nor al-Zubayr, unless they accompanied ‘Umar when he set out(1) for Syria. Al-Zubayr, however, did witness the conquest of Egypt; Sa‘d witnessed the conquest of al-Qādisiyyah, and Abū ‘Ubaydah the conquest of Syria.

How, then, could the Messenger have been supported through only one of his Companions(2), to the exclusion of all the others, when this was the case? And how can that compare with Allah’s support for him through all the believers: the earliest forerunners among the Emigrants and Helpers, those who pledged allegiance to him beneath the tree, and those who followed them in righteousness?

The Muslims numbered three hundred and thirteen at Badr; about(3) seven hundred at Uhud; more than one thousand, or close to that, at the Battle of the Trench; and one thousand four hundred at the Pledge of Ridwān. These were the same people who witnessed the conquest of Khaybar. At the conquest of Mecca they numbered ten thousand, and at Hunayn they numbered twelve thousand: the ten thousand(4) just mentioned, plus two thousand pardoned Meccans.

As for Tabūk, those who attended it were too numerous to count; indeed, they numbered more than thirty [thousand](5). Likewise, those who attended the Farewell Pilgrimage with him were too numerous to count. During his lifetime(6), several times(7) as many people had embraced Islam as had seen him and numbered among his Companions. Allah strengthened him through them during his lifetime—in Yemen and elsewhere. All of these were among the believers through whom Allah strengthened him. Indeed, everyone who believes and strives in Allah’s cause until the Day of Resurrection is included in this meaning(8).