—peace and blessings be upon him—and so too were the believers with him, while the Arab idolaters, who at that time outnumbered the believers, rejoiced; for the People of the Scripture were nearer to the believers than the Magians, whereas the Magians were nearer to the idolaters than to the People of the Scripture. Allah therefore promised the believers that the Romans would afterward prevail, and that on that day the believers would rejoice in Allah’s help.

Here, victory is ascribed directly to Allah Himself; the verse does not say “by Allah’s victory granted to them.” When the Romans eventually overcame the Persians, the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and his Companions had already prevailed over the idolaters and the Jews.

At that juncture the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—sent letters inviting the Christian rulers of al-Shām and Egypt to believe in him. They recognized him and knew that he was the Messenger foretold, and this marked the first open manifestation of his religion. He then dispatched a group of his Companions to other rulers, and later, in the year of Tabuk, he personally marched with the Muslims toward al-Shām. Subsequently his Companions conquered those very lands, and thus Allah’s religion was aided, made manifest, and the idolaters were humbled.