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Fitrah (فطرة) is a term in Islamic theology | {{QualityScore|Lead=1|Structure=1|Content=2|Language=4|References=2}} | ||
Fitrah (فطرة) is a term in Islamic theology with many interpretations, but the most popular contemporary interpretation is that humans are naturally predisposed to believe in Islam. | |||
==In the Quran== | ==In the Quran== | ||
The word fitrah is usually translated as "nature" | The word ''fitrah'' is usually translated as "nature" when other words derived from the same root are not considered. | ||
There are 20 words from the root فطر in the Quran | There are 20 words from the root فطر in the Quran. The vast majority of these words carry the meaning of "creation", not "nature" <ref>http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=fTr</ref>. Allah himself is called ''faatir'' (فاطر) many times, which is translated as "creator" or "originator". | ||
The word فطرة can be found in | The word فطرة can be found in verse 30:30 of the Quran in the modern Arabic script. However, in the older Uthmani script, it was written as فطرت (''fitrat'') with the letter ت, not with the letter ة. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|30|30}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran|30|30}}| | ||
Uthmani script: فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفٗاۚ فِطۡرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِي فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيۡهَاۚ لَا تَبۡدِيلَ لِخَلۡقِ ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ | Uthmani script: فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفٗاۚ فِطۡرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِي فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيۡهَاۚ لَا تَبۡدِيلَ لِخَلۡقِ ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ | ||
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Sahih International: So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah (فطرة or فطرت) of Allah upon which He has created (فطر) [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah . That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know. | Sahih International: So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah (فطرة or فطرت) of Allah upon which He has created (فطر) [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah . That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know. | ||
}} | }} | ||
Noteworthy is the phrase فطرة الله (literally, "nature of Allah"). Also noteworthy is that the word translated as "created" is فطر (''fatara''), which comes from the same root as ''fitrah''. This may indicate that the word ''fitrah'' means "creation". | |||
===Quranic commandment against natural (''fitrah'') disposition=== | |||
Verse 2:216 states that "fighting" is an Islamic requirement, although the believers' natural disposition is to dislike it: | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|216}}| | |||
Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. | |||
}} | |||
==In the hadith== | |||
The following hadith regarding ''fitrah'' is one of the most frequently cited: | |||
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|||4775|darussalam}}| | |||
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ إِلاَّ يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ، فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُمَجِّسَانِهِ، كَمَا تُنْتَجُ الْبَهِيمَةُ بَهِيمَةً جَمْعَاءَ، هَلْ تُحِسُّونَ فِيهَا مِنْ جَدْعَاءَ " ثُمَّ يَقُولُ {فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لاَ تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ} | |||
Narrated Abu Huraira: | |||
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "No child is born except on Al-Fitra ('''Islam''') and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian, as an animal produces a perfect young animal: do you see any part of its body amputated?" Then he rec 'The religion of pure '''Islamic Faith''' (Hanifa),(i.e. to worship none but Allah), The pure Allah's '''Islamic''' nature with which He (Allah) has created mankind. Let There be no change in Allah's religion (i.e. to join none in Allah's worship). That is the straight religion; but most of men know not..." (30.30) | |||
}} | |||
Notably, this translation inserts the word "Islam" into three separate places in the text, though the term does not occur in the original Arabic. | |||
One hadith does, however, explicitly refer to the "''fitrah'' of Islam" (فطرة الإسلام). Here it is translated as "true faith" and not as "nature": | |||
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|||4775|darussalam}}| | |||
Narrated Ibn Shihab: | |||
The funeral prayer should be offered for every child even if he were the son of a prostitute as he was born with '''a true faith''' (فطرة) of Islam (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone). If his parents are Muslims, particularly the father, even if his mother were a non-Muslim, and if he after the delivery cries (even once) before his death (i.e. born alive) then the funeral prayer must be offered. And if the child does not cry after his delivery (i.e. born dead) then his funeral prayer should not be offered, and he will be considered as a miscarriage. Abu Huraira, narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Every child is born with a true faith (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism or to Christianity or to Magainism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?" Then Abu Huraira recited the holy verses: 'The pure Allah's Islamic nature (true faith i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone), with which He has created human beings.' " (30.30). | |||
}} | |||
In another hadith, Gabriel tells Muhammad that Allah lead him to ''fitrah''. In this case, the ''fitrah'' was choosing milk instead of wine: | |||
{{Quote|{{Muslim||168b|reference}}| | |||
Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was presented two cups at Bait al-Maqdis on the night of Heavenly Journey, one containing wine and the other containing milk. He looked at both of them, and be took the one containing milk, whereupon Gabriel (peace be upon him) said: | |||
Praise is due to Allah Who guided you to the '''true nature''' (فطرة); had you taken the one containing wine, Your Umma would have gone astray. | |||
}} | |||
One hadith explicitly defines ''fitrah'': | |||
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|||5889|darussalam}}, {{Muslim||257a|reference}}| | |||
Abu Huraira reported: | |||
'''Five are the acts quite akin to the Fitra''' (الفطرة خمسة), or five are the acts of Fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubes, cutting the nails, plucking the hair under the armpits and clipping the moustache. | |||
}} | |||
The text literally translates to "''Fitrah'' is five" (الفطرة خمسة). Here, the five components of ''fitrah'' are: | |||
*[[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Female Genital Mutilation|circumcision]] | |||
*shaving the pubes | |||
*clipping the nails | |||
*plucking the hair under the armpits | |||
*clipping the moustache | |||
===Hadith challenging the natural (''fitrah'') disposition=== | |||
One hadith suggests that a person must act against his ''fitrah'' (nature) and shun desire in order to reach Paradise: | |||
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|||6487|darussalam}}| | |||
Narrated Abu Huraira: | |||
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The (Hell) Fire is surrounded by all kinds of desires and passions, while '''Paradise is surrounded by all kinds of disliked undesirable things'''." | |||
}} | |||
==The insufficiency of the ''fitrah'' in children== | |||
In one hadith, the ''fitrah'' appears to be an insufficient source of religious guidance and control for children. It must thus be supplemented with parental instruction and beating. | |||
{{Quote|{{Abu Dawud||495|darussalam}}| | |||
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: | |||
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Command your children to pray when they become seven years old, and beat them for it (prayer) when they become ten years old; and arrange their beds (to sleep) separately. | |||
}} | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM1iut7wzl4 University of Nottingham: What is fitrah] | |||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM1iut7wzl4 University of Nottingham: What is fitrah] - different interpretations of ''fitrah'' in the history of Islam (video) | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | |||
[[Category:Society and human nature]] | |||
[[Category:Sacred history]] | |||
Latest revision as of 04:19, 15 November 2025
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Fitrah (فطرة) is a term in Islamic theology with many interpretations, but the most popular contemporary interpretation is that humans are naturally predisposed to believe in Islam.
In the Quran
The word fitrah is usually translated as "nature" when other words derived from the same root are not considered.
There are 20 words from the root فطر in the Quran. The vast majority of these words carry the meaning of "creation", not "nature" [1]. Allah himself is called faatir (فاطر) many times, which is translated as "creator" or "originator".
The word فطرة can be found in verse 30:30 of the Quran in the modern Arabic script. However, in the older Uthmani script, it was written as فطرت (fitrat) with the letter ت, not with the letter ة.
Uthmani script: فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفٗاۚ فِطۡرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِي فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيۡهَاۚ لَا تَبۡدِيلَ لِخَلۡقِ ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ
Imla'i script: فاقم وجهك للدين حنيفا فطرة الله التي فطر الناس عليها لا تبديل لخلق الله ذلك الدين القيم ولكن اكثر الناس لا يعلمون
Sahih International: So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah (فطرة or فطرت) of Allah upon which He has created (فطر) [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah . That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
Noteworthy is the phrase فطرة الله (literally, "nature of Allah"). Also noteworthy is that the word translated as "created" is فطر (fatara), which comes from the same root as fitrah. This may indicate that the word fitrah means "creation".
Quranic commandment against natural (fitrah) disposition
Verse 2:216 states that "fighting" is an Islamic requirement, although the believers' natural disposition is to dislike it:
Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.
In the hadith
The following hadith regarding fitrah is one of the most frequently cited:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ إِلاَّ يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ، فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُمَجِّسَانِهِ، كَمَا تُنْتَجُ الْبَهِيمَةُ بَهِيمَةً جَمْعَاءَ، هَلْ تُحِسُّونَ فِيهَا مِنْ جَدْعَاءَ " ثُمَّ يَقُولُ {فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لاَ تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ}
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "No child is born except on Al-Fitra (Islam) and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian, as an animal produces a perfect young animal: do you see any part of its body amputated?" Then he rec 'The religion of pure Islamic Faith (Hanifa),(i.e. to worship none but Allah), The pure Allah's Islamic nature with which He (Allah) has created mankind. Let There be no change in Allah's religion (i.e. to join none in Allah's worship). That is the straight religion; but most of men know not..." (30.30)
Notably, this translation inserts the word "Islam" into three separate places in the text, though the term does not occur in the original Arabic.
One hadith does, however, explicitly refer to the "fitrah of Islam" (فطرة الإسلام). Here it is translated as "true faith" and not as "nature":
Narrated Ibn Shihab:
The funeral prayer should be offered for every child even if he were the son of a prostitute as he was born with a true faith (فطرة) of Islam (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone). If his parents are Muslims, particularly the father, even if his mother were a non-Muslim, and if he after the delivery cries (even once) before his death (i.e. born alive) then the funeral prayer must be offered. And if the child does not cry after his delivery (i.e. born dead) then his funeral prayer should not be offered, and he will be considered as a miscarriage. Abu Huraira, narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Every child is born with a true faith (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism or to Christianity or to Magainism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?" Then Abu Huraira recited the holy verses: 'The pure Allah's Islamic nature (true faith i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone), with which He has created human beings.' " (30.30).
In another hadith, Gabriel tells Muhammad that Allah lead him to fitrah. In this case, the fitrah was choosing milk instead of wine:
Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was presented two cups at Bait al-Maqdis on the night of Heavenly Journey, one containing wine and the other containing milk. He looked at both of them, and be took the one containing milk, whereupon Gabriel (peace be upon him) said:
Praise is due to Allah Who guided you to the true nature (فطرة); had you taken the one containing wine, Your Umma would have gone astray.
One hadith explicitly defines fitrah:
Abu Huraira reported:
Five are the acts quite akin to the Fitra (الفطرة خمسة), or five are the acts of Fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubes, cutting the nails, plucking the hair under the armpits and clipping the moustache.
The text literally translates to "Fitrah is five" (الفطرة خمسة). Here, the five components of fitrah are:
- circumcision
- shaving the pubes
- clipping the nails
- plucking the hair under the armpits
- clipping the moustache
Hadith challenging the natural (fitrah) disposition
One hadith suggests that a person must act against his fitrah (nature) and shun desire in order to reach Paradise:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The (Hell) Fire is surrounded by all kinds of desires and passions, while Paradise is surrounded by all kinds of disliked undesirable things."
The insufficiency of the fitrah in children
In one hadith, the fitrah appears to be an insufficient source of religious guidance and control for children. It must thus be supplemented with parental instruction and beating.
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Command your children to pray when they become seven years old, and beat them for it (prayer) when they become ten years old; and arrange their beds (to sleep) separately.
See also
- University of Nottingham: What is fitrah - different interpretations of fitrah in the history of Islam (video)