World is for afflictions and trials
Being afflicted by trials and tribulations is part of this worldly life.Man — from the cradle to the grave — will be tested with these trials. Allah says: “Verily, We have created man in toil (hardship).” (Qur’an, 90:4)
There is no one but is afflicted and tested with one or the other type of sedition (fitnah). Afflictions, in general, are of five types. Allah says: “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits…” (Qur’an, 2:155)
Everyone is tested according to his level of Iman (faith). Allah says:
“Allah does not charge a soul except (with that within) its capacity.” (Qur’an, 2:286)
Narrated Musab bin Saad: "His father, Saad bin Abu Waqqas said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “O Messenger of Allah, which people are most severely tested?" 'He said: The Prophets, then the next best and the next best. A person is tested according to his religious commitment. If he is steadfast in his religious commitment, he will be tested more severely, and if he is frail in his religious commitment, his test will be according to his commitment. Trials will continue to afflict a person until they leave him walking on the earth with no sin on him.” (Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah)
Some afflictions are more severe and worse than the others. The afflictions could be of spiritual or temporal like loss of wealth, death of someone, illness, or harm done by others. But the most severe ones are those in religion. Allah says: “…and Al-Fitnah is worse than killing.” (Qur’an, 2:191)
Rather Allah Almighty says: “… and Al-Fitnah is greater than killing.” (Qur’an, 2:217)
These trials of one's faith are through shirk (innovation in religioin), kufr (apostasy), hypocrisy etc. Some benefit from these trials: “And when the believers saw Al-Ahzaab (the confederates), they said: “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth, and it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness (to Allah).” (Qur’an, 33:22)
While others lose: “And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face (i.e. reverts to disbelief after embracing Islam). He has lost (this) world and the Hereafter. That is what the manifest loss is.” (Qur’an, 22:11)
Narrated Abu Hurairah: "The Messenger of Allah said: 'Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. During (that stormy period) a man would be a Muslim in the morning and an unbeliever in the evening or he would be a believer in the evening and an unbeliever in the morning and would sell his faith for worldly goods” (Sahih Muslim)
Allah indicated that these men (the mushriks of Makkah) are committing disbelief in Allah, associating with Him (in the worship) and hindering from His path, and this is more severe and much greater evil and more disastrous than killing.
Abu Al-Aaliyah, Mujahid, Saeed bin Jubayr, Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and Ar-Rabee bin Anas are of the opinion that “Shirk (polytheism) is worse than killing.”
Commenting on fitnah, Ibn Katheer says: “Al-Fitnah is greater than killing means, forcing believing Muslims to revert to Kufr, which Allah considers as worse than killing.”
Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Saleh Al-Uthaymin said: “It means to prevent the people (the Muslims) from (practicing) their religion; as Allah said in Qur’an (85:10): 'Verily, those who put into Fitnah (trial) the believing men and believing women (by torturing them and burning them), and then do not turn in repentance, (to Allah), will have the torment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the burning Fire'.”
So preventing the people from their religion is a Fitnah more severe than killing them. This is because by killing them, the utmost they can do is cutoff the person from pleasures of this world; whereas the Fitnah cuts them off from the wo and the Akhirah, as Allah Almighty said: "… but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss." (Qur'an, 22:11)
Tafseer Al-Sadi: And when the fighting took place near the Masjid Al-Haram (in Makkah), (and after He) conveyed that it is evil (to fight) in this sacred land, Allah informed that the evil fitnah of shirk and preventing people from Isla is more severe than the evil of killing.
And this verse is used as an evidence for the famous principle, i.e. “Choosing the lesser of two evils to ward off the greater one.”
The purpose of these afflictions is to purify our sins and to separate the believers from the hypocrites: “Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: 'We believe,” and will not be tested. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allah knows all that before putting them to test)'.” (Qur’an, 29:2-3)
Allah also says: “That Allah may reward the men of truth for their truth (i.e. for their patience at the accomplishment of that which they covenanted with Allah), and punish the hypocrites if He will or accept their repentance by turning to them in Mercy. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Qur'an, 33:24)
Therefore we should constantly ask Allah that He keeps us firm upon the religion.
