The Road to Victory - 1. The first element: Having faith in Allah (Iman billah)

1. The first element: Having faith in Allah (Iman billah)


Our faith has to be only in Allah. We should know Him truly, worship nothing and nobody but Him. Allah is the creator; the Provider, and the Judge for everything. There is no creator but Him, no provider but Him. No decision can be made in the matters of the living except through His judgment.

Allah made us and He is the one who knows what is best for our sustenance and protection. Unfortunately, some seek protection and sustenance from others than Allah. Others make themselves equal to Him, trying to set up rules for people to follow, according to their likings and not according to His guidance. Our faith is not complete until we abandon worshipping, following, or seeking protection from anybody but Him alone, the most Exalted.

The faith of the companions was pure and clean from any filth of paganism. With this deeply rooted faith they stood, heads high, and raised themselves above the lies, annoyance, hardship, and stupidity of vanity. Nations can live and rule only by the truth and upon the principles of justice. No socialism, Buddhism, Christianity, Jewish Zionism, Imperialism or anything else can be more truthful or more just than Allah’s religion and His guidance.

Take the example of the very well known Bilal, the Prophet’s mu’azzen (the person who calls for the prayer). Bilal had been tortured by burdening his chest with the heaviest rocks while lying on the burning sands of Mecca, because the pagans of Quraish wanted him to revert to their idolatrous worship. With all the power in his soul he endured the torture and kept saying Ahadun Ahad (the One, the One). His body became so cheap because he knew the fact that the reward comes from the same substance of the deed.

“And those who strive in Our cause, We will certainly guide them to our Path.” (29:69)

That’s how Bilal, the slave from Habasha (Ethiopia) became the infamous Bilal known to all Muslims all over the world.

Another example is Yasser and his pure wife Sumaya, the mother of Ammar who endured the torture of the pagans and were killed only because they believed in one thing, that Allah is the only God worthy to be worshiped.

The hearts of the companions were full of faith and their religion ran in their veins like blood. When the beauty of faith mixes in the hearts, it outweighs the mountains.

This kind of a believer will be able to face any test, however huge or hard. He will see it very small next to his faith. Hardships will become nothing to him, because the sweetness of faith is all that he can taste. Hardships and torture would be like some floating froth above the huge flood of faith coming to break the high dams of ignorance and paganism.

“For the scum disappears like froth cast out; while that which is for the good of mankind remains on the earth.” (13:17)

So, worshipping Allah alone and following His guidance is the first step to make all the factors to achieve victory will arise from within.