Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Do the people think that they will be left alone without being tested?”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. This questioner says: In the words of Allah, Glorified and Exalted,[Al-'Ankabut 29:2], what kind of trials may befall the believer in this matter?
The Shaykh:
Many.[Al-'Ankabut 29:2] Meaning they are tested. The trial is a test; they are tested so that the one who is truthful in his saying “We believe” is revealed, and the hypocrite who, when a calamity strikes him, turns on his heels, as Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Hajj 22:11]. [Al-Hajj 22:11]. If he is struck by…
The questioner:
…good.
The Shaykh:
[Al-Hajj 22:11] his heels. This is weak faith that is not firmly established. And this is also the hypocrite. Allah tests His servants with what is disagreeable, and this is for their benefit. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. This questioner says: In the words of Allah, Glorified and Exalted,
Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?
أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَThe Shaykh:
Many.
Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?
أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَAnd of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge.
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍAnd of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge.
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍThe questioner:
…good.
The Shaykh:
If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his
فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ
Source
شرح إغاثة اللهفان من مصائد الشيطان لابن القيم، فصل وتمام الكلام في هذا المقام العظيم يتبين بأصول نافعة جامعة — islamhouse.com (42:24)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.