When Allah’s Help and Victory Arrive

“(O Prophet) When there comes Allah’s help and the victory, and you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes, then exalt (Him) with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever accepting of repentance.”

(An-Nasr, 1-3)

Surah An-Nasr was revealed in Medinah and consists of three verses. The surah takes its name from the word ‘nasr’ in the first verse. Nasr means help, superiority over the enemy, and victory. It is also known as “Surah At-Tawdi (farewell)” because it is considered a sign of the passing of our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). This surah is the 110th in the order of Al-Mushaf Al-Sharif, and 114th in the order of revelation. It was revealed as a whole and is the last of the surahs that were revealed as a whole. Within it are concepts of Allah's help, masses of people converting to Islam, tasbih, hamd (praise), and the asking for forgiveness.

Joy and sorrow together

This surah was revealed in Mina during the days of tashriq of the Farewell Pilgrimage. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) lived for eighty days after that. When he recited this surah, the Companions were happy. Abbas (radiyallahu anh), on the other hand, recognized it as a sign of the passing of the Prophet and wept. It's been narrated that when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked his uncle why he was crying, Abbas (radiyallahu anh) replied, “I weep, O Messenger of Allah, as I feel a sign of your death in this surah.” And our Prophet said, “What you feel is correct.” The arrival of conquest and victory and the conversion of people to Islam in large numbers were proof of the growth of the religion and a sign of the death of the Prophet. The conquest mentioned in the verse is the conquest of Makkah or that of other cities. The view of the majority of scholars is as follows: during that age, the conquest of Makkah meant the conquest of the entire Arabian Peninsula. The wish of our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was the conquest of Makkah before anything else. Therefore, what is meant by victory in the verse is the conquest of Makkah. Consequently, the meaning would be as follows:

“When Allah’s help arrives and establishes your superiority in the eyes of Arabs, and when the conquests of Makkah and other territories are realized, increase your tasbih and istighfar. Make sure that you are prepared to stand before the divine presence, thankful for the blessings you’ve been given.”

As most readers of Islamic literature know, what is meant by conquest is not only that of land but the opening of hearts to iman and Islam. This is because the Arabic root word “fa-ta-ha” is used to derive words meaning to conquer and to open. After the conquest of Makkah, the people’s hearts were finally open to Islam after being closed to its truth due to the Qurayshi infidels’ twenty-year-long campaign to oust and eradicate it. The conquests of cities are a means of conquering hearts. It is clear that in the verse, what is meant by “people who accepted Islam” is not all people. Although the expression “Nas/People” expresses a general meaning of the word, it is intended here only for those who benefit from Islam by embracing the faith. The verse further indicates that those who cannot realize that Islam is the truth from such clear evidence are not included in the word “Nas/Human.” This is because the perfection (kamal) of something is achieved only by attaining the main purpose it is designed to fulfill. Since the purpose of human beings is to know Allah the Almighty and to have iman, the humanity of those who do not have this purpose is superficial and incomplete. In that respect, a true human being is one whose heart is filled with iman.

The beginning of all conquests

The mass conversion of people to Islam began after Makkah’s conquest. The conquest took place as follows:

According to the treaty that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) made with the Quraysh in Hudaybiyya, those who sided with the Quraysh would remain under their protection, and those who chose the side of the Messenger of Allah would be under his protection. Everyone would be free to join the side they wanted. Banu Khaza’a requested the protection of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), while Banu Bakr requested that of the Quraysh. According to the treaty, neither party would harm the other in any way.

Despite the treaty’s terms, the truce was broken when Banu Bakr attacked Banu Khaza’a with the mushriks of Quraysh’s help. Banu Khaza’a informed the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) of the situation with their messengers. After he got this news, he started to consider going to war. Upon this development, the Quraysh sent Abu Sufyan as an ambassador to renew the treaty. When Abu Sufyan did not receive an answer from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) or distinguished members of his Companions, he went to Fatima (radiyallahu anha) to ask her to bring their request to the Messenger of Allah. When he did not receive an answer from her either, he lost hope and returned to Makkah to inform the Quraysh about the situation.

After this incident, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) secretly began preparations for war and told his Companions to keep secret the direction of their expedition. Then he set out for Makkah with his soldiers. The Quraysh did not know about this situation until the troops arrived at Marr ad-Dhahran. What is understood from the Messenger of Allah's actions is the importance of keeping government information, especially military information and war tactics, confidential.

As soon as the people of Quraysh learned of the situation, they sent Abu Sufyan to where the Muslim army was. Abbas (radiyallahu anh) brought Abu Sufyan before the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Abu Sufyan made some requests, but none were accepted. That night, Abbas (radiyallahu anh) hosted him, and in the morning, he took him to a high vantage point overlooking the Islamic soldiers’ route. There, he made him watch the army that was passing in large groups. Then Abbas (radiyallahu anh) released Abu Sufyan on the order of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to inform Makkah of the situation. When Abu Sufyan arrived there, he informed them that none could stand against the Muslim soldiers’ might. Subsequently, our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) entered Makkah with his soldiers. The act of showing Abu Sufyan the strength and majesty of the Muslim army and releasing him to share that information with the Makkans about this demonstrates the importance of appearing strong to an enemy from a tactical point of view. Hearing of the Muslims’ power, the Makkans’ morale was broken, which destroyed their determination to prepare for war. Thus, our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) conquered Makkah without facing resistance.

If the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had not shown the strength of his soldiers to the Makkans and had not informed them of the situation at the last possible moment, the Makkans would have faced them with the hope of winning. Makkah would still be conquered, but there would have been casualties. After the conquest, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) came to the door of the Kaaba, reassured the people of Makkah about their safety, and released them. Due to this brilliant tactical move that prevented bloodshed and the extremely lenient way he handled the situation in the conquest’s aftermath, the people of Makkah approached the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in groups and pledged allegiance to him. 

Three blessings, three commandments

When Allah Almighty bestowed these blessings on His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), He commanded him to praise Him and seek His forgiveness in order to express his gratitude. Three kinds of blessings are mentioned in the surah: Nusrat (victory), fath (conquest), and people's acceptance of Allah's religion in groups. He demanded three kinds of worship in return for these blessings: Hamd, tasbih, and istighfar. Thus, the following statement seems to be the intended message in the surah: “After these three great blessings I have given you, respond with three kinds of servitude. Because giving gifts to each other is a way of awakening love.”

It is a great blessing to have divine help against the enemies of Islam. In return, Allah (jalla jalaluhu) commands us to glorify His exalted self, who is above all imperfect attributes. He commands us to praise Him in return for granting us the conquest. He orders us to pray for forgiveness in return for the blessing of people accepting Islam en masse.In the ayah, Allah Almighty mentions tasbih before hamd.To perform tasbih is to emphasize that His infinitely majestic Self is free from all deficiencies. According to one interpretation, what is meant by tasbih in the verse is “to perform salah” because tasbih is one of the parts of salah. As a matter of fact, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) immediately performed an eight-rakah salah when the conquest of Makkah was granted to the Muslims (Bukhari, Salah 4). According to this, every believer should perform the salah of shukr when bestowed with a blessing; a blessing requires gratitude.

Imam Al-Suhayli (rahmatullahi alayh) once said: “As seen in this surah, tasbih and hamd are constantly mentioned together in the Qur’an. Marifatullah (knowing Allah) is divided into two parts: One is to know the divine personage of Allah, and the other is to know His names and attributes. One of these is not possible without the other. Accepting the existence of Allah (jalla jalaluhu) is a necessity of reason. Determining His names and adjectives is possible with sharia, that is, with the Qur’an and Sunnah. His supreme existence is known through reason, and His names and attributes are known through religion. The duty of the mind is to understand that Allah the Exalted was not created and does not resemble any creature, and we must not attribute the characteristics of created beings to Him. This is tasbih.

Reason comes first as it is the first requirement for even the conception of religion to exist; sharia, that is, religion comes second as only through the existence of intellect can the laws of Islam be understood. Religion teaches the mind to think properly about the Creator and many other things it does not know. Thus, the mind knows its Creator. In that case, it becomes necessary to glorify the Almighty Allah and to praise and exalt Him simultaneously.

Although the orders in the verse are given to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), in truth, they are addressed to the entire ummah. Therefore, all Muslims are obliged to perform tasbih, show gratitude for the blessings given, and pray for forgiveness.”

Istighfar after success

As for the commandment in the surah to pray for forgiveness, Allah the Most High commands people to pray for forgiveness as an atonement for the pride that has arisen in Muslims due to people's conversion to Islam in large numbers. In this regard, although the order seems to be aimed at our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) on the surface, it is, in fact, an order for the people of iman, who are not free from obvious and obscure flaws. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is free from sin; he is innocent. How much he cares about servitude to Allah is clear. Despite this, he is not exempt from praying for forgiveness. In that case, this warning is actually to the ummah of Muhammad. When our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the most virtuous of all creatures, still needs istighfar, it is necessary for us to think about our own situation.

Imam al-Alusi (rahmatullahi alayh) once said: “Believers are advised to pray for forgiveness after worship, as they will not be free from flaws in doing what is worthy of Allah, even if they give it all their might. The one who performs the fard and tahajjud prayers asks for forgiveness after the prayer, and the one who performs haji after the hajj. It is also said that it is right to pray for forgiveness at the end of wudu and every meeting.”

It is narrated that after this surah was revealed, our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) repeated this prayer frequently until his death. “Subhanaka, Allahumma Rabbana, wa bihamdika, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilaika: O Allah, You are free from every imperfection; praise be to You. I ask Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.” (Al-Bukhari, Tafsir 110/1-2; Muslim, Al-Salah 218-220)

Allah the Most High, after commanding istighfar, decreed, “For certainly, He is ever accepting of repentance,” in order to inform them that He will accept their repentance by observing their good manners.

Our Almighty Lord, whose mercy and benevolence towards His servants is endless, is the one who accepts the repentance of His sincere servants who regret their faults and sins, take refuge in Him, and repent and pray for His forgiveness. It is the glory of His divine nature to forgive the sins of those who ask for absolution, open their hands and pray to Him.

The person who repents should be sincere and intend not to commit the sin again. In addition, they must believe that Allah the Most Merciful will accept their repentance. It is not jaiz (permissible) to think that it will not be accepted.

In the verse, there is an indication that istighfar and tawbah are together, just as tasbih and hamd are together. Istighfar is asking for forgiveness and mercy with prayer and supplication like, “Rabbanaghfirli: Lord forgive me” or “Allahumma inna astaghfiruka: My Lord! I want to be forgiven by you.” Tawbah, on the other hand, is to turn to Allah with repentance and the determination not to sin again.

One can also ask forgiveness for the sins of others. There are excellent examples of this in the Qur’an, such as: “Our Lord, forgive me, my parents, and the believers on the Day of Reckoning.” (Ibrahim, 41). Here, too, the command to “ask His forgiveness” applies not only to the Prophet himself but to his ummah as well. But no one can repent on behalf of another.

There is also an indication in the surah that it is one of the requirements of servitude to begin your deeds with tasbih and hamd, and at the end, to complete your deeds with istighfar for your faults and flaws.

Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) knows best.

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