What Brings Victory -1) Iman and Righteous Deeds

 

In the Qur’ān, Allah ﷻ promises victory to the believers. He ﷻ also explains the path to achieving victory. This path is long and may be difficult, but here is what’s needed for those who are sincere enough to traverse it:

1) Iman and Righteous Deeds

Firm belief in Allah, righteous deeds, worshipping Allah, and staying away from shirk are all prerequisites of victory. Allah ﷻ says;

وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِيْنَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِّنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِيْ لَا يُشْرِكُوْنَ بِيْ شَيْئًا ۚ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُوْنَ

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will certainly make them successors in the land, as He did with those before them; and will surely establish for them their faith which He has chosen for them; and will indeed change their fear into security—˹provided that˺ they worship Me, associating nothing with Me. But whoever disbelieves after this ˹promise˺, it is they who will be the rebellious.: — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

(Surah An Nur :Ayat 55)

The greatest means to attaining victory is strong imān and good deeds. Strong īmān entails that the believers fear none but Allah, love Him more than anyone or anything, and put their reliance solely upon Him. They have full hope and yaqīn (certainty) in Him, are content with His decree and grateful for His blessings.

All of the aforementioned ‘actions of the heart’ (love/fear/hope/trust etc) are only truly actualised when a person is tested. For example, anybody can claim that they only fear Allah. But it is only their reaction when they are tested with a seemingly undefeatable army, which will prove if such a person is true in his claim. Trials and tribulations test a person’s īmān, and make apparent whether their claim of being a believer is sincere.

Allah’s promise of victory is not for everyone who claims to have īmān. It is reserved for those whose īmān is firmly embedded. This is because when īmān becomes deeply rooted in the believer’s heart, he is willing to sacrifice his desires and his personal gains for the sake of Allah’s dīn.

This āyah also illustrates that in order to gain authority in the land, the believers have to embody true ʿubudiyyah: worship Allah Alone, and to not commit shirk.

The condition of īmān and ʿamal ṣāliḥ (good deeds) is an all-encompassing condition as it includes what is to follow. However, the following are some of the specific actions mentioned in the Qur’ān.