Why does Allah test believers with fitnah and hardship?

The short answer

Allah tests people to show who is truthful in faith and to wipe away believers' sins. Tests come through both hardship and ease, including wealth and children. For the believer, patience in hardship and gratitude in ease both turn the test into good.

Evidence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Explanation

The Quran asks: "Do the people think that they will be left to say, 'We believe' and they will not be tried?" Allah tried those before us so that He makes evident "those who are truthful" and "the liars" 1. Faith is a claim, and trials are how it is shown to be real.

Fitnah does not only mean pain. "We test you with evil and with good as trial" 2. Wealth and children are called a trial 3, and the Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed there is a fitnah for every Ummah, and the Fitnah for my Ummah is wealth" 4. Some people pass the test of poverty and fail the test of money.

Hardship also comes with a promise. Allah says He will test with fear, hunger and loss, "but give good tidings to the patient", who say "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return" 5. Even a messenger and the believers with him were shaken until they asked, "When is the help of Allah?", and the answer came: "the help of Allah is near" 6.

The Prophet ﷺ explained that the most severely tested people are the prophets, then those closest to them, and a person keeps being tested "until he is left walking upon the earth without any sins" 7. So a trial is not proof that Allah is displeased with you. It may be the opposite.

He also said the believer's affair is all good: if something pleasing happens he is grateful, and if hardship strikes he is patient, and both are good for him 8. That is the key. You cannot choose your tests, but you can choose your response.

The evidence

  1. 1
    Quran Al-Ankaboot · 29:2–3

    People will not be left to say "we believe" without being tried; trials show the truthful and the liars.

    أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتۡرَكُوٓاْ أَن يَقُولُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمۡ لَا يُفۡتَنُونَ ۝٢ وَلَقَدۡ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۖ فَلَيَعۡلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُواْ وَلَيَعۡلَمَنَّ ٱلۡكَٰذِبِينَ ۝٣

    2 Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried 3 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

  2. 2
    Quran Al-Anbiyaa · 21:35

    Allah tests with evil and with good as a trial.

    كُلُّ نَفۡسࣲ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۗ وَنَبۡلُوكُم بِٱلشَّرِّ وَٱلۡخَيۡرِ فِتۡنَةࣰۖ وَإِلَيۡنَا تُرۡجَعُونَ ۝٣٥

    Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned

  3. 3
    Quran At-Taghaabun · 64:15

    Wealth and children are a trial.

    إِنَّمَآ أَمۡوَٰلُكُمۡ وَأَوۡلَٰدُكُمۡ فِتۡنَةࣱۚ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجۡرٌ عَظِيمࣱ‏ ۝١٥

    Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward

  4. 4
    Hadith Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2336
    Sahih graded by Al-Albani

    Every ummah has its fitnah, and the fitnah of this ummah is wealth.

    Ka'b bin 'Iyad narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:"Indeed there is a fitnah for every Ummah, and the Fitnah for my Ummah is wealth

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سَوَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرِ، حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ كَعْبِ بْنِ عِيَاضٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فِتْنَةً وَفِتْنَةُ أُمَّتِي الْمَالُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ إِنَّمَا نَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ ‏.‏

  5. 5
    Quran Al-Baqara · 2:155–157

    Allah tests with fear, hunger and loss, and gives good tidings to the patient.

    وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيۡءࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَٰلِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ ۝١٥٥ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتۡهُم مُّصِيبَةࣱ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيۡهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ۝١٥٦ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ صَلَوَٰتࣱ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةࣱۖ وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُهۡتَدُونَ ۝١٥٧

    155 And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient 156 Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return 157 Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided

  6. 6
    Quran Al-Baqara · 2:214

    Those before were shaken until they asked when Allah's help would come; it is near.

    أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوۡاْ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَأۡسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلۡزِلُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصۡرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبࣱ‏ ۝٢١٤

    Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, "When is the help of Allah?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near

  7. 7
    Hadith Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2398
    Hasan Sahih graded by Al-Albani

    The prophets are tested most severely; trials continue until a person walks without sin.

    Mus'ab bin Sa'd narrated from his father that a man said:"O Messenger of Allah(s.a.w)! Which of the people is tried most severely?" He said: "The Prophets, then those nearest to them, then those nearest to them. A man is tried according to his religion; if he is firm in his religion, then his trials are more severe, and if he is frail in his religion, then he is tried according to the strength of his religion. The servant shall continue to be tried until he is left walking upon the earth without any sins

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ بَهْدَلَةَ، عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ النَّاسِ أَشَدُّ بَلاَءً قَالَ ‏ "‏ الأَنْبِيَاءُ ثُمَّ الأَمْثَلُ فَالأَمْثَلُ فَيُبْتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ دِينُهُ صُلْبًا اشْتَدَّ بَلاَؤُهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ رِقَّةٌ ابْتُلِيَ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَمَا يَبْرَحُ الْبَلاَءُ بِالْعَبْدِ حَتَّى يَتْرُكَهُ يَمْشِي عَلَى الأَرْضِ مَا عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَةٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَأُخْتِ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنِ الْيَمَانِ ‏أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سُئِلَ أَيُّ النَّاسِ أَشَدُّ بَلَاءً قَالَ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ ثُمَّ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ

  8. 8
    Hadith Sahih Muslim 2999
    Sahih Muslim

    The believer's affair is all good, through gratitude in ease and patience in hardship.

    Suhaib reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا هَدَّابُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ الأَزْدِيُّ، وَشَيْبَانُ بْنُ فَرُّوخَ، جَمِيعًا عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لِشَيْبَانَ - حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى، عَنْ صُهَيْبٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ عَجَبًا لأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لأَحَدٍ إِلاَّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24

Report an issue

Tell us what is wrong. Every report is read.

What is the problem?