The Jurisprudence of Tribulation

بَابُ الْفِتْنَةِ الَّتِي تَمُوجُ كَمَوْجِ الْبَحْرِ

حديث 1385

عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ رضي الله عنه، قَالَ: قَالَ عُمَرُ رضي الله عنه: أَيُّكُمْ يَحْفَظُ حَدِيثَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ الْفِتْنَةِ؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: أَنَا أَحْفَظُهُ كَمَا قَالَ. قَالَ: إِنَّكَ عَلَيْهِ لِجَرِيءٌ! فَكَيفَ قَالَ؟ قُلْتُ: فِتْنَةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي أَهْلِهِ - وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: (ولِمُسْلِمٍ: وَنَفْسِهِ،) وَمَالِهِ، وَوَلَدِهِ، وَجَارِهِ، تُكَفِّرُهَا الصَّلَاةُ - وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: وَالصَّوْمُ - وَالصَّدَقَةُ، وَالأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَالنَّهْيُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ. قَالَ: لَيْسَ هَذِهِ أُرِيدُ، وَلَكِنِّي أُرِيدُ الَّتِي تَمْوُجُ كَمَوْجِ الْبَحْرِ. قَالَ: قُلْتُ: لَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ بها يا أمير المؤمنين بَأْسٌ؛ بينكَ وبينها بَابٌ مُغلَقٌ. قال: فَيُكْسَرُ الْبَابُ أَوْ يُفْتَحُ؟ قال: قُلْتُ: لا ، بَلْ يُكْسَرُ. قال: فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا كُسِرَ لَمْ يُغْلِقْ أَبَدًا (وَلِمُسْلِمٍ: أَكَسْرًا لَا أَبَا لَكَ؟! فَلَوْ أَنَّهُ فُتِحَ؛ لَعَلَّهُ كَانَ يُعَادُ). قَالَ: قُلْتُ: أَجَلْ. فَهِبْنَا أَنْ نَسْأَلَهُ مَنِ البَابُ؟ فَقُلْنَا لِمَسْرُوقٍ: سَلْهُ! قَالَ: فَسَأَلَهُ، فَقَالَ: عُمَرُ رضي الله عنه. قَالَ: قُلْنَا: فَعَلِمَ عُمَرُ مَنْ تَعْنِي؟ قَالَ: نَعَم، كَمَا أَنَّ دُونَ غَدٍ لَيْلَةً؛ وَذَلِكَ أَنِّي حَدَّثْتُهُ حَدِيثًا لَيْسَ بِالأَغَالِيطِ (وَلِمُسْلِمٍ فِي رِوَايَةٍ: قَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ: فَأَسْكَتَ الْقَوْمُ، فَقُلْتُ: أَنَا. قَالَ: أَنْتَ لِلَّهِ أَبُوكَ. قَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: تُعْرَضُ الْفِتَنُ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ كَالْحَصِيرِ عُودًا عُودًا، فَأَيُّ قَلْبٍ أُشْرِبَهَا نُكِتَ فِيهِ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ، وَأَيُّ قَلْبٍ أَنْكَرَهَا نُكِتَ فِيهِ نُكْتَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ، حَتَّى تَصِيرَ عَلَى قَلْبَيْنِ: عَلَى أَبْيَضَ مِثْلِ الصَّفَا، فَلَا تَضُرُّهُ فِتْنَةٌ مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ، وَالْآخَرُ أَسْوَدُ مُرْبَادًا، كَالْكُوزِ مُجَخِّيًا، لَا يَعْرِفُ مَعْرُوفًا وَلَا يُنْكِرُ مُنْكَرًا إِلَّا مَا أُشْرِبَ مِنْ هَوَاهُ. وَفِيهَا: وَحَدَّثْتُهُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ الْبَابَ رَجُلٌ يُقْتَلُ أَوْ يَمُوتُ). 

Chapter Three: The Tribulation that Surges Like the Waves of the Sea

Ḥadīth 1385

On the authority of Abū Wāʾil, from Ḥudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), who related: ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) once asked: “Which among you remembers the Prophetic narration concerning tribulation (fitnah)?” I replied: “I recall it precisely as it was uttered by him ﷺ”. He said: “You are bold indeed to recount it. How did he describe it?” I answered: “The tribulation concerns a man’s family —and in another narration by Muslim, his very self — his wealth, his children, and his neighbours, will be expiated by prayer — and, in one version, by fasting, almsgiving, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong”. ʿUmar responded: “That is not my concern. I mean the one that surges like the waves of the sea”. I said: “Fear not, O Commander of the Believers. Between you and it stands a gate that is firmly shut”. He asked: “Will it be broken, or shall it be opened willingly?” I replied: “Rather, it will be broken”. He remarked: “Once it is broken, it shall never be closed again”. (In the narration recorded by Muslim: “Will it be broken without your consent? For had it been opened, it could have been closed again”). I confirmed: “Indeed”. We thus contemplated who the ‘gate’ might be. We requested Masrūq to enquire, and he did so. He was told: “It is ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him)”. We asked: “Was ʿUmar aware of this designation?” He replied: “As certain as night precedes the dawn, for I conveyed to him an accurate report, which is beyond doubt””. In another narration in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ḥudhayfah recounted: “The people fell silent, and I said: ‘I am he’. The Prophet ﷺ replied: ‘You are accountable before Allah.’”. Ḥudhayfah then added: “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘Tribulations shall be presented to the hearts, one by one, as reeds are interwoven into a mat. A heart that absorbs them will have a black mark stamped upon it. A heart that rejects them will have a white mark imprinted upon it. Eventually, hearts will become of two kinds: one heart pure and radiant, akin to a polished stone, which no tribulation shall harm so long as the heavens and earth remain; and another, darkened and contorted, like an overturned vessel, no longer recognising righteousness nor rejecting evil, save for what accords with its desires.’” In the same narration: “I informed him that this ‘gate’ is a man who will either be slain or die.”

 

Key Lessons and Reflections

1.     Classification of Tribulations in Islamic Legal Thought: The narration distinguishes between personal tribulations (fitan) involving one's wealth, family, and moral responsibilities and public, cataclysmic tribulations that engulf the entire society “like the waves of the sea.” This distinction is pivotal in Fiqh, as personal tribulations are addressed by individual acts of worship and moral rectitude, whereas collective upheaval demands structural and communal safeguarding mechanisms.

2.  Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (Higher Objectives of Shariah): The Prophet’s ﷺ warning about tribulations corrupting the qalb (heart) reinforces the maqṣad of ḥifẓ al-dīn wa al-ʿaql (preservation of religion and intellect). The deterioration of the heart through repetitive exposure to trials symbolises the gradual erosion of religious consciousness and moral clarity, a central concern in both legal and spiritual ethics.

3.    The Legal Doctrine of Sadd al-Dharāʾiʿ (Blocking the Means to Harm): ʿUmar’s role as the "gate" embodies an institutional mechanism of containment against moral and political chaos. The metaphor of the gate being broken — not opened — signifies an abrupt, forceful collapse of lawful restraint, underscoring the legal maxim that potential causes of corruption must be proactively obstructed. This principle is integral to the legislative methodology of Sadd al-Dharāʾiʿ in Uṣūl al-Fiqh.

4.  Moral Psychology and the Jurisprudence of the Heart (Fiqh al-Qulūb): The imagery of hearts being stamped either black or white illustrates the cumulative spiritual effect of moral choices. It affirms the legal-ethical doctrine that receptivity to good and evil is shaped by repeated actions, aligning with the principle of al-jazāʾ min jins al-ʿamal (reward or punishment corresponds to the nature of one’s deed). This has implications for the concepts of ʿādah (habit) and istiqāmah (spiritual steadfastness) in moral Fiqh.

5.   Concept of Legal Finality and Irreversibility: The statement “once it is broken, it shall never be closed again” establishes a juristic reflection on the irreversibility of certain historical ruptures. It implies that some social or political disintegrations, once initiated, cannot be legally or practically reversed, an insight critical to the understanding of fitan as legally consequential events rather than merely theological concepts.

6.  Testimony and Legal Certainty (al-Khabar al-Ṣādiq and Qabūl al-Akhbār): Ḥudhayfah’s affirmation that he relayed to ʿUmar a “report that was not mistaken” underscores the weight of khabar al-ṣādiq (trustworthy report) in the transmission of authoritative legal and spiritual knowledge. It also highlights the value of legal certainty (yaqīn) in matters of public concern, particularly when conveyed by companions of demonstrable integrity.

7.  Moral Responsibility of the Scholar and Witness: The Prophet’s ﷺ response to Ḥudhayfah (“You are accountable before Allah”) signifies the ethical burden carried by those who possess esoteric or sensitive knowledge, especially concerning tribulation, justice, and leadership. This aligns with the principle of amānah (trust) in conveying the truth, a central value in legal testimony (shahādah) and religious scholarship.