The Sharia and Life Program at Ramadan hosted the Dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Qatar University, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Ansari, to talk about the meaning of fitna in the Islamic religion and the significance of the afflictions that afflict a person in his life.
On the reason for the affliction of man, he explained that temptation is something inherent to life and faith, so a person does not expect to be a believer without being mesmerized and afflicted, explaining that a person's exposure to temptation is a test from God that will be held accountable for him and his position on it on the Day of Resurrection.
The Sheikh pointed out that God made good times and bad as poles in the way of man, and the believer must balance them by overcoming adversity and patience with affliction, and good behavior in good times, stressing that it should not exceed the reasonable limit in the disposal of the world's money because the believer will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection, and he must make good use of what God has given him.
He explained that afflictions are sedition and a signal from God Almighty to his servant until he repents of sins and returns from the mistakes he commits, and that calamities are a warning from God Almighty and evidence that he gives his servant his care and wants him to return to the right path, except for those who insist on his sins and show the warnings of God Almighty.
Hanging rope
He likened God's relationship with his servants to the rope hanging in the slave's neck, whenever he sinned, moved away or shortened his walk, God attracts him to him with an affliction that makes him feel some pain, either with a loss or blame for the soul or an alert of an accident or financial loss, but if a person loses the sense of this attraction and no longer cares about his negligence in his worship, this means that God Almighty left him to himself until one punishment comes to him that ends him.
The Sheikh also considered that the temptations and afflictions such as stairs, God Almighty does not afflict the believer with something beyond his ability, but afflicted by a scourge that requires him to make an effort and bypass it moves to a new stage of faith, and although the affliction may be painful, it makes the believer double the ranks of worship heart and thank God for his blessings and get closer to him more.
He considered that the affliction may be in order to urge man to get closer to God, when the individual falls short in his worship and faith, the afflictions come to renew the covenant with God and the benevolence of the covenant with him, and to walk in the straight path commanded by God Almighty.