Surah An-Nasr

Allah, in this Surah, had informed His Messenger that when Islam attained complete victory in Arabia and the people started entering Allah’s religion in great numbers, it would mean that the mission for which he had been sent to the world, had been fulfilled. Then, he was enjoined to busy himself in praising and glorifying Allah by whose bounty he had been able to accomplish such a great task, and should implore Him to forgive whatever failings and frailties he might have shown in the performance of the service. Here, by a little consideration one can easily see the great difference that there is between a Prophet ﷺand a common worldly leader. If a worldly leader in his own lifetime is able to bring about a revolution, which has the aim and objective of his struggle, this would be an occasion for exultation for him. But here we witness quite another phenomenon. The Messenger of Allah in a brief space of 23 years, revolutionised an entire nation with regards to its beliefs, thoughts, customs, morals, ways of living, economy, politics and war raising it from ignorance and barbarism and enabling it to conquer the world. Yet when he had accomplished this unique task, he was not enjoined to celebrate it but to glorify and praise Allah and to pray for His forgiveness and he busied himself humbly in the implementation of that command.

Aishah says: “The Messenger often used to recite ‘Glory be to You O Allah and praise be to You. I seek Allah’s forgiveness and I repent to You (alone)’ (according to some other traditions, ‘Glory to Allah, and praise be unto Him. I seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him’) before his death. I asked: O Messenger of Allah, what are these words that you have started reciting now? He replied: A sign has been appointed for me so that when I see it, I should recite these words, and it is: When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest (v. 1)” (narrated in Musnad Ahmad, Muslim, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Marduyah). In some other traditions on the same subject Aishah has reported that the Prophet ﷺoften recited the following words in his prayers when bowing and prostrating on the ground:

‘Glory be to You O Allah and praise to You, O Allah forgive me.’ This was the interpretation of the Qur’an (i.e., of Surah 110) that he had made (narrated in Bukhari, Muslim Abu Dawud, Nasai, Ibn Majah, Ibn Jarir).

Umm Salamah says that the Prophet ﷺduring his last days very often recited the following words sitting and standing, going out of the house and coming back to it: Glory be to Allah and praise be unto Him. I one day asked: “Why do you recite these words so often, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “I have been enjoined to do so. Then he recited this Surah.” (Ibn Jarir) Ibn Abbas has stated that after the revelation of this Surah the Messenger worshiped so intensively and devotedly for the Hereafter as he had never done before.94 94 Tafheem al-Qur’an, Mawdudi.