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As for al-Ṣiddīq’s wagering with the idolaters, done with the Prophet’s permission and knowledge (1):
Al-Tirmidhī relates in his Jāmiʿ (2)—through the chain of Sufyān al-Thawrī, from Ḥabīb ibn Abī ʿAmrah, from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbās—concerning Allah’s words: “Alif. Lām. Mīm (1). The Romans have been defeated (2) in the nearest land, yet after their defeat they will be victorious (3)” [30:1–3]. Ibn ʿAbbās said, “The polytheists liked the Persians to overcome the Romans, because both they and the Persians were idol-worshippers, whereas the Muslims preferred that the Romans prevail over the Persians, for the Romans were People of the Book. They mentioned this to Abū Bakr, and Abū Bakr mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said to him, ‘Indeed, they shall be defeated.’ Abū Bakr then told this to the polytheists (4), so they said, ‘Set …’