Allah's Promises and Assistance to the Believers

In the Qur'an Allah tells us that most people are far removed from the morality of the Qur'an: "But most people have no faith" (Surat ar-Ra'd, 1). For this reason, some unmindful and unaware people think they are on the straight path, even though they deny Allah's existence. Feeling that their superior strength and numbers give them a sense of security, such people evaluate events superficially and act as if they were truly superior to others. But they are unaware of a great truth: Allah's promises and support to the believers: Allah will not give the unbelievers any way against the believers. (Surat an-Nisa, 141)  As mentioned in the verse above, Allah does everything to their benefit for believers and supports them. In Surat al- Inshirah, He reveals the secret that, for a Muslim, every difficulty is created with the corresponding ease to bear it. Allah creates both the disease and the cure, and with every difficulty comes ease and a solution. This truth is revealed as follows: For truly with hardship comes ease; truly, with hardship comes ease. (Surat al-Inshirah, 5-6) Only believers know this support and assistance of Allah. Thus, whatever believers encounter, they act with a sense of contentment and security. Allah makes this promise to His believers: Allah knows best who your enemies are. Allah suffices as a Protector; Allah suffices as a Helper. (Surat an-Nisa, 45) Those who worship what is other than Allah and those who reject Him have much to fear; those who do not believe and associate Allah with His creatures think that everything that happens and exists has no meaning, and thus live in constant fear and tension: And when your Lord revealed to the angels: "I am with you, so make those who believe firm. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who do not believe." (Surat al-Anfal, 12) He sent down serenity into the believers' hearts, thereby increasing their faith with more faith – the legions of the heavens and Earth belong to Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat al-Fath, 4) Allah supports and assists believers throughout their lives. Throughout history, Allah has helped them by giving miracles to the prophets, sending invisible armies and angels, and sending guardians and even natural events. Allah tells us in the Qur'an: He sent down serenity into the hearts of the believers, thereby increasing their faith with more faith – the legions of the heavens and Earth belong to Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat al-Fath, 4) The legions of the heavens and earth belong to Allah. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat al-Fath, 7) The Qur'an reveals the great support and help that the Lord of the armies of heaven and Earth gives to believers. Allah reveals the help He gives to believers in the following verses: ... that they would certainly be helped. Our army will be victorious. (Surat as-Saffat, 172-173) We will certainly help Our Messengers and the believers both in this world and on the Day the witnesses appear. (Surah Ghafir, 51) O believers! If you help Allah, He will help you and make your feet firm. (Surah Muhammad, 7) That is because Allah is the Protector of the believers and because the unbelievers have no protector. (Surah Muhammad, 11) And remember when two of your clans were on the point of losing heart and Allah was their Protector. Let the believers put their trust in Allah. Allah helped you at Badr when you were weak, so fear [and respect] Him, so that, hopefully, you will be thankful. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 122-123) If Allah helps you, no one can vanquish you. If He forsakes you, who can help you after that? So the believers should put their trust in Allah. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 160) No, Allah is your Protector. And He is the best of helpers. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 150) ... in a few years' time. The affair is Allah's from beginning to end. On that day, the believers will rejoice in Allah's help. He grants victory to whoever He wills. He is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. That is Allah's promise. Allah does not break His promise. But most people do not know it. (Surat ar-Rum, 4-6) Everyone will be tested concerning their belief in Allah and the Afterlife. On the surface, it seems that those who are good and those who are not live under the same conditions. However, the believers live a very different type of life than the unbelievers. As stated earlier, Allah always makes things easy for the believers and shows them a way out of difficult situations. This is clearly a help from Allah. The Qur'an states that Allah, in His great mercy, will help His servants and support them in ways they cannot conceive, and give them ease in unexpected ways. Allah describes this help as "a wind against them and other forces you could not see" (Surat al-Ahzab, 9) and that He will send them protectors: "...angels..." (Surat al-An'am, 61). Some of the ways that He helps people are as follows: Allah sends help to believers through angels Allah's help to believers is manifested in various ways. One of the ways He helps is by sending angels to them at difficult times. In the Qur'an, Allah gives us an example of when He helped our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): And when you asked the believers: "Is it not enough for you that your Lord reinforced you with three thousand angels, sent down?" Yes indeed! But if you are steadfast and guard against evil and they come upon you suddenly, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels, clearly identified. Allah only did this for it to be good news for you and so that your hearts might be set at rest by it [help comes from no one but Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise]. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 124-126) In another verse Allah tells us that He helps believers by means of invisible armies: O believers! Remember Allah's blessing to you when forces came against you and We sent a wind against them, and other forces you could not see. Allah sees what you do. (Surat al-Ahzab, 9) Allah's announcement that believers will always be victorious is a great blessing and promise. Indeed, believers never forget this certain truth. All help comes from Allah, and all power belongs to Him. Believers know that real assistance and victory belong to Allah. They never forget that the angels' support is a glad tidings from Allah and a manifestation of His help and support. In the Qur'an, the Lord reveals this truth: Remember when you called on your Lord for help, and He replied: "I will reinforce you with a thousand angels, riding rank after rank." Allah only did this to give you good news and that so your hearts would be at rest. Victory comes from no one but Allah. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat al-Anfal, 9-10) Believers who know that Allah can help them whenever He wills have a sense of inner contentment and security in even the most difficult moments. They live a very good life in this spiritual state of mind. Allah will not give the unbelievers any way against the believers. (Surat an-Nisa, 141) Allah makes it appear to their enemies that believers are more numerous than they actually are Contrary to the unbelievers, believers achieve success through the intelligence, understanding, perception, and good moral qualities that Allah has given them. In addition, the Qur'an tells us that He has made the believers' numbers and power seem great in the eyes of the unbelievers, and thus has intimidated and scared them. In the Qur'an, Allah tells us of an event that happened in the time of Asr-i Saadat (Century of happiness—time of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): Remember when Allah made you see them as few when you met them, and also made you seem few in their eyes. This was so that Allah could settle a matter whose result was preordained. All matters return to Allah. O believers. When you meet a troop, stand firm and remember Allah repeatedly so that, hopefully, you will be successful. (Surat al-Anfal, 44-45) The small community of believers was far weaker than the unbelievers. The fact that they appeared to be such a large group was one of Allah's miracles. At the same time, this fact makes things much easier for the believers, as it allows them to be successful. In some verses, Allah tells Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that He will multiply the believers' power whenever He wills. In return for their patience, He promises to give His believers far more strength and victory: O Prophet. Spur on the believers to fight. If there are twenty of you who are steadfast, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are a hundred of you, they will overcome a thousand of the unbelievers, because they do not understand. Now Allah has made it lighter on you, knowing there is weakness in you. If there are a hundred of you who are steadfast, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are a thousand of you, they will overcome two thousand, with Allah's permission. Allah is with the steadfast. (Surat al-Anfal, 65-66) As the above verses show, Allah supported our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the believers on the battlefield by making them appear stronger and more numerous. Allah, Who is always the believers' friend and helper, is the only One with true power. By saying Be, Allah can bring into existence whatever He wills. Those who rely on Allah, trust Him, and acknowledge His eternal and all-sufficient power understand this and so are at peace. Allah sent down serenity into the hearts            of believers. ... and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protector – the Best Protector, the Best Helper. (Surat al-Hajj, 78) In Surat al-Fath, Allah tells us of the spiritual support He has bestowed on believers. Allah sent down serenity into the believers' hearts, thereby increasing their faith with more faith – the legions of the heavens and earth belong to Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat al-Fath, 4) Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, sent down serenity to them, and has rewarded them with an imminent victory. (Surat al-Fath, 18) Allah places serenity to the believers' hearts in times of difficulty, and thus they experience a sense of contentment, security, and determination. Actually, this sense is with believers at all times, for they know that Allah is the sole ruler of all things and thus have no reason to panic or feel sad or anxious. They understand the truth of: "If Allah helps you, no one can vanquish you. If He forsakes you, who can help you after that? So the believers should put their trust in Allah" (Surah Al ‘Imran, 160). All believers know that their difficulties, no matter how great they may appear, are transitory. Understanding that their life in this world, when compared to the eternal life waiting for them in the Hereafter, is very short, they realize that whatever they suffer here, regardless of how long it seems, will be well worth it, for enduring it patiently and showing their true character will cause Allah to let them enter Paradise. There, believers will suffer no anxiety, sadness, want, boredom, or hardship. On the contrary, they will live amid endless beauty and have whatever their hearts desire. So, living in this awareness allows them to approach every event with unshakable trust in Allah. And, the resulting sense of spiritual contentment and joy is one of this world's finest blessings. It must be remembered that all hearts and strength is in Allah's hands, for He creates what, when, and however He wills. Those who seek contentment and security will never find the road to it if Allah does not give the directions. The ease that living a life of religious morality brings to people comes from the knowledge that Allah controls everything. Those who turn to Allah and expect a reward only from Him will always find His avenues of help and support close-by: No, Allah is your Protector. And He is the best of helpers. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 150) All the traps set for believers are destroyed immediately Those unbelievers who struggle against the believers resort to all sorts of insidious measures, such as forming alliances against believers and setting various traps for them. They think that because they outnumber the believers they will be successful. However, they forget that where there are two people, Allah is the third; where there are three people, Allah is the fourth. Moreover, they are entirely unaware that Allah is closer to a person than his or her jugular vein. But whether they hide their intentions or strike openly, "Allah knows what the heart contains" (Surah Luqman, 23), every detail of their plans, and every trap they set. Thus, He foils them from the beginning, regardless of their complexity. No matter how extensive or insidious the trap, Allah the Creator of all tells us in the Qur'an that He will destroy it: Allah always confounds the schemes of the unbelievers. (Surat al-Anfal, 18) They concocted their plots, but their plots were with Allah, even if they were such as to make the mountains vanish. (Surah Ibrahim, 46) Besides this, Allah tells us that these traps will not harm sincere believers, but will turn back on those who devised them: But evil plotting envelops only those who do it. Do they expect anything but the pattern of previous peoples? You will not find any change in His pattern. You will not find any alteration in His pattern. (Surah Fatir, 43) Believers know that the assistance of the All-Generous is always with them and live with trust in Allah. They know that every situation contains His purpose and good, even if they cannot see it. In His endless mercy Allah leads people on the right path and strengthens their faith As we said in earlier chapters, the Lord always calls people to follow the right path through His messengers and the books He has sent. He repeatedly sends warnings to every society urging people to cease denying Him and to turn to faith. This is a great act of generosity from the Lord. Allah desires ease for His servants who work to strengthen their belief and thus supports them in many ways. The Qur'an tells us about this support in the following words: As for those who believe in Allah and hold fast to Him, He will admit them into mercy and favor from Him, and will guide them to Him on a straight path. (Surat an-Nisa, 175) There is nothing wrong in seeking bounty from your Lord. When you pour down from Arafat, remember Allah at the Sacred Landmark. Remember Him because He has guided you, even though before this you were astray. (Surat al-Baqara, 198) Allah always confounds the unbelievers' schemes. (Surat al-Anfal, 18) But it must not be forgotten that people find truth only through Allah's will. The Lord of eternal mercy chooses His servants as He wills, writes the way to truth in their destiny, and guides them toward it: No misfortune occurs except with Allah's permission. Whoever believes in Allah – He will guide his [or her] heart. Allah has knowledge of all things. (Surat at-Taghabun, 11) When Allah wills to guide someone, He expands his [or her] breast to Islam. When He wills to misguide someone, He makes his [or her] breast narrow and constricted, as if he [or she] were climbing up into the sky. That is how Allah penalizes the unbelievers. (Surat al-An'am, 125) Allah is the Light of the heavens and earth. The metaphor of His Light is that of a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp inside a glass, the glass like a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the East nor of the West, its oil all but giving off light even if no fire touches it. Light upon Light. Allah guides to His Light whoever He wills, makes metaphors for humanity, and has knowledge of all things. (Surat an-Nur, 35) Before finding the truth, many people exist in a state of great chaos and confusion. They are often overwhelmed by sadness, anxiety, jealousy, despair, resentment, and hatred. The slightest negative thing that happens to them drags them into deep melancholy. When they embrace belief and submit to Allah's eternal power and might, this dark spiritual state disappears immediately. This transition is called bringing out of darkness into the light. Allah is the Protector of the believers. He brings them out of the darkness into the light. But the unbelievers have false deities as protectors. They take them from the light into the darkness. Those are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, forever. (Surat al-Baqara, 257) He calls down blessing on you, as do His angels, to bring you out of the darkness into the light. He is Most Merciful to the believers. Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be "Peace," and He has prepared a generous reward for them. O Prophet! We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good news and a warner, a caller to Allah by His permission, and a light-giving lamp. Give good news to the believers that they will receive immense favor from Allah. Do not obey the unbelievers and hypocrites, and disregard their abuse of you. Put your trust in Allah. Allah suffices as a Protector. (Surat al-Ahzab, 43-48) It is a great blessing that Allah has created human life with such reversals. Indeed, this makes it much easier to grasp the value of belief and good moral character.