Table of Contents
Introduction
This is the third article in the series “The Great Fitnah: The Story of the Conflict Among the Companions“. It explores the divine wisdom behind the trials that emerged among Muslims in the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphate. Though these trials brought pain, they served a greater purpose: they became the foundation of Islamic political jurisprudence, taught valuable lessons in ethics and values, provided evidence for the truth of prophethood, and acted as a means of spiritual purification. These events have become an educational model, guiding later generations of Muslims on handling internal disagreements and conflicts within their community. Click Here to explore the full series.
The Foundation of Understanding the Great Fitnah
In our previous article, we discussed that any Muslim researcher studying the era of the Great Fitnah must understand two fundamental matters: first, understanding the events of the Great Fitnah through authentic narrations, and second, grasping the divine wisdom behind these events. We established that authentic narrations help us understand what happened and comprehend history as closely as possible to the actual events. These authentic narrations create the foundation of historical understanding and serve as the basis for methodological scientific research in any field.
However, there remains another aspect beyond basic understanding—one that goes deeper than comprehension and forming historical perspective. This is understanding the wisdom behind why the Great Fitnah occurred among Muslims. Every Muslim feels sorrow when reflecting on these events. Any Muslim would wish that the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphate had been a time of peace, harmony, victory, conquests, and establishment. It brings pain to every Muslim to see the Companions in conflict with each other. Indeed, it deeply affects any Muslim to see even two Muslims in discord, so how much more when it involves the Companions?
We previously explored the books, sources, and historical efforts—the scholarly work done in gathering authentic historical accounts and building historical narratives based on the ranks and levels of these reports. In this article, by ALLAH’s will, we will address the second matter: seeking to understand ALLAH’s wisdom in allowing the Great Fitnah to occur among the Companions themselves—these Companions who were the finest of the entire ummah, possessing the purest hearts, keenest minds, and deepest knowledge.
We mentioned before that the Rightly Guided Caliphate was the period of exemplary leadership, serving as the ideal model through which the ummah learned to manage its affairs when divine revelation ceased. The situation had changed—the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) was no longer among us, and Gabriel no longer descended with revelation. Instead, the ummah was led by humans from among themselves, who could make mistakes or be right, and who put their best efforts into governance. Almost all matters concerning politics were derived from the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphate.
Phases of the Rightly Guided Caliphate
The period of the Rightly Guided Caliphate included all phases of state development. The beginning and establishment took place during Abu Bakr’s reign (may ALLAH be pleased with him), while growth, power, and expansion marked Omar’s era (may ALLAH be pleased with him). Prosperity, flourishing, and abundance of wealth characterized Uthman’s time (may ALLAH be pleased with him). Finally, the Great Fitnah, trials, and decline emerged in the latter part of Uthman’s era and during the time of Ali ibn Abi Talib (may ALLAH be pleased with all the Prophet’s companions).
Among ALLAH’s wisdom in permitting the Great Fitnah to occur between Muslims—indeed, between the Companions—was that Muslims gained tremendous benefits from these events during the Rightly Guided Caliphate. They acquired extensive jurisprudential knowledge, particularly concerning opposition to rulers and rebellion against them, derived from the practices of the Rightly Guided Caliphs: Uthman and Ali (may ALLAH be pleased with them), and those who followed them, including Al-Hassan.
Through their handling of both peaceful and armed opposition, what was required and permissible for both the subjects and the ruler became evident. The Great Fitnah revealed the jurisprudence of managing internal conflicts among Muslims, including casualties, negotiations, and agreements. It also established the jurisprudence for dealing with deviant and rebellious groups, including extremists and insurgents—what rights must be preserved for them and how they should be treated both before and after their corruption becomes apparent.
The Impact on Islamic Jurisprudence
The majority of crucial issues in governance and politics established their jurisprudential foundations during this period—the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphate. These include: the citizens’ right to oppose, how rulers should treat dissenters and rebels, selecting a caliph during times of Great Fitnah, handling a governor’s refusal to pledge allegiance to the caliph, implementing legal punishments without the ruler’s permission, stepping down from the caliphate, and accepting leadership of the less preferred when the more preferred is present, among other matters.
If these issues and events had not occurred during the Rightly Guided Caliphate—meaning, if they had not been handled by Uthman, Ali, and Al-Hassan ibn Ali (may ALLAH be pleased with them all), who were the Rightly Guided Caliphs—Muslim differences regarding these matters would have been far more extensive. Therefore, it was essential for future Muslim generations that these events took place and these issues were addressed by the Companions, so that Islamic application would be demonstrated during the era of exemplary conduct and legislation, thus establishing Islamic jurisprudence in matters of governance.
The Role of Early Scholars and Historical Documentation
The great scholar Muhammad ibn Shihab al-Zuhri confirmed this understanding in his statement:
“The first Great Fitnah arose while many companions of ALLAH’s Messenger (Peace be upon Him) who had participated in Badr were still alive. Their collective opinion was not to implement prescribed punishment on anyone who had made a forbidden act permissible through their interpretation of the Quran, nor to enforce retribution for killing based on Quranic interpretation, nor to return anything taken based on Quranic interpretation unless it was found intact and could be returned to its owner“
This wording appears in Abd al-Razzaq’s Musannaf and is also narrated in Ibn Abi Shaybah’s Musannaf with an authentic chain to al-Zuhri.
The key point here is that the occurrence of the Great Fitnah during the Companions’ time benefited the entire ummah in understanding religious rulings, as the Companions were the most knowledgeable people regarding religion and its laws. If these events had not occurred during the time of the Companions—who were the most learned about the Quran and Sunnah—Muslim disagreement on these matters would have been much more extensive. Prophetic texts revealed which side was closer to the truth—Ali’s side—and identified the rebellious group—Muawiyah’s faction. These prophetic texts offered detailed guidance in these matters, establishing Ali’s understanding as the authoritative position.
These prophetic texts indicating who was on the side of truth could only be fully understood when the events actually took place. For example, the Prophet’s hadith (Peace be upon Him) about Ammar ibn Yasir:
“The transgressing party will kill him“1
could only be comprehended after Ammar’s actual death. It couldn’t be understood before his death because Ammar might have survived any particular battle he entered. Its true meaning only became clear after his actual martyrdom.
Prophetic Predictions and Historical Validation
We will certainly explore these matters in detail, but I wanted to emphasize that the prophetic texts helped resolve the conflicts that arose between Muslims. Through these texts, we learned which of the two parties was closer to the truth. Based on these texts and the events of the Great Fitnah, jurisprudence was established that guides Muslim life throughout all ages and generations.
Beyond jurisprudence, we also gained valuable lessons in faith, etiquette, and ALLAH-consciousness even during warfare. In the battles between the Companions, we witness an elevated model of combat: though they fought each other, they would still pray behind one another. When battles ended, they wouldn’t harm the wounded or chase those who fled. Women were not harmed. This type of warfare was unprecedented in civil conflicts. You know that civil conflicts typically involve well-known and documented atrocities and violations, but in the fighting between the Companions, we see each one’s concern for protecting their opponent’s life during battle and their sorrow over casualties.
Examples of Noble Conduct During the Great Fitnah
Ali (may ALLAH be pleased with him) was the one who protected Aisha (may ALLAH be pleased with her). He was the one who grieved and felt deep sorrow when he saw the body of his opponent in battle, Talha ibn UbaiduLLAH. He was the one who warned the killer of Al-Zubayr—his opponent—of hellfire. He was the one who prohibited cursing the people of Levant despite their fighting against him alongside Muawiyah. Al-Zubayr (may ALLAH be pleased with him) rejected a suggestion from one of the instigators of the Great Fitnah to assassinate Ali, saying, ‘Faith prevents treachery‘, among other such noble instances we will examine.
We observed how Caliph Ali (may ALLAH be pleased with him), in his battle against the Kharijites who declared him an unbeliever, preserved and explained their rights to them. Before anyone in this world could even imagine that those who rebel against a legitimate ruler might have protected rights, Ali (may ALLAH be pleased with him) was safeguarding the rights of the Kharijites who had rebelled against him and declared him an unbeliever.
If the Companions had not been human, they could not have served as role models. We emulate them, follow their example, and learn from them because they were human like us. They were not connected to heaven, receiving no divine revelation, and were not infallible. If we imagined that the Companions’ generation had passed without any conflict occurring between them, we would face a terrible crisis of confidence in ourselves and in the ummah when conflicts arise. Through the Companions’ conflicts, we learned that fighting may occur even among virtuous people, but when it occurred between them, it was conducted in accordance with their noble rank, status, and level.
Divine Wisdom and Historical Lessons
Another benefit we gain from the Great Fitnah relates to understanding human nature, society, and history. No generation was more ALLAH-fearing, more pious, or more intelligent than the generation of the Companions (may ALLAH be pleased with them all). When the Great Fitnah occurred among them, it should not be surprising that this would happen again in later Muslim generations.
The Great Fitnah does not negate righteousness nor remove virtue from Muslims. The sincere Muslim worker for Islam should expect to face many such trials in their life, including within their own ranks, for no worker for Islam—regardless of their success—will achieve the excellence of the Companions’ generation.
These Companions—the finest of generations and students of the best of Prophets—were human beings. Natural laws were not suspended for them, nor were patterns of history disrupted for their sake; these laws applied to them as well. Through this, we understand and acknowledge that no one is above these patterns. This understanding deeply influences our perspectives and thoughts, and it should also shape our plans, movements, and behavior when we undertake any action. This should continuously lead us to self-monitoring, protecting against evil influences, being mindful of potential trials, and handling them appropriately when they occur.
Among the most important of these patterns is that nothing lasts forever, as it has been said: “For everything that reaches completion, decline follows“. The era of Uthman (may ALLAH be pleased with him) represented the peak of prosperity, with abundant wealth and extensive conquests, until Muslims had no rivals or equals on earth. Naturally, after a cycle of ascent, another cycle of descent must begin.
Another vital pattern is that people of evil and conspiracy can corrupt both the religious and worldly affairs of Muslims. They may achieve this corruption through deception, presenting themselves as pious and claiming to be more ALLAH-fearing and more concerned for religion than the religious leaders and transmitters themselves. These instigators of the Great Fitnah claimed to be more protective of religion than those who conveyed it—those about whom the Quran had expressed divine pleasure and who had been taught directly by the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace be upon Him).
When Zubayr ibn Al-Awwam was asked, “What brought you here? You neglected the Caliph…” and so forth, as we will discuss, he made a significant statement worth reflecting upon. He said,
“We read this verse during the time of ALLAH’s Messenger (Peace be upon Him) and during the times of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, never thinking it referred to us“
The verse being “And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively, and know that ALLAH is severe in penalty“2 (Suraat ‘Al-‘Anfaal, 8:25). He added,
“We never imagined we would be its people until it befell us where it did“
The Nature of Extremism and Its Consequences
When we understand that these corrupting influences can damage Muslims’ religious and worldly affairs, we recognize this as one of the patterns that demands our attention. Those who follow these corrupters and evil-doers might be foolish and naive, narrow-minded, or extremist. The Kharijite extremists, who became tools for these conspirators during the Great Fitnah, reached such levels of ignorance and arrogance that they fought against the Companions of ALLAH’s Messenger (Peace be upon Him), believing that the Companions had abandoned religion and deserved to be fought.
Extremism is the root of evil, even when it appears as excessive reverence and veneration. Some people who became partisans of Ali (may ALLAH be pleased with him) went so far as to deify him. When these same people reached a terrible level of misguidance, even after Ali himself prohibited them from this and told them, ‘I am but a human being‘, they persisted in claiming he was divine, a provider of sustenance, a giver of life and death.
As a result, Ali (may ALLAH be pleased with him) had them burned and executed. The key point is that extremism in reverence is the beginning of evil, and this extremism in veneration leads to corresponding extremism in declaring others unbelievers, as shown by the Kharijites who declared the Companions promised Paradise to be unbelievers and fought against them.
The study of the causes of the Great Fitnah contains many benefits that Muslims should contemplate throughout their lives.
Prophetic Predictions as Proof of Prophethood
Among the most significant benefits of the Great Fitnah is that its occurrence confirms the Prophet’s (Peace be upon Him) truthfulness and validates His prophethood. The events we discuss in these articles occurred exactly as He foretold. If they had not occurred, this would have challenged his prophethood, as these events were among His prophecies that history proved accurate.
The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) foretold the occurrence of the Great Fitnah, predicted the division of the ummah, and informed that severe conflict would arise within it. He predicted Uthman ibn Affan’s death in a time of trial, clearly stating that Uthman would be killed unjustly and that his killers would be people of misguidance.
He also foretold the war between Aisha and Ali, including specific details such as the dogs that would bark at Aisha’s caravan at a place called Al-Haw’ab. He predicted the deaths of Talha and Al-Zubayr, foretold Ammar’s death, explicitly stating that ‘the transgressing party will kill him‘, and predicted the emergence of the Kharijites, describing the group that would fight them as closer to the truth, even describing a specific casualty among the Kharijites by physical marks on his body—the one known as Dhul-Thudayya.
All these predictions could not have come from mere genius or intelligence, nor through simple anticipation. Rather, they stand as evidence of prophethood, showing that ALLAH the Exalted had informed HIS Prophet about some of this knowledge of the unseen. The accounts of the Great Fitnah, in their essence, strengthen the believer’s faith and connection to this religion, deepen their belief in this noble Prophet, and increase their reverence for these Companions about whom texts and reports have spoken of their virtues and merits, and of ALLAH’s and HIS Messenger’s pleasure with them.
The Great Fitnah as a Test and Purification
Finally, among the benefits of the Great Fitnah is that tribulation acts as a means of distinguishing ranks, purifying souls, and revealing true natures. People’s real characters remain hidden in times of ease, but when trials and tribulations occur, their true nature becomes apparent. The Great Fitnah exposes and reveals the hypocrites, liars, and those with diseased hearts. These trials also become means of forgiveness, mercy, and elevation in rank for the truthful and faithful.
ALLAH the Exalted says:
“Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe” and they will not be tried? But WE have certainly tried those before them, and ALLAH will surely make evident those who are truthful, and HE will surely make evident the liars“3
(Suraat ‘Al-‘Ankabuut, 29:2-3)
And ALLAH the Exalted says:
“And WE will surely test you until WE make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of ALLAH] and the patient, and WE will test your affairs“4
(Suraat Muhammad, 47:31)
And HE says:
“Or do those in whose hearts is disease think that ALLAH would never expose their [feelings of] hatred?“5
(Suraat Muhammad, 47:29)
This era and this Islamic society were distinguished by Jihad. This society of warriors included those who fought for ALLAH’s cause and those who fought for worldly gain and spoils. The Companions’ society was a society of warriors, but when this Great Fitnah emerged, it revealed the true nature of many people, transforming them from being warriors to becoming rebels, Kharijites, and corrupters.
These trials also purified the souls of the believers, as we see them united with Uthman (may ALLAH be pleased with him) against the rebels. Afterward, these companions divided according to their Ijtihad (scholarly reasoning), with some being correct and others mistaken.
When Ali (may ALLAH be pleased with him) was asked about the slain of Siffin, he said: “Our slain and their slain are in Paradise, and the matter will return to me and Muawiyah“. In another narration, he said: “Whoever was killed from us or them, seeking the Face of ALLAH and the Hereafter, will enter Paradise“. This was narrated by Sa’id bin Mansur and Ibn Abi Shaybah in Al-Musannaf with a sound chain.
The Ultimate Wisdom and Contemporary Relevance
Understanding the wisdom behind the occurrence of the Great Fitnah makes a Muslim more aware when reading its accounts and reflecting upon them. One notices aspects that would be impossible to notice, understand, or grasp for someone reading the same accounts and events without this perspective. Those who read events while contemplating ALLAH’s wisdom in them are entirely different from those who read them while either disbelieving in ALLAH or failing to notice HIS wisdom. The former increase in faith while the latter increase in doubt.
In the next article, ALLAH willing, we will begin discussing the roots and preliminaries of the Great Fitnah.
We ask ALLAH the Exalted to teach us what benefits us, to benefit us through what HE has taught us, and to increase us in knowledge.
Sources:
- Mohamed Elhamy. قصة الفتنة الكبرى | 3. ما هي الحكمة من وقوع الفتن بين الصحابة | محمد إلهامي. YouTube Video.
