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Arabic root

ف-ت-ن

Fa-Ta-Nun

2 words from this root family

About this root

Fa-Ta-Nun (ف-ت-ن) has 2 words in the Fahm dictionary: fitnah (trial / tribulation / temptation), fatana (he tested / he tried / he tempted).

In the Quran, words built on this root occur 60 times in 58 verses, across 32 of the 114 suras. The first is in 2:102. The form فِتْنَةٌ (trial / tribulation / temptation) accounts for 34 of them.

Themes: Quranic

Words from this root

WordMeaningTypeIn the QuranTaught in
فِتْنَةٌ
fitnah
trial / tribulation / temptationnoun, A234×The Hereafter
فَتَنَ
fatana
he tested / he tried / he temptedverb, B123×Covenants, Testing, and Forgiveness

“In the Quran” counts every occurrence of that dictionary form, in any of its senses.

In the Quran

وَقَـٰتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ ٱلدِّينُ لِلَّهِ ۖ فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَلَا عُدْوَٰنَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against wrong-doers.

Quran 2:193
وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَن يَفْتِنَكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ كَانُوا۟ لَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا

And when ye go forth in the land, it is no sin for you to curtail (your) worship if ye fear that those who disbelieve may attack you. In truth the disbelievers are an open enemy to you.

Quran 4:101
وَحَسِبُوٓا۟ أَلَّا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ فَعَمُوا۟ وَصَمُّوا۟ ثُمَّ تَابَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ثُمَّ عَمُوا۟ وَصَمُّوا۟ كَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ

They thought no harm would come of it, so they were wilfully blind and deaf. And afterward Allah turned (in mercy) toward them. Now (even after that) are many of them wilfully blind and deaf. Allah is Seer of what they do.

Quran 5:71

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Uthmani 1.1), CC BY 3.0, tanzil.net. English: Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain, via Project Gutenberg. Counts and verse choice: Quranic Arabic Corpus morphology data (corpus.quran.com).

Word cards with examples

A2noun
فِتْنَةٌ
fitnah

trial / tribulation / temptation

Example
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ
waʿlamū annamā amwālukum wa-awlādukum fitnah
And know that your wealth and your children are but a trial (8:28)
Grammar

Feminine noun. Plural: فِتَنٌ (fitan). Original meaning: 'to test gold by fire.' In the Quran: trial, temptation, civil strife, persecution. Context determines the specific meaning.

Culture

Fitnah reminds believers that worldly blessings - including children and wealth - are tests of faith. How one handles them determines spiritual success.

B1verb
فَتَنَ
fatana

he tested / he tried / he tempted

Example
أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ
aḥasiba an-nāsu an yutrakū an yaqūlū āmannā wa-hum lā yuftanūn
Do people think they will be left to say: We believe, and not be tested? (29:2)
Grammar

Form I verb. Noun: فِتْنَةٌ (trial/temptation, q092). Passive: يُفْتَنُونَ (they will be tested). Originally meant smelting gold to test purity.

Culture

Testing through trials is a fundamental Quranic concept - faith must be proven through difficulty, not just declared.

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