The Value of Worship during Trials
📖Sahih Muslim 2948 a
Ma’qil bin Yasar reported: Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “Worship during the period of widespread turmoil (fitnah) is like emigration (hijrah) toward me.”
Description:
This hadith highlights the immense reward and virtue of sincere worship during times of widespread fitnah (chaos, conflict, confusion, or moral decline). The Prophet ﷺ compares such worship to the noble act of hijrah — when early Muslims left everything behind and migrated to join the Prophet ﷺ for the sake of preserving their faith.
In times of fitnah, society often becomes full of:
- Violence and bloodshed
- Widespread immorality and open sin
- Corruption, oppression, and injustice
- Confusion about truth and falsehood
- People abandoning Islamic values
- Pressure to follow desires instead of religion
During such a time, those who hold firmly to worship, stay close to Allah, and avoid falling into the chaos are given a reward equal to those who migrated to support the Prophet ﷺ – a time when Islam itself was in danger.
What We Learn from This Hadith:
- Faith during fitnah is extremely valuable: It’s easy to worship during peace – but doing so in confusion and corruption shows sincerity and loyalty to Allah.
- Staying focused on worship is protection: When the world is full of distraction and disobedience, acts like salah, du’a, Qur’an, and dhikr serve as spiritual shields.
- Silence and retreat can be virtuous: In times when speaking or acting may cause harm or division, staying quiet and turning inward to Allah may be best.
- Not everyone will survive fitnah: But those who remain steadfast and avoid the chaos are elevated to the rank of early Muhajirun in reward.
Quranic Context:
📖Quran 8:25
And fear a trial (fitnah) which will not strike only those who have wronged among you, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.
— Fitnah affects entire societies, not just the wrongdoers. Staying righteous protects oneself and others.
📖Quran 18:28
And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His face. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring the adornments of worldly life…
— During trials, staying with sincere worshippers keeps the heart firm.
📖Quran 9:20
Those who believed and emigrated and strove hard in the cause of Allah with their wealth and lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah. It is they who will be successful.
— This verse praises the reward of hijrah, which is matched by worship during fitnah according to the hadith.
Conclusion:
In times of turmoil – when people chase the dunya, abandon religion, and truth is mixed with falsehood – simply staying committed to worship is a heroic act. It shows loyalty to Allah and earns the reward of migrating to the Prophet ﷺ. This hadith is a wake-up call: the world may be falling apart, but your worship can still raise you to the highest ranks.