The Three Factors for the Victory of Islam

“They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it. It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although they who associate others with Allah dislike it.” (At-Tawbah: 32-33)

In the series of verses before this, Allah describes the deviations of the aqeedah done by the Christians and Jews which caused the aqeedah of Tawheed which is the essence of the religion revealed to the Prophets and Rasuls, to become blurry, bias and corrupted. For example by stating that Uzair and Isa Al Masih are Allah's sons, and making the religious leaders and the Messiah as the new gods, the counterparts of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala (see verse 30-31).

In this series of verses, it is again asserted that they are also the ones who today want to extinguish the light of Allah, namely the religion of Islam and the truth of Al Qur’an as a mu'jizat (miracle) of Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam, after they managed to destroy the very foundations of Tawheed in the aqeedah of the Jews and Christians taught by Prophet Musa dan Isa. But they will never at all succeed to change the very foundations of the religion of Islam, let alone to extinguish the light of Allah, because Allah wills to perfect that light of Islam although the kuffars hate it.

Sheikh Muhammad Abu Zahrah wrote, “Allah equalizes their attempts of misguidance to extinguish Islam with the people who tried to extinguish the light of the Sun in broad daylight and the full moonlight, which means that the people who are trying to wipe away the real truth is clearly futile.” (see Zahrat At-Tafasir, juz 6/3285).

Sheikh Muhammad Rashid Ridha in Tafsir Al Manar (juz 10/343-344) quoted some undertakings of the Jews and Christians (who in the past corrupted their religions) to corrupt the religion of Islam which was brought by Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam. Which includes, wrote Rashid Ridha, the Jews in the early period of Islam, who flourished in Madinah, helping the Arab mushrikeen in fighting Rasulullah and the Muslims. After this attempt failed and Allah gave victory to His Rasul and the Muslims from the plots of the Jews, they did not stop there.
 

After the death of Rasulullah, the Jews continued in their attempts to extinguish the light of Islam by spreading bid’ah, causing divisions on the Muslims with the issue of the succession of the Khilafah and creating of a cult which deifies Ali bin Abi Thalib Radhiyallahu ‘Anh which was stirred by Abdullah bin Saba’. It was this group, as stated by Rashid Ridha, that succeeded in murdering Khalifah Usman bin ‘Affan Radhiyallahu ‘Anh, and triggered the fitnah between Ali and Mu’awiyah Radhiyallahu ‘Anh. Including the efforts of the Jews to corrupt the concepts of the Qur’an with the inclusion of the Israiliyyat stories in the book of tafseer, hadith and tarikh.

While the European Christians, wrote Rashid Ridha by excluding the Eastern Christians (Egypt, Syria and Palestine) who were instead liberated by the Islamic Khilafah from the oppression of the Roman Emperor, have been working to extinguish the power of Islam by launching Crusades in the middle ages.

However, even though all those plots took place in the history of Islam, including at the time when Baghdad, the capital of the Khilafah Abbasiyah was destroyed by the Mongol forces, Islam is still standing despite experiencing some weakening in every aspect until today.

It was for that reason that in verse 33, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala explains some of the reasons why Islam will remain standing sturdy despite the presence of various plots to destroy it, He is the One Who have sent His Rasul by bringing the guidance (Al-Qur'an) and true religion that He will cause to triumph over other religions, even though the mushrikeen do not like it.

In that verse, Allah affirms the three sorts of reason or secret behind this sturdy standing of Islam although throughout its history, it has always been disturbed, fought against and sought to be destroyed by the powers that are anti-Islam. The three factors are Al Huda (the guidance of Al-Qur’an), Dinul Haqq (i.e. Tawheed) and Allah as the owner and originator of Islam Himself, Who wants Islam to triumph over all fake religions and beliefs.

First, the factor that makes Islam strong is the guidance of the Qur’an as long as it is still practiced by Muslims. This is really obvious, in accordance with the hadith of the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam, “Verily, Allah Ta’ala will raise the degree of a people with this Al-Qur’an (by practicing its guidance) and will also humiliate a people with this Al-Qur’an (for having abandoned its guidance).” (Muslim from Umar bin Al Khattab Radhiyallahu ‘Anh)

Second, a factor that strengthens the existence of Islam is the presence of Dinul Haqq, namely Tawheed or ‘amal soleh (good deeds) that are useful in the dunya and akhirah, just as mentioned in the tafseer by Ibnu Katsir (see juz 4/120). Meaning, Islam will remain strong as long as there are people who compete to do righteousness and establish Tawheed. In accordance with the gudaince of the Prophet's hadith, “There will not cease to be a group from my Ummah victorious and steadfast upon the truth (al-haqq), those who abandon them will not harm them, until the command of Allah comes about,” (Muslim from Tsauban Radhiyallahu ‘Anh).

Third, a factor which strengthens Islam despite the numerous attempts to deviate, misguide, blur, destroy and the moves to fight Islam, is that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala Himself preserve the existence of Islam until the light of its truth is really perfected. Allah is the One who guarantees the victory of Islam, and it is wajib for us to believe that, by not being trapped on doing nothing with the excuse that Islam will certainly be made to win by Allah. Our job is to continue to endeavor with labour pains and give the best contribution that we have to become the shares for the victory of Islam.

No matter how good the plots of the enemies are to destroy Islam, its teachings and ummah, Allah promises victory of Islam over other religions.

That's how the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam taught us to be optimistic, to reflect from the past, moving today and looking to the future. From Tamim Ad-Dari Radhiyallahu ‘Anh he said: I heard Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam said, “This matter of Islam this will reach the place as far as the night and day have entered, and Allah will not let the houses in the village or city except that the religion enter them, He honours Islam with it and He will humiliate kufr with it.” (Ahmad). A hadith of similar tone was also narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad from Al Miqdad bin Al Aswad Radhiyallahu ‘Anh.