فتن

Arabic

Etymology

From the root ف ت ن (f-t-n). Cognate with Mehri [script needed] (fetōn), Ge'ez ፈተነ (fatana, “try, test”).

Verb

فَتَنَ • (fatana) I, non-past يَفْتِنُ‎ (yaftinu)

1. (transitive) to draw into temptation, to lead astray

   Synonyms: أَغْرَى (ʔaḡrā, “to tempt; to allure, to entice; to seduce”), أَغْوَى (ʔaḡwā, “to mislead”), مَنَّى (mannā, “to promise, to delude with promises; to tempt”), أَضَلَّ (ʔaḍalla, “to mislead, to misguide; to deceive”)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:27:

     يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ

     yā banī ʔādama lā yaftinannakumu aš-šayṭānu

     O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you

   1. (transitive) to enchant, to captivate, to charm, to bewitch; to seduce

      Synonym: سَحَرَ (saḥara)

2. (transitive) to afflict, to test, to try

   Synonyms: اِمْتَحَنَ (imtaḥana, “to examine; to test”), اِبْتَلَى (ibtalā, “to try, to test”)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 9:126:

     أَوَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوبُونَ وَلَا هُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ

     ʔawa-lā yarawna ʔannahum yuftanūna fī kulli ʕāmin mmarratan ʔaw marratayni ṯumma lā yatūbūna wa-lā hum yaḏḏakkarūna

     Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice but then they do not repent nor do they remember?

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 38:34:

     وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَى كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنَابَ

     wa-laqad fatannā sulaymāna wa-ʔalqaynā ʕalā kursiyyihi jasadan ṯumma ʔanāba

     And We certainly tried Solomon and placed on his throne a body; then he returned.

3. (transitive) to persecute, to victimize, to oppress; to torture (in order to forcibly convert or impose a particular ideology, for example)
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 10:83:

     فَمَا آمَنَ لِمُوسَى إِلَّا ذُرِّيَّةٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِ عَلَى خَوْفٍ مِّن فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِمْ أَن يَفْتِنَهُمْ وَإِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ لَعَالٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الْمُسْرِفِينَ

     fa-mā ʔāmana li-mūsā ʔillā ḏurriyyatun mmin qawmihi ʕalā ḵawfin mmin firʕawna wa-malaʔihim ʔan yaftinahum wa-ʔinna firʕawna laʕālin fī l-ʔarḍi wa-ʔinnahu lamina l-musrifīna

     But no one believed Moses, except youths among his people, for fear of the Pharaoh and his establishment that they would persecute them. And indeed, the Pharaoh was high [and ascendant] within the land, and indeed, he was of the transgressors.

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 85:10:

     إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ

     ʔinna llaḏīna fatanū al-muʔminīna wa-l-muʔmināti ṯumma lam yatūbū fa-lahum ʕaḏābu jahannama wa-lahum ʕaḏābu l-ḥarīqi

     Indeed, those who have tortured the believing men and women and then have not repented will have the punishment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the Burning Fire.

4. (transitive, rare) to burn, to roast

   Synonym: أَحْرَقَ (ʔaḥraqa)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 51:14:

     يَوْمَ هُمْ عَلَى النَّارِ يُفْتَنُونَ / ذُوقُوا فِتْنَتَكُمْ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   1. (transitive) to melt, to smelt

      Synonym: صَهَرَ (ṣahara)

Usage notes

• In the sense "to persecute; to torture", the word almost always refers to condemned judgment. This is because the dominant sense is that of misleading, hence "to oppress or torture in order to mislead". If the persecution is deemed rightful, justified, or deserved, other, oftentimes overtly emotive, terms are used instead, which are connotationally closer to "punish" than "persecute". Fairly neutral synonymous terms with like denotations include حَاكَمَ (ḥākama) and قَاضَى (qāḍā).

Conjugation

Conjugation of

فَتَنَ

(form-I sound, verbal nouns فَتْن or فِتْنَة or فُتُون)

verbal nouns الْمَصَادِر						فَتْن or فِتْنَة or فُتُون fatn or fitna or futūn
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						فَاتِن fātin
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مَفْتُون maftūn
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	فَتَنْتُ fatantu	فَتَنْتَ fatanta	فَتَنَ fatana		فَتَنْتُمَا fatantumā	فَتَنَا fatanā		فَتَنَّا fatannā	فَتَنْتُمْ fatantum	فَتَنُوا fatanū
	f		فَتَنْتِ fatanti	فَتَنَتْ fatanat			فَتَنَتَا fatanatā			فَتَنْتُنَّ fatantunna	فَتَنَّ fatanna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أَفْتِنُ ʔaftinu	تَفْتِنُ taftinu	يَفْتِنُ yaftinu		تَفْتِنَانِ taftināni	يَفْتِنَانِ yaftināni		نَفْتِنُ naftinu	تَفْتِنُونَ taftinūna	يَفْتِنُونَ yaftinūna
	f		تَفْتِنِينَ taftinīna	تَفْتِنُ taftinu			تَفْتِنَانِ taftināni			تَفْتِنَّ taftinna	يَفْتِنَّ yaftinna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أَفْتِنَ ʔaftina	تَفْتِنَ taftina	يَفْتِنَ yaftina		تَفْتِنَا taftinā	يَفْتِنَا yaftinā		نَفْتِنَ naftina	تَفْتِنُوا taftinū	يَفْتِنُوا yaftinū
	f		تَفْتِنِي taftinī	تَفْتِنَ taftina			تَفْتِنَا taftinā			تَفْتِنَّ taftinna	يَفْتِنَّ yaftinna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أَفْتِنْ ʔaftin	تَفْتِنْ taftin	يَفْتِنْ yaftin		تَفْتِنَا taftinā	يَفْتِنَا yaftinā		نَفْتِنْ naftin	تَفْتِنُوا taftinū	يَفْتِنُوا yaftinū
	f		تَفْتِنِي taftinī	تَفْتِنْ taftin			تَفْتِنَا taftinā			تَفْتِنَّ taftinna	يَفْتِنَّ yaftinna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		اِفْتِنْ iftin			اِفْتِنَا iftinā				اِفْتِنُوا iftinū
	f		اِفْتِنِي iftinī							اِفْتِنَّ iftinna
passive voice الْفِعْل الْمَجْهُول
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	فُتِنْتُ futintu	فُتِنْتَ futinta	فُتِنَ futina		فُتِنْتُمَا futintumā	فُتِنَا futinā		فُتِنَّا futinnā	فُتِنْتُمْ futintum	فُتِنُوا futinū
	f		فُتِنْتِ futinti	فُتِنَتْ futinat			فُتِنَتَا futinatā			فُتِنْتُنَّ futintunna	فُتِنَّ futinna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُفْتَنُ ʔuftanu	تُفْتَنُ tuftanu	يُفْتَنُ yuftanu		تُفْتَنَانِ tuftanāni	يُفْتَنَانِ yuftanāni		نُفْتَنُ nuftanu	تُفْتَنُونَ tuftanūna	يُفْتَنُونَ yuftanūna
	f		تُفْتَنِينَ tuftanīna	تُفْتَنُ tuftanu			تُفْتَنَانِ tuftanāni			تُفْتَنَّ tuftanna	يُفْتَنَّ yuftanna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُفْتَنَ ʔuftana	تُفْتَنَ tuftana	يُفْتَنَ yuftana		تُفْتَنَا tuftanā	يُفْتَنَا yuftanā		نُفْتَنَ nuftana	تُفْتَنُوا tuftanū	يُفْتَنُوا yuftanū
	f		تُفْتَنِي tuftanī	تُفْتَنَ tuftana			تُفْتَنَا tuftanā			تُفْتَنَّ tuftanna	يُفْتَنَّ yuftanna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُفْتَنْ ʔuftan	تُفْتَنْ tuftan	يُفْتَنْ yuftan		تُفْتَنَا tuftanā	يُفْتَنَا yuftanā		نُفْتَنْ nuftan	تُفْتَنُوا tuftanū	يُفْتَنُوا yuftanū
	f		تُفْتَنِي tuftanī	تُفْتَنْ tuftan			تُفْتَنَا tuftanā			تُفْتَنَّ tuftanna	يُفْتَنَّ yuftanna

Noun

فِتَن • (fitan) f pl

1. plural of فِتْنَة (fitna)