In the Islamic tradition, trials or temptations that test the unity of the Muslim community. The term may be used to describe insurrection or civil warfare or, more specifically, to define a tribunal over doctrinal issues, broadly similar to the Christian
Inquisition. There were four
fitnahs in the early history of Islam. The first (656 – 661) followed the murder of the third caliph,
'Uthman ibn 'Affan. It brought up the question of 'Al
i's right to rule and prompted a military conflict that eventually resulted in the schism between the
Sunnite and the
Shi'ite branches. The second coincided with the caliphate of
Yazid I (680 – 683); it was a continuation of the struggle between claimants to the caliphate and led to the death of al-
Husayn ibn 'Ali at the Battle of
Karbala' — another formative event in the Sunnite-Sh
i'ite split. The third
fitnah (744 – 750) resulted in the ascendancy of the
'Abbasid dynasty. The fourth evolved from the caliphate's support for the
Mu'tazilite theological school and successfully challenged the caliph's authority to enforce doctrinal rigour.
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