To whom victory is guaranteed

To whom victory is guaranteed Commentary by Sayyid Qutb

In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful Our word has already been given to Our servants the messengers: It is they who will be helped, and it is Our forces who will surely be victorious. So, turn away from them for a while, and watch them; in time, they too will come to see. Do they really wish to hasten Our punishment? When it strikes in their midst, terrible will be the morning of those who were already warned. And again, turn away from them for a while, and watch them; in time, they too will come to see. Limitless in His glory is your Lord, the Lord of almightiness, above all what people attribute to Him. And peace be upon all His messengers. All praise is due to God, the Lord of all the worlds. (Ranged in Rank, Al-Saffat: 37: 171-182) In this final passage the surah states God's promise to His messengers of His assured help. In this way victory is assured them: "Our word has already been given to Our servants the messengers: It is they who will be helped, and it is Our forces who will surely be victorious." The promise is a true promise, and God's word is fulfilled. The roots of true faith have been firmly established on earth and its structure is raised despite the unbelievers' rejection, the persecution to which believers are subjected as well as many other obstacles and barriers. The beliefs of idolaters and unbelievers have disappeared, their power has dwindled while the faith preached by God's messengers appeals to people's minds and hearts. In fact, its appeal remains strong in spite of all the opposing factors. All the attempts to suppress divine faith in favor of any other philosophy or ideology have failed, even in those areas where these started. God's promise to His messengers has come true. This is a universal phenomenon that has remained true throughout the world and in all generations. It is also true for every movement that aims to revive the divine message, provided that its advocates are sincere and dedicated. It will be triumphant no matter what obstacles are put in its way. Falsehood may mobilize all its powers of persecution, torture, open warfare as well as propaganda that relies on fabricated lies, but all to no avail. The removal of such calumny may entail fighting a few battles, perhaps with different results, but eventually God's promise to His messengers will be fulfilled. This is a promise of ultimate victory that will see them established on earth and having power. This promise will be fulfilled even though all the powers on earth are ranged to stop it. This promise is one of God's universal laws which operates just like the stars and planets follow their cycles, the night and day alternate, and like a dead land coming to life when rain falls on it. However, this law follows God's will and works according to His planning. It may appear slow in relation to people's limited life spans, but it will never fail. In fact it may be fulfilled in a way that people do not appreciate, because they always look for the form of victory they know. Indeed, they may not readily appreciate that victory comes in a new form and they may need time to appreciate this. People may want to see a particular form of victory for the advocates of the divine faith who follow His messengers, but God wishes to accomplish a different form which is greater and longer lasting. What takes place, then, is what God wants, even if this means that these advocates will have to endure greater troubles, exert more effort and strive for much longer than they expected. Before the Battle of Badr, the Prophet's companions hoped to take the Quraysh's trade caravan, but God wanted that they miss it and instead engage their enemy, with its superior forces, in battle. What God wanted ensured a much better outcome for them and for Islam. That was the victory God wanted to give His Messenger, a victory for His message with lasting effects. The advocates of God's faith may lose a battle, and may even suffer very hard times, but this is because God is preparing them to achieve victory in a greater battle. He thus brings about circumstances that make their victory yield fruit on a wider scale and for a longer period. God's word has gone forth, and His promise has been given by His will. His law will take effect without fail: "Our word has already been given to Our servants the messengers: It is they who will be helped, and it is Our forces who will surely be victorious." When this true promise has been declared, God orders His Messenger to turn away from unbelievers, leaving them to God's word and promise to take effect. He should, however, watch them as the word proves true, for they will see with their own eyes how this comes about: "So, turn away from them for a while, and watch them; in time, they too will come to see. Do they really wish to hasten Our punishment? When it strikes in their midst, terrible will be the morning of those who were already warned. And again, turn away from them for a while, and watch them; in time, they too will come to see." The Prophet is told to leave them alone and not care for them. He is further told to wait for the day when he and they will see what God's promise means for him and them. If they hasten His punishment, they will suffer greatly when it falls upon them. Should this strike a community, they will have got what is certain to grieve them. Again, the Prophet is told to abandon them to their fate. This order implies further warning to them, and again the surah advises that the outcome will be terrible: "And again, turn away from them for a while, and watch them; in time, they too will come to see." What will happen is left unspecified, implying great terror. The surah concludes with extolling God's glory, stating that all might belongs to Him alone. It adds the blessing and greeting of peace to God's messengers, and declares that all praise is due to God, the Lord of all, who has no partners whatsoever: "Limitless in His glory is your Lord, the Lord of almightiness, above all what people attribute to Him. And peace be upon all His messengers. All praise is due to God, the Lord of all the worlds.