Test or Challenge?
wrote: 02/03/2013
edited: 18/11/2015
الَّذي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَ الْحَياةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وَ هُوَ الْعَزيزُ الْغَفُورُ
"He is the one who created death and life so that he tests you (so that it emerges that) which one of you does the best and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving" (67:2)
I have never been comfortable with the word Test that is often used for the Arabic word “Ibtila”. I think the word 'Test' can easily create some misunderstandings or questions about God and the relationship between God and the human beings. Misunderstandings and questions that should have not even emerged if a more accurate translation was made for the word Ibtila.
We read in the book al-Tahqeeq fi Kalamat al-Qur’an al-Karim (1:335):
أنّ الأصل الواحد فيها هو إيجاد التحوّل، أى التقلب و التحويل لتحصيل نتيجة منظورة
“The common principle in it (with all the meanings) is to make a change, that is altering and changing to reach the intended outcome.”
The author then explains that all the meanings of this word are based on this root/original meaning and as an example interprets the word Ibtila in verse 18:7 (that is very similar to the verse 67:2 as quoted above) as follows:
لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلا
(18:7)
أى نوجد تحوّلات في امور معاشهم، و في نظم امور حياتهم، حتّى يظهر الّذى هو أحسن عملا
“means we make changes in the affairs of their livelihood and in the routine of their life affairs so the one that does the best (reaction to these changes) emerges.”
As you can see it is not really just about ‘testing’ to ‘realise’ who is good. It is also about making human beings facing challenges in their life so that they have an opportunity to develop and show their potentials. Of course then as a result the strong becomes distinguished from the weak. In other words, ibtila is not just to decide whether a person should go to heaven or hell. It is also the means for the person to become better (or to become worse). Look at 2:124 and 3:154 as examples of becoming better through ibtila, 68:44, 45 as an example of becoming worse (the word ibtila is not used in this particular example but the concept is there) and also look at 7:168 as an example of giving a chance to return to good through ibtila.
Therefore there are two inter-related aspects in the word ibtila in the Qur'an:
1. Providing an opportunity to become stronger and better in the path of God
2. Distinguishing those who come out successfully from this from those who don't, which then contributes in their destiny in the hereafter
On this basis I prefer to use the translation of 'Challenge' for the word ibtila rather than 'Test'. I think the word 'Challenge' comfortably accommodate both the above aspects. Accordingly I would translate the verse quoted at the beginning of this writing as follows:
الَّذي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَ الْحَياةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وَ هُوَ الْعَزيزُ الْغَفُورُ
"He is the one who created death and life so that he put you in challenge (so that it emerges that) which of you does the best, and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving." (67:2)
I think the above translation of the word ibtila removes some of the misunderstandings that may occur due to using of the word ‘test’ as the translation and also makes the reason why we face challenges in this life clearer.
edited: 18/11/2015
الَّذي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَ الْحَياةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وَ هُوَ الْعَزيزُ الْغَفُورُ
"He is the one who created death and life so that he tests you (so that it emerges that) which one of you does the best and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving" (67:2)
I have never been comfortable with the word Test that is often used for the Arabic word “Ibtila”. I think the word 'Test' can easily create some misunderstandings or questions about God and the relationship between God and the human beings. Misunderstandings and questions that should have not even emerged if a more accurate translation was made for the word Ibtila.
We read in the book al-Tahqeeq fi Kalamat al-Qur’an al-Karim (1:335):
أنّ الأصل الواحد فيها هو إيجاد التحوّل، أى التقلب و التحويل لتحصيل نتيجة منظورة
“The common principle in it (with all the meanings) is to make a change, that is altering and changing to reach the intended outcome.”
The author then explains that all the meanings of this word are based on this root/original meaning and as an example interprets the word Ibtila in verse 18:7 (that is very similar to the verse 67:2 as quoted above) as follows:
لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلا
(18:7)
أى نوجد تحوّلات في امور معاشهم، و في نظم امور حياتهم، حتّى يظهر الّذى هو أحسن عملا
“means we make changes in the affairs of their livelihood and in the routine of their life affairs so the one that does the best (reaction to these changes) emerges.”
As you can see it is not really just about ‘testing’ to ‘realise’ who is good. It is also about making human beings facing challenges in their life so that they have an opportunity to develop and show their potentials. Of course then as a result the strong becomes distinguished from the weak. In other words, ibtila is not just to decide whether a person should go to heaven or hell. It is also the means for the person to become better (or to become worse). Look at 2:124 and 3:154 as examples of becoming better through ibtila, 68:44, 45 as an example of becoming worse (the word ibtila is not used in this particular example but the concept is there) and also look at 7:168 as an example of giving a chance to return to good through ibtila.
Therefore there are two inter-related aspects in the word ibtila in the Qur'an:
1. Providing an opportunity to become stronger and better in the path of God
2. Distinguishing those who come out successfully from this from those who don't, which then contributes in their destiny in the hereafter
On this basis I prefer to use the translation of 'Challenge' for the word ibtila rather than 'Test'. I think the word 'Challenge' comfortably accommodate both the above aspects. Accordingly I would translate the verse quoted at the beginning of this writing as follows:
الَّذي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَ الْحَياةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وَ هُوَ الْعَزيزُ الْغَفُورُ
"He is the one who created death and life so that he put you in challenge (so that it emerges that) which of you does the best, and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving." (67:2)
I think the above translation of the word ibtila removes some of the misunderstandings that may occur due to using of the word ‘test’ as the translation and also makes the reason why we face challenges in this life clearer.
