Victory Is from Allah

Some lessons, then, from the Battle of Badr. The first is that victory is from Allah. After a victory, soldiers will normally be very proud of their training, their skill, their bravery; Allah, Mighty and Majestic, never once praised the Muslims for their victory — never. Look at the āyāt that comment on the victory of the Muslims. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

Victory is not except from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. And Allah says:

You did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them; and you did not throw, when you threw, but it was Allah who threw, that He might test the believers with a good test. So the credit goes to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Here Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is dealing with the aftermath of victory, with the possibility of the Muslims feeling pride and confidence in their own abilities, or attributing the victory to their own abilities — telling them, instead, that the victory was a blessing from Allah, Mighty and Majestic; it came from Allah, Mighty and Majestic; it was Allah, Mighty and Majestic, who gave them that victory.

When the Muslims came to congratulate the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), one of the Companions responded by saying: why are you congratulating us, what are you congratulating us for — in laqīnā illā ʿajāʾiza ṣulʿan, we have only met old, bald men, like camels awaiting slaughter, and we slaughtered them; as though to say it was easy. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told him: do not say that, O cousin, those were the chiefs. It was Allah who made it easy — this was a formidable foe, a strong foe; do not belittle their ability and strength, but the victory that was achieved was because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, made it easy. So this is very important: whatever victory is achieved, in any avenue of life, is attributed to the one it belongs to, and that is Allah, Mighty and Majestic — whether success in business, success in education, success with family, success as a dāʿī, success as an imām or a scholar; attributed to the one it belongs to, and that is Allah. One is not to be like Qārūn, who said:

He said: I have been given this wealth only because of knowledge that I have. That is the first lesson. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says in another āyah:

Recall when you were few, and oppressed in the land, fearing that people might abduct you — that is who the Muslims were: they were few, they were oppressed, and they used to fear that people might abduct them. But He sheltered them, and supported them with His victory, and provided them with good things, that they might be grateful.