worthless, impermissible speech. Rather, the servant must fear Allah alone and fear no one else. Anyone who does not fear Allah is too abject to be feared: he is a wrongdoer and one of Satan’s allies, and Allah has forbidden fearing him. If someone says, “He may harm me,” the reply is: “He can harm you only if Allah gives him power over you. If Allah wills to ward off his evil from you, He will do so. All authority belongs to Allah.”
Such a person is given power over a servant only because of that servant’s sins. If you fear Allah, remain mindful of Him, and place your trust in Him, He will protect you from every evil and will not give that person power over you. He has said:
“And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He is sufficient for him.”
That person is given power over you because of your sins and your fear of him. If you fear Allah, repent of your sins, and seek His forgiveness, he will not be given power over you, as Allah has said:
“Nor would Allah punish them while they seek forgiveness.”
It is related in transmitted reports that Allah says:
“I am Allah; there is no deity but Me, the King of kings. The hearts and forelocks of kings are in My hand. Whoever obeys Me, I make the hearts of kings merciful toward him; whoever disobeys Me, I make them a punishment for him. So do not occupy yourselves with reviling kings. Rather, repent to Me and obey Me, and I will make them kindly disposed toward you.”
When Allah gave the enemy power over the Companions on the day of Uhud, He said:
“When a calamity befell you…”
—to the end of the verse. He also said:
“How many a prophet fought with many companies alongside him…”
—and the verses that follow. Most recite qātala (fought).
According to the great majority of the early and later generations, the many ribbiyyūn are large companies. Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿAbbās—in one narration from him—and al-Farrāʾ said: “Many thousands.” Ibn ʿAbbās, in another narration, Mujāhid, and Qatāda said: “Large companies.” The word has been recited with each of the three short vowels on its initial r. On this reading, the ribbiyyūn who fought alongside him are those who neither lost heart nor weakened.
As for the reading of Abū ʿAmr and others, it admits two interpretations:
The first agrees with the preceding interpretation: the ribbiyyūn are killed, yet they do not lose heart—that is, those of them who remained did not lose heart