(Arabic; " trial " or " test ")
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 fitnah s in the early history of Islam. The first (656661) followed the murder of the third caliph, Uthm 0101; n ibn Aff 0101; n . It brought up the question of 02BD; Al 012B; 's right to rule and prompted a military conflict that eventually resulted in the schism between the Sunnite and the Sh 012B; ite branches. The second coincided with the caliphate of Yaz 012B; d I (680683); it was a continuation of the struggle between claimants to the caliphate and led to the death of al- Husayn ibn Al 012B; at the Battle of Karbal 0101;
another formative event in the Sunnite-Sh 012B; 02BD; ite split. The third fitnah (744750) resulted in the ascendancy of the Abb 0101; sid dynasty . The fourth evolved from the caliphate's support for the Mutazilite theological school and successfully challenged the caliph's authority to enforce doctrinal rigour.