and His words: “He is with them wherever they may be” (al-Mujādilah 7). When the Prophet ﷺ said to his companion in the cave, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us” (al-Tawbah 40), this too was true in its evident sense, and the situation itself showed that the ruling implied by this companionship—along with His perfect oversight—was help and divine support.

The same applies to His saying, “Indeed, Allah is with those who are mindful of Him and those who excel in good” (al-Naḥl 128), and to His words to Moses and Aaron, “I am with you both; I hear and I see” (Ṭā-Hā 46). In these passages the companionship (maʿiyya) is taken at face value, and in this setting its consequence is victory and reinforcement.

Likewise, if someone who frightens a child comes near and the child begins to cry, his father might lean over from the roof above and say, “Do not be afraid; I am with you,” or “I am here,” and the like, drawing the child’s attention to a companionship which, by the very circumstances, guarantees the removal of harm. Hence there is a difference between the meaning