Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 85

(Ayah 86,85) { فَقَالُوْا عَلَى اللّٰهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا …:} They not only accepted the Prophet’s advice but also verbally declared that we rely only on Allah, He alone is our support, and along with this, they made two supplications, and both these supplications are a remedy for protection from the oppression of tyrant rulers. The first supplication is: O our Lord! Do not make us a trial for the wrongdoing people. The word {’’ فِتْنَةً ‘‘} is a verbal noun which, as the verbal noun of the active verb {’’ فَتَنَ ‘‘}, will mean the active participle, that is, {’’ فَاتِنِيْنَ‘‘} those who put others into trial and tribulation. Similarly, it can also be the verbal noun of the passive verb {’’ فُتِنَ‘‘}, meaning the passive participle, that is, {’’ مَفْتُوْنِيْنَ ‘‘} those who are put into trial. In the first case, the meaning will be: O Allah! Do not make us the cause for putting these wrongdoers into trial, that is, do not make us the cause for putting them into the trial of disbelief, so that if they remain dominant over us and we continue to be the target of their oppression, they will fall into the trial of believing themselves to be true and upon the truth, and will become more firm in disbelief, and will think that if the Muslims were true and upon the truth, then their Lord would surely help them, as a poet has said:
If You do not support the truth-seekers,
The idols will taunt that the Muslim’s God does not exist.
And if {’’ فِتْنَةً ‘‘} is considered as the passive verbal noun, then the meaning will be: Do not make us (those who fall into trial) for these wrongdoers, so that due to their oppression and violence, any one of us may fall into the trial of apostasy and lose his faith. The second supplication is: O our Lord! Not only save us from being a cause of trial for them, but also, with Your mercy, grant us deliverance and freedom from these disbelievers. From this supplication, it is evident how much Allah’s servants cared for faith and the Hereafter, that they did not even want to be the cause for anyone remaining in disbelief, nor did they want that due to someone’s oppression, they themselves should fall into trial and lose their faith.

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

They said: "We have put our trust in Allah. Our Lord, do not make us a trial [96] for the wrongdoing people."

[96]
Adopting Means and Resources Along with Supplication are Both Essential for Success:

In this verse, a picture of the early period of the Prophets’ call and preaching is being presented. In the beginning, only a few young and courageous people accept the call of the Prophets, and they become the target of the opponents’ hardships and oppression. Then, the expediencies of their elders also become an obstacle for them, and there is also a large group of onlookers who remain neutral in these circumstances, merely waiting to join whichever side prevails. If any calamity befalls this group of young people, even their elders, who are believers at heart, begin to criticize and find faults in their progress. Thus, this period is, in every way, a time of severe trial for this small Muslim group. This was exactly the situation of those young people who believed in Musa ؑ, who remained steadfast in their faith and, along with trusting in Allah, also prayed to Him: “O our Lord! Have mercy on us and create a way out from the difficulties in which we are surrounded.” From this, it is understood that for a Muslim, adopting means and resources, along with continuously supplicating to Allah, are both essential for success. Furthermore, relying solely on supplications without adopting means and resources is of no benefit. Allah Almighty accepts supplication and sends down His mercy and help only when a person or a nation also adopts the means and resources to the best of their ability.