and of those (4) who preceded it ⦗ق 49⦘ among the earlier nations.

Moreover, in several passages He has declared that His way in this matter is uniform and His practice unceasing. The Exalted says: “If the hypocrites, those in whose hearts is a sickness, and the alarm-mongers in the City do not desist, We shall surely rouse you against them; then they will not remain your neighbours there except for a little …” up to His words: “—the way of Allah with those who passed away before, and you will never find any change in the way of Allah” (al-Ahzab 60–62).

He also says: “Had those who disbelieved fought you, they would certainly have turned their backs; then they would have found no protector and no helper. Such is the way of Allah that has passed on before, and you will never find any change in the way of Allah” (al-Fath 22–23).

The Almighty has thus informed us that the conduct of the later disbelievers is just like the conduct of the earlier ones. People of sound reason should therefore take heed of Allah’s established ways and of His days among His servants, and observe the patterns and customs of nations—especially in a calamity of this magnitude, whose news has filled both horizons and whose sparks have flown into every land of the Muslims (1). In it hypocrisy lifted the forelock of its head, unbelief bared its fangs and molars, and (2) the very pillar of the Book was on the verge of being uprooted and felled; the rope of faith was about to be severed (3) and cut off; the stronghold of the believers nearly fell into ruin, and this religion almost vanished under the onslaught of the wicked Tatars. The hypocrites and those with diseased hearts thought that the promise Allah and His Messenger had made them was nothing but delusion, that the party of Allah and His Messenger would never return to their families. That notion was made attractive in their hearts; they entertained evil suspicions and were