The Boulder and the Three Glad Tidings

Another miracle: when they were digging the trench, a boulder stood in their way, and they couldn't move it or break it. In fact, it was breaking their axes. So they came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and told him about it. The Messenger of Allah went there, grabbed an axe, said Bismillāh, and struck it. A lightning came out, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, Allāhu akbar. He then struck it again; light came out, and he said, Allāhu akbar. He struck it a third time, and then it disintegrated into dust, and the Messenger of Allah said, Allāhu akbar.

So Salmān asked him, "O Messenger of Allah, why were you saying Allāhu akbar, and what was that light coming out like lightning from this boulder?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "The first time I struck it, I was given the glad tidings of opening, of conquering the Roman Empire, and I could see the red palaces of Syria from right here. The second time I said Allāhu akbar, I was given the glad tidings of conquering the Persian Empire, and I was able to see its white palace from right here. And the third time I said Allāhu akbar is that I was given the glad tidings of conquering Yemen, and I was able to see the gates of Ṣanʿāʾ from right here."

Now, it is worth noticing here that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is giving them these glad tidings in the worst of times, when the morale was low, when you look around you and all that you see is defeat, when you are besieged. But that's the whole point of giving glad tidings. That is when glad tidings should be given: it is when you're weak, when you're almost going to give up. So now, if the Ummah is weak, divided, defeated, we should give the glad tidings that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has given us. Sayablughu hādhā al-dīn mā balagha al-layl wa al-nahār:^****** this religion will reach as far as night and day can reach. And inna Allāha zawā liya al-arḍ: Allah has shown me the entire earth, and He told me that the kingdom of my nation will reach all of it (Muslim 2889). So victory belongs to this Ummah, and it's coming.