—that is, do not let them weigh on you; rather, ignore whatever harm they cause, for the eventual victory is yours—and indeed the outcome did belong to the Messenger ﷺ: he endured and he prevailed.

The Prophet ﷺ left Mecca in secret as an emigrant, fearing for his life. Quraysh had offered a reward of two hundred camels—one hundred for him and one hundred for his companion Abū Bakr—to whoever captured them. Yet Allah saved them both. Only a few years later the Prophet ﷺ returned, conquering Mecca in decisive triumph. He now held the upper hand over the leading figures of Quraysh. Standing at the door of the Kaʿbah he proclaimed, “O people of Quraysh, what do you think I am going to do with you?” All of them stood before him in humility and said, “Something good; you are a noble brother, the son of a noble brother.” He replied, “I say to you what Joseph said to his brothers: ‘Today no reproach will be upon you. May Allah forgive you, and He is the most merciful of the merciful.’ Go, for you are free.” Thus he ﷺ granted them clemency at the very moment he held absolute power over them.

In sum, His words, “Turn away from the polytheists” (al-Ḥijr 94) embrace two directives: first, turn away from them—do not concern yourself with their condition if they refuse to believe, nor grieve over them; second, turn away from them with respect to whatever harm they inflict, for the final victory will be yours. This is exactly what came to pass, and for that reason the very next verses read, “Indeed, We are sufficient for you against those who mock” (al-Ḥijr 95), “those who set up another god beside Allah—soon they will know” (al-Ḥijr 96), and, “We certainly know that your breast is constricted by what …” (al-Ḥijr 97).