Is the Reward of Worship Greater in Places and Times of Fitnah?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
In a region where trials (fitan) are widespread, is the reward of worship greater?
❖ Answer:
Yes, the meaning of several authentic ahadith shows that the reward of worship increases during times of fitnah.
Evidence from Hadith
❀ Sayyidunā Maʿqil ibn Yasār (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
العبادة فى الهرج كهجرة إلى .
“Worship during times of turmoil is like making hijrah (migration) to me.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2948)
❀ Sayyidunā Abū Thaʿlabah (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إن من ورائكم أيام الصبر، الصبر فيه مثل قبض على الجمر، للعامل فيهم مثل أجر خمسين رجلا يعملون مثل عمله، وزادني غيره قال : يا رسول الله، أجر خمسين منهم؟ قال : أجر خمسين منكم .
“After you there will come days of patience, in which holding onto patience will be like grasping a burning coal. In that time, the reward of one who acts (righteously) will be equal to the reward of fifty men doing the same deed.”
He was asked: “O Messenger of Allah! The reward of fifty of them, or fifty of us?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Rather, fifty of you.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 4341; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 4014, chain ḥasan)
Conclusion:Yes, in times and places of widespread fitnah, the reward of worship and patience is multiplied greatly — sometimes up to fifty times the reward of the Companions — due to the difficulty of practicing religion in such circumstances.
