"Do Not Put Me to Trial"

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to al-Jadd ibn Qays — and he was one of the leaders of the munāfiqūn — are you ready for fighting the Romans? Al-Jadd ibn Qays said: O Messenger of Allah, my people know that I have a reputation as a man who loves women very much, and I fear for myself that if I go with you I might fall into fitnah because of the women of Banū al-Aṣfar. Banū al-Aṣfar is the name given to the Romans: aṣfar is yellow, so the children of al-Aṣfar are the yellow people; that was the colour given to them as a description. So al-Jadd ibn Qays is saying: if I go with you, the women over there are going to cause me fitnah. So the reason he wanted to stay behind was to stay away from fitnah — one can see that he gave himself an excuse as if it were for the sake of Allah: I do not want to go out and fight, because it is going to cause me fitnah; I might fall into ḥarām.

So Allah (ʿazza wa jall) says: wa minhum man yaqūlu iʾdhan lī wa lā taftinnī, a-lā fī al-fitnati saqaṭū — and among them is he who says: permit me to remain at home, and do not put me to trial — trial here is the translation of fitnah — unquestionably, into trial they have fallen; and indeed Hell will encompass the disbelievers. Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is telling us that by staying behind you are staying in fitnah: if you go, you will be spared fitnah; if you stay behind, then you are in fitnah. And that is why Allah (ʿazza wa jall) says: wa alladhīna jāhadū fīnā la-nahdiyannahum subulanā — those who strive in Our cause, We will guide them to Our paths (29:69). So guidance comes with going out.