Quran Universe
9:49

وَمِنۡهُم مَّن يَقُولُ ٱئۡذَن لِّي وَلَا تَفۡتِنِّيٓۚ أَلَا فِي ٱلۡفِتۡنَةِ سَقَطُواْۗ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةُۢ بِٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ

Waminhum man yaqoolu ithan lee wala taftinnee ala fee alfitnati saqatoo wainna jahannama lamuheetatun bialkafireena

And among them is he who says, "Permit me [to remain at home] and do not put me to trial." Unquestionably, into trial they have fallen. And indeed, Hell will encompass the disbelievers.

Word by word
  1. وَمِنۡهُمAnd among them
  2. مَّن(is he) who
  3. يَقُولُsays
  4. ٱئۡذَنGrant me leave
  5. لِّيGrant me leave
  6. وَلَاand (do) not
  7. تَفۡتِنِّيٓۚput me to trial
  8. أَلَاSurely
  9. فِيin
  10. ٱلۡفِتۡنَةِthe trial
  11. سَقَطُواْۗthey have fallen
  12. وَإِنَّAnd indeed
  13. جَهَنَّمَHell
  14. لَمُحِيطَةُۢ(will) surely surround
  15. بِٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَthe disbelievers
At-Tawbah · 9:49Madinah

Excuse me so I am not tested, and that was the test.

A pious-sounding excuse

Al-Jadd's excuse
Al-Jadd bin Qaysa chief of Banu Salimah
said
spare me temptationI am weak with women
but
already fallen inthe real fitnah
Where the fitnah was
out there on the road
in staying behindhis own safety first

Al-Jadd bin Qays told the Prophet ﷺ: let me stay, do not put me into temptation, for if I see the Roman women I will not be patient. The Prophet ﷺ turned away and gave him leave. Ibn Kathir explains the verse: staying behind was itself the greater fitnah, worse than the one he claimed to fear.

"I don't go to the masjid, the people there are judgmental." "I don't give because charities might misuse it." A spiritual-sounding excuse can be the very trap. Look at what the excuse is protecting.

I avoid this good deed to protect my faith.

Sometimes my pious excuse is the trial I am failing.

Try this

Look at one religious-sounding reason you give for skipping something good. Test whether it is real.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And among them is he who says: "Grant me leave and put me not into trial." Surely, they have fallen into trial. And verily, Hell is surrounding the disbelievers (49)

Allah says, some hypocrites say to you, O Muhammad ﷺ,

ائْذَن لِّي

(Grant me leave), to stay behind,

وَلَا تَفْتِنِّي

(and put me not into trial.), if I go with you and see the women of the Romans. Allah, the Exalted, replied,

أَلَا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا

(Surely, they have fallen into trial) because of the statement they uttered. Muhammad bin Ishaq reported from Az-Zuhri, Yazid bin Ruwman, 'Abdullah bin Abi Bakr, 'Asim bin Qatadah and several others that they said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Al-Jadd bin Qays from Bani Salimah,

هَلْ لَكَ يَا جَدُّ الْعَامَ فِي جَلَادِ بَنِي الْأَصْفَرِ؟

('Would you like to fight the yellow ones (Romans) this year?)

He said, 'O Allah's Messenger! Give me permission (to remain behind) and do not cause Fitnah for me. By Allah! My people know that there is not a man who is more fond of women than I. I fear that if I see the women of the yellow ones, I would not be patient.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned away from him and said,

قَدْ أَذِنْتُ لَكَ

(I give you permission.) In Al-Jadd's case, this Ayah was revealed,

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ ائْذَن لِّي وَلَا تَفْتِنِّي

(And among them is he who says: "Grant me leave and put me not into trial.")

Therefore, Allah says that the Fitnah that he fell into because of not joining the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (in Jihad) and preferring his safety to the safety of the Messenger ﷺ is worse than the Fitnah that he falsely claimed to fear." It was reported from Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and several others that this Ayah was revealed in the case of Al-Jadd bin Qays, who was among the chiefs of Bani Salimah. It is also recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked,

مَنْ سَيِّدُكُمْ يَا بَنِي سَلَمَةَ؟

(Who is your chief, O Bani Salamah?)

They said, "Al-Jadd bin Qays, although we consider him a miser." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

وَأَيُّ دَاءٍ أَدْوَأُ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ! وَلَكِنْ سَيِّدُكُمْ الْفَتَى الْجَعْدُ الْأَبْيَضُ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ مَعْرُورٍ

(There is not a disease worse than stinginess! Therefore, your chief is the white young man with curly hair, Bishr bin Al-Bara' bin Ma'rur.) Allah said next,

وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ

(And verily, Hell is surrounding the disbelievers.) and they will never be able to avoid, avert, or escape from it.