And the prophets—may Allah’s blessings be upon them—and their believing followers may indeed be tried at the beginning, yet the ultimate outcome is always theirs. The Exalted said, after relating the story of Noah: “These are accounts of the unseen that We reveal to you. Neither you nor your people knew them before this. So remain patient; surely the end belongs to those who are mindful of Allah.” (11:49)

In the hadith whose soundness is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim, when the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—sent an envoy to the Byzantine emperor, the emperor asked for someone who could inform him about the Prophet’s life. Those questioned were at that moment his enemies, for they had not yet believed in him. He asked them, “How goes the fighting between you and him?” They replied, “The battle between us and him is seesaw: one time he prevails over us and another time we prevail over him.” The emperor remarked, “Such is the case with the messengers: they are tested, but the final victory is theirs. On the day of Badr Allah granted the believers victory; then on the day of Uhud He tried them. After that, He never again granted success to the unbelievers until Allah made Islam dominant.”