—the people to the worship of idols, to turn their faces away from the Sacred House, to bar their hearts from faith and the Quran, and to call them back to the very Judaism, Magianism, polytheism, and cross-worship they had once practiced. At that moment al-Ṣiddīq, may Allah be pleased with him, rolled up the sleeves of unwavering resolve, drew the sword of determination—second only to Dhū’l-Fiqār—and vaulted onto the steed of his resolve (1), a mount that never stumbled in the race. He rode to the front of the Muslim ranks, the boldest horseman among them, intent only on catching the foe, and he proclaimed:

“By Allah, I shall strive against the enemies of Islam to the limit of my strength. I shall wage true war on them until my neck alone is left or I am left to fight alone; I shall drive them back through the very gate by which they came out, and I shall return them to the truth they have spurned (2).” (3)

Through that heart—one which, were it placed in the balance against all the hearts of the ummah, would outweigh them—Allah steadied the armies of Islam, humbling the hypocrites, the apostates, the People of the Book, and the idol-worshippers, until the spine of the religion was straightened once more after its bending (4), and the pure monotheistic way ran again along its proper path. The party of Satan withdrew, defeated and bankrupt, while a herald of faith announced before all creation: “Surely the party of Allah—they are the victors.” (5)

Never did the armies borne on his resolve grow weak, submissive, or faint-hearted; rather, by that resolve they remained constantly supported and triumphant, and the designs of his enemies never tasted the joy of victory.