he is afraid that a time will come upon him or upon his children or grandchildren where they will have to face up to this.

"These callers to the fire — they will be from us." What does that mean, from us? Meaning that they are known as Muslims. We call them Muslims. We recognize them as being Muslim. They will speak with our tongue — they will speak with terminologies that we are familiar with, phrases that we understand. They will quote the Qur'an. They will quote ahadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. They speak with our tongues. They are from amongst us.

So Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه said:

"O Messenger of Allah, what do you command me to do if such a time were ever to come upon me?" He said:

"Then stay with the body of the Muslims, stay united with the Muslims — if there is a single Imam. If there is a Khalifah and the Muslims are united, stay with them."

So I said:

"What if, O Messenger of Allah, in that time there is no single body of Muslims and no single Imam?" He said:

"Then stay away from all of those groups. Don't respond to any of them. Even if it means that you must bite down onto the roots of a tree — and let death come to you whilst that is your situation."

Lessons from This Hadith

This hadith — in al-Bukhari and Muslim — the hadith of Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه has many, many benefits and many, many lessons. And if I were to even try to start dissecting this hadith from the beginning, it would take many khutbas. But I want to mention just two or three points that are extremely important for us to understand.

The first of those points is that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم knew and understood what this ummah would face. And by extension — and more befittingly — Allah knows what would befall this ummah of trials and tribulations. And therefore, if they knew that this would happen, then the way to salvation and the path to overcome those trials is mentioned in the Book of Allah and in the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. This is not something that happened to us with no forewarning, no information, no prophecy. Rather the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم knew — from the knowledge that Allah gave to him.

From amongst the benefits of this hadith is that a time will come when things will be so difficult for people to ascertain — whether they are correct or incorrect, truth or falsehood — that you will not know, even though the people who call to those things may call themselves Muslims, or may even be considered people who have some level of knowledge or some level of piety. They will be people from us. They will speak with our language. Yet still they are from the callers to the gates of the fire.

So what do you do in such times? Stay away from all of those groups. Preoccupy yourself with what will benefit you when you stand before Allah on the Day of Judgment — when Allah will ask you about what you did. Not what anyone else did. But first and foremost, Allah will ask you what you did — with that which was in your means and capability.

Two Major Causes of Fitnah in the Qur'an

When we look at the Qur'an, Allah uses the word fitnah a number of times when He discusses the major trials that affect us. What are the major trials that come upon us as humans? There are a number of them, but there are two that I want to bring to your attention — two that go hand in hand with this hadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم narrated by Hudhayfa رضي الله عنه.

First: Following the Footsteps of Shaitan

The first of them is following the footsteps of Shaitan. Allah, when He speaks in the Qur'an about those people who follow Shaitan — meaning they disobey Allah, they disobey the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, they follow their own desires in following Shaitan — Allah calls this fitnah in the Qur'an. Allah says:

"O children of Adam, do not let Shaitan be a fitnah for you — a trial for you — just as he expelled your forefathers, meaning Adam and his wife, from Jannah. Just as he caused them to leave Jannah and descend to this earth — do not let Shaitan be a fitnah for you."

Why is Shaitan a fitnah? Because when we give Shaitan precedence — when we follow Shaitan — and that means when we disobey Allah or we leave the commandments of Allah and His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — that in and of itself is one of the major causes of fitnah. And it is a fitnah that most often strikes us as individuals: we will have problems with our families, with our wives, our husbands, our children, with our wealth and our health, with the barakah that Allah would normally place within those blessings He has given us and bestowed upon us.

And that is why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said — in the hadith of Jabir رضي الله عنه in Sahih Muslim:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 39, Hadith 6755)

"The throne of Iblis is upon the ocean." And every single morning, Iblis sends out his armies of devils so that they may go and cause problems. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, describing these armies:

"Those from amongst his armies that are closest to Iblis — meaning that he honors the most — are those who can cause the greatest fitnah." That is what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said.

And then he expanded upon this: that in the evening when they return, Iblis asks them what they did. So one says: "I caused so-and-so to steal." Another: "I caused so-and-so to murder." Another: "I caused so-and-so to do this and that." And to all of them, Shaitan says: "You did well. But that is all." Until one of them comes and says: "Today I caused a husband and wife to split. I destroyed their marriage." To him, Iblis says: "You come close to me. You sit next to me." And he honors that one. Why? Because his actions caused the greatest fitnah. It is the greatest trial.

So Allah in the Qur'an, and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, they warn us against this. Allah says:

"Beware — be cautious — those who oppose the commandments of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. That a fitnah will strike them, or a painful punishment will strike them." Because when you oppose the commandments of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, you are upon dangerous territory — dangerous ground — until and unless you return to Allah by making tawbah. Until you return to the way that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم laid out before us.

Second: Following the Mutashabih (Ambiguous Verses)

The second use of the word fitnah in the Qur'an that Allah brings to our attention — to show us the importance of this issue and how dangerous it is — is when people follow the mutashabih: those things which are unclear about our religion, those things that you need to study Islam to understand and place in their correct position in this religion. Allah says in the opening passage of Surah Ali 'Imran:

"As for those who have some illness, some disease in their hearts — then they will follow from the Qur'an the ambiguous, the unclear verses, seeking fitnah. That is what they want. And seeking to give the Qur'an their own interpretation."

Allah tells us in the Qur'an that the Qur'an has clear verses — verses that all of us as Muslims know and understand. When Allah orders us to pray, to fast, to give zakah, to perform hajj, to be good to our families, our parents, our spouses, to look after our children — these are clear verses of the Qur'an. But then there are other verses that you need to study Islam in order to be able to understand — such as the verses of jihad. You cannot just take one in isolation and go and implement it. You must understand the whole issue, you must understand the commandments of Allah and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, because to raise a weapon against any other person is from the gravest of sins in Islam if it is not done correctly.

So Allah warns us against these two things. Number one: following the footsteps of Shaitan — that is a fitnah for me and you personally. And number two: following the ambiguous — because that is a fitnah for us as a community, for us as an ummah.

Throughout the Qur'an — and I wish that I had more time — you will find many, many times that Allah uses the word fitnah. And the word fitnah in the Qur'an has over a dozen meanings — all of this to show, as the scholars have mentioned, that when Allah concentrates on a single issue and repeats it over and over again, it is because it is extremely important for me and you to take notice. It is something which affects all of us — especially in this time that we live in and in this climate, and especially for the future of our children.

Second Part of the Khutbah: The Keys to Overcoming Fitnah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَمَنْ وَالَاهُ، وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا. أَمَّا بَعْدُ.

Just as the Qur'an mentions to us the word fitnah a number of times, the Qur'an also tells us — and the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — the ways that we overcome this fitnah and the means by which we gain salvation. There are many of them, but the two that I want to mention to you very quickly are: number one, knowledge, and number two, your connection with Allah.

Any fitnah that comes upon you — be that of a personal nature or of a nature which affects all of us together as a community or as an ummah — every single trial that you come across, these two means are the path to salvation. Number one: knowledge — that you know and are able to differentiate between what Allah wants and what He does not want, what pleases Allah and what displeases Him, what is allowed and what is not allowed. And number two: that knowledge should bring you closer to Allah. It should manifest as ibadah, as obedience to Allah.

The Lesson of the Dajjal

We take this from the hadith of the Dajjal. The Dajjal is something about which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: there will be no fitnah greater for this ummah from the time of Adam until Yawm al-Qiyamah than the trial of the Dajjal. It is the greatest fitnah.

When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was sitting with his companions and explaining the issue of the Dajjal — going through a long narration mentioning many aspects of the Dajjal: when he will come, how long he will stay — he said to them that the Dajjal will remain upon earth for forty days: one day the length of a year, one day the length of a month, one day the length of a week, and every other day will be like a normal day.

This is a long hadith, and there are many other ahadith concerning the Dajjal. When you bring all of these ahadith together, you will find that from all of the questions the companions could have asked — from all the questions that we often ask one another when we come across this issue — the companions asked only a single question.

And that question was not: how do we defeat the Dajjal? It was not concerning what weapons to build or what military tactics to employ. It was not concerning any of those issues that would probably come to the forefront of our minds. Rather, the only question they asked — when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was speaking about the length and duration of the Dajjal's time upon earth — was: "O Messenger of Allah, how do we pray on those days?"

If a day is the length of a year, the length of a month, the length of a week — how do we pray? Do we pray just five times, since the sun will only rise and set once on that day the length of a year? Or do we pray the prayers of a year, the prayers of a month, the prayers of a week?

This was the single question that preoccupied them. This was what they understood — because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was the one who educated and nurtured them. He taught them, and they understood that this was their path to salvation — nothing else. It was their connection to Allah, their worship of Allah, that would determine whether they would overcome these challenges or not.

So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied and said: "Rather, estimate the times of the prayer." Meaning: you pray the prayer of a year or a month or a week and you estimate the timings.

This is how the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم approached these issues — even though they lived in a time where the vast majority of them rarely had to come across a major fitnah. The one or two fitnas that did occur they were able to overcome because of these two keys: number one, their knowledge of the religion of Allah; and number two, their ibadah, their obedience to Allah, their personal connection to Allah.

Closing Message

I want to leave you with this final message: go back to the Qur'an and look at the word fitnah — how many times it occurs, and the different contexts in which it occurs — and contemplate and ponder over those meanings. Because it is the time that we live in. And Allah, just as with every other thing in our religion, has given us the tools and the keys to overcome those challenges. They are there in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah, but it is for us to go and extract them — to extract those pearls, those wisdoms, those lessons.

We ask Allah that He keeps us safe and our families safe, and that Allah keeps us steadfast upon this religion, and that Allah protects us and our families from Shaitan and from all of his armies, and that Allah keeps us safe from doubts and from our desires, and that Allah makes us from amongst those who — when death comes upon them — it comes whilst they are saying lā ilāha illallāh, and that Allah resurrects us in the company of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the righteous. We ask Allah that He makes easy for us our affairs, and that Allah safeguards our communities, and that Allah safeguards our children and the children who will come after them, and that Allah gives us the correct understanding of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.