In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
God has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that, of a certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on earth, in the same way as He caused those who lived before them to accede to it; and that, of a certainty, He will firmly establish for them the religion which He has chosen for them; and that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be replaced by a state of security. They will thus worship Me alone and associate with Me no partners whatsoever. Those who, after this, choose to disbelieve are indeed wicked.
Attend to your prayers and pay your zakah, and obey the Messenger, so that you might be graced with God’s mercy.
Do not think that the unbelievers can frustrate (God’s plan) on earth. The fire is their abode, and vile indeed is such a journey’s end. (Light, Al-Noor: 24: 55-57)
The first verse in this passage makes a clear promise by God to the believers. God’s promises always come true, and they are fulfilled in the most perfect way we can imagine. We quoted at the end of our article last week a report by Abu Al-Aliyah on the meaning of this verse. It is useful to remind ourselves of this report: “The Prophet and his companions remained in Makkah for around ten years calling on people to believe in God and to worship Him alone, associating no partners with Him. But they did that in secret, as they were in a state of fear and were prevented from fighting. When they later migrated to Madinah, God bid them to fight for their cause. This meant that they were again in a state of fear, wearing their body armor day and night. They persevered for as long as God willed. One of his companions asked the Prophet: “Are we to remain in fear for the rest of time? Will there come a time when we could put our armaments aside?” the Prophet said: “It will not be long before anyone of you could sit among a huge crowd with nobody carrying a piece of arms.” Soon afterward, God revealed this verse. The Prophet was able to establish his authority over the whole of Arabia and his followers were in a state of security. They put down their arms. Sometime later, the Prophet passed away, and Muslims remained in security during the reigns of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman. Then friction occurred between them and God allowed fear to creep into their midst. They had to employ guards and policemen. When they changed their overall stance, their conditions also changed.”
“Those who, after this, choose to disbelieve are indeed wicked.” They are the ones who do not meet God’s conditions, and, therefore, God’s promise does not apply to them. God’s promise was fulfilled once, and remained practically effective for as long as Muslims continued to meet God’s conditions: “They will thus worship Me alone and associate with Me no partners whatsoever.” That includes any partners, whether in the form of deities to which worship is addressed or desires and ambitions. They must believe and do righteous deeds. God’s promise applies to anyone who meets these conditions, and it remains in force till the end of human life. However, victory, power and security may be slow coming, but this will only be the result of a failure by the believers to meet some aspects of the conditions outlined, or their failure to attend to a particular duty involved. But when the Muslim community has benefited by the trials they have to endure and passed the test God sets for them; when they have endured fear and sought security; when they yearn to dignity after having suffered humiliation; when they aspire to having power after being weak; God’s promise will be fulfilled to them in spite of any opposing power. One proviso applies, however: in their perseverance through the test and trial, and in their aspiration to the fulfillment of God’s promise, the believers must always resort to the means God has outlined and fulfill the conditions He has made clear.
Therefore, the promise is followed with an order to attend to Islamic duties, such as prayer, zakah and obeying the Prophet. Moreover, the Prophet and his followers must never give any weight to the power of the unbelievers who fight them on account of their faith. “Attend to your prayers and pay your zakah, and obey the Messenger, so that you might be graced with God’s mercy. Do not think that the unbelievers can frustrate (God’s plan) on earth. The fire is their abode, and vile indeed is such a journey’s end.”
These constitute the source of strength with which the believers have to equip themselves. They must maintain their bond with God, keep their minds and hearts on the right path through prayer, resist stinginess, purify themselves as individuals and community through the payment of zakah, obey the Prophet and accept his judgment, implement God’s law in all matters, great or small, so as to set human life on the path He has chosen. Believers must do all this so that they “might be graced with God’s mercy.” In this life, God’s mercy removes corruption, fear, worry and error, and in the hereafter, it removes His punishment.
Addressing them directly, God says to the believers: “If you remain steadfast, following My path, then you need not worry about the might of the unbelievers. They cannot frustrate God’s purpose on earth. The power they apparently wield will not stand in your way. You are far stronger when equipped with your faith, implement your system and raise whatever power you can muster. In material power, you may not be a match to them, but believers who strive for the truth can work miracles.
Islam is a great truth which must be carefully examined by anyone who wishes to see the fulfillment of God’s promise outlined in the above verses. Such a person must also look at how it came true in human history, understand the true meaning of its conditions before entertaining any doubt about it or worry about the slowness of its fulfillment.
Never did the Muslim community follow God’s way, implementing the constitution He has laid down, allowing it to operate in all spheres of life, without reaping the reward of the fulfillment of God’s promise to grant it power on earth, and security in life. Whenever it abandoned this course, it went to the end of the line, suffered humiliation, lived in fear and misery and saw its faith retreating from the position of guiding human life.
Nevertheless, God’s promise remains in force, and His conditions are well defined. Whoever wants to see the promise fulfilled, must do their task and fulfill its conditions. No one is ever more true to his promises than God.