At-Taghaabun (Mutual Disillusion)

15. Your riches and your offspring are only a trial and Allah with Him is the great reward grants rewards to those who stand the trial.

16. Therefore, fear Allah as much as you can. Listen to and obey His Words and expend in His Cause. That is better for you. And whoever is delivered from his own covetousness, then, they are the saved.

The Arabic word fitna connotes the pains, afflictions, hardships, and entanglements which serve as trials. It also connotes the conspiracies and corruptions by enemies.

The Holy Qur’an¹ enjoins the believers to struggle against them such that there remains no corruption. It would be of interest to note that possessions and families are both means of trial and the embellishments in this world² . In this vein, Imam ‘Ali (as) is reported as saying that the believers are supposed to seek refuge in God Almighty in the face of trials quoting the blessed Verse in question.³

If we believe that possessions serve as means of trial, we will not be perturbed by their scarcity since standing such trials will be easier in this way. Possessions are supposed to be accrued through legitimate means and they should be expended in legitimate causes. The believers are obliged to pay the alms tax and thereby show their gratitude.

Children are also means of trial, since parents should accord due attention with respect to selecting worthy spouses for them, pay the religiously lawful mahr, i.e. the bridal money to the spouse, the children’s healthy feeding, having affection for them, fostering and educating them in terms of matrimony, and pay utmost attention to their proper upbringing.

All these steps are hard trials and in case the parents be able to fulfill their obligations and thereby stand the trial, they will have their shares in all the righteous good deeds committed by their children.

Some of the spouses and children entertain enmity but all of them serve as means of trial. Thus, foregoing the affection for possessions and children constitute a great Divine Obligation for which God Almighty grants great Rewards. The blessed Verse in question reflects that possessions and children serve as means of trial for the believers and if they stand the trial, they will be granted great Divine Rewards and Bounties.

God Almighty tries man at all times in order to make him tread the path of growth. Man is tried by different things and possessions and children serve as some of the most significant means of trial, since man’s affection for possessions on the one hand and his affection for his children on the other serve as hard trials and man may not stand them and thereby fail to achieve Divine Satisfaction.

The Arabic adverbial form

innama (“nothing but”)

is employed herein to reflect restriction connoting that above all, affection for possessions and children serve as means of trial.

In this respect, Imam ‘Ali (as) is narrated as saying:

“No one is supposed to say

‘O Lord! I seek refuge in You from the trials,’

since there are trials for each and everyone through possessions, however meager, and children and the life of this world serves as the crucible in which man is tried.

If anyone intends to seek refuge in God Almighty, he is to seek refuge in Him from errors, since God Almighty says:

‘Beware that possessions and children are means of trial.’”4

In this vein, many a Qur’anic exegete and traditionist narrate that once the Messenger of Allah (S) was delivering a sermon on the pulpit when Hasan and Husayn (as) who were small children at the time entered and as they toddled. The Noble Prophet (S) noticed them.

He descended from the pulpit and embraced them saying:

“God Almighty is True in saying that your possessions and children are means of your trial. When I noticed that they toddled, I could not exercise patience. I cut my words short and came to embrace them.”5

It is worthy of note, however, that such conduct served as a warning to all the Muslims so that they may recognize the exalted ranks of Imam ‘Ali’s (as) and Hadhrat Fatima’s children.

A tradition is transmitted on the authority of Bura’ ibn ‘Àzib, the well-known Prophet’s Companion, in Sunni sources as per which he saw Hasan ibn ‘Ali (as) on the Noble Prophet’s (as) shoulders saying that he loved him and invoked God Almighty to love him as well.⁴

According to some other traditions, when the Noble Prophet (S) was prostrating in his prayers and Husayn (as), while still a small child, sat on the Noble Prophet’s (S) shoulders, he did not impede him from doing so and such conduct reflects the exalted ranks of these two Imams (as).⁵

The blessed Verse 16 draws a conclusion by saying:

“Fear God Almighty as much as it is within your capacity and listen to and obey His Injunctions and expend in His Cause since it would be better for you.”

The blessed Verse opens with an Injunction, as per which the believers are supposed to refrain from committing sins, since fear of God Almighty mostly reflects refraining from committing sins. Then, the blessed Verse proceeds to say that believers are supposed to listen to Divine Injunctions as the preliminary of obeying God Almighty.

Particular emphasis is laid on expending in Allah’s Cause as one of the most significant Divine Trials making mention of the point that such things will be all to their benefit (khayr), though the word encompasses a wide semantic range. The emphatic expression reflects that those who save themselves from avarice and covetousness will be saved.

The Arabic word shuhh denotes both miserliness and avarice and we know that these two vices are amongst the worst impediments to man’s deliverance, since they impede man from expending in Allah’s Cause and doing righteous good deeds.

Man may save himself from these two vices and achieve happiness through seeking Divine Grace from the bottom of his heart and striving toward the purification of one’s self. It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) that whoever pays the alms tax guarantees his happiness.⁶

It is worthy of note, however, that it solely includes one of the instances of refraining from miserliness and avariciousness rather than encompassing all its semantic scope. It is also narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) that he circumambulated the Ka‘ba from night to morning invoking God Almighty at all times to keep him from his miserliness and avariciousness.

One of the Imam’s companions asked him:

“May my soul be your ransom! I just hear this invocation of yours tonight. Why do you not make another invocation?”

The Imam (as) replied:

“What is worse than miserliness and avariciousness since God Almighty says: ‘And whoever is delivered from his own covetousness, then, they are the saved.’”9