Surah Ghafir, Ayah 55

The Victory of the Messengers and the Believers

إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا

(Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe in this world's life). As-Suddi, "Allah never sends a Messenger to a people and they kill him or some of the believers who call them to the truth, then that generation passes away, but He then sends them someone who will support their call and will seek vengeance for their blood from those who did that to them in this world. So the Prophets and believers may be killed in this world, but their call will prevail in this world." Allah granted victory to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his Companions over those who had opposed him, disbelieved in him and shown hostility towards him. He caused His Word and His religion to prevail over all other religions, commanded him to emigrate from his people to Al-Madinah, where He gave him supporters and helpers. Then He caused him to prevail over the idolators on the day of Badr, when He granted him victory over them and he humiliated them, killing their leaders and taking their elite prisoner, driving them before him in chains. Then he did them the favor of accepting ransom from them. Shortly after that, Allah enabled him to conquer Makkah, and he rejoiced in his return to his homeland, the sacred and holy land of Al-Haram. Through him, Allah saved it from its disbelief and Shirk. Then Allah enabled him to conquer the Yemen, and the entire Arabian Peninsula submitted to him, and the people entered the religion of Allah in crowds. Then Allah took him (in death), because of his high status and honor, and He established his Companions as his Khalifahs. They conveyed the religion of Allah from him, called mankind to Allah, they conquered many regions, countries and cities, and opened people's hearts, until the call of Muhammad ﷺ spread throughout the world, east and west. This religion will continue to prevail until the Hour begins. Allah says:

Commentary

In the opening statement of verse 51, it was said: إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ‌ رُ‌سُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا (Surely, We do help Our messengers and those who believe in the worldly life, 40:51). This verse carries the promise of Allah Ta’ ala that He would keep helping His messengers and believers, both in the present world and in the Hereafter. It is obvious that this help is intended to be against adversaries and enemies. That it so happened in the case of most prophets (علیہم السلام) ، peace be on them all, is clear enough. But, there were prophets (علیہم السلام) such as, Sayyidna Yahya, Zakariyya and Shu'aib (علیہم السلام) ، who were either martyred by enemies or had to abandon their home country and migrate to some other place - as was the case with Sayyidna Ibrahim علیہ السلام and the last of the prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ . There may be some doubt about that.

There is firm assurance of God’s help to prophets and their followers. But entitlement to this help is achieved only after the exercise of patience. Patience has been given so much importance, so that those who uphold the Truth may be fully established as champions of the Truth and tyrants may be proved to be such. In order to reach the stage where this distinction becomes clear, the upholders of Truth have to exercise patience unilaterally. The patience they exercise makes them entitled to God’s help in this world and, by virtue of this very quality, they become entitled to be God’s witnesses against transgressors on the Day of Judgement. The Book which comes from God comes only for providing guidance to human beings. But this guidance is useful only to those who are wise, i.e. those who are not bound by certain untoward considerations; those who keep themselves free of complexes; those who test matters on the basis of rationality and not on any other basis. Those who, unlike the former, indulge in an irrational interpretation of God’s guidance are transgressors, while those who treat the guidance of God as a matter of logic are the ones who have achieved success.