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A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.

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Among the benefits and wisdoms of the law of alternation [between victory and defeat].

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The law of alternation has benefits.

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Among the most important of them:

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First:

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If the believers were always victorious over the disbelievers,

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then hypocrites would have entered the ranks of the believers,

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and no distinction would have been made between them.

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Allah the Almighty says:

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“If ye have received a blow, the (disbelieving) people have received a blow the like thereof. These are (only) the vicissitudes which We cause to follow one another for mankind, to the end that Allah may know those who believe and may choose witnesses from among you; and Allah loveth not wrong-doers.” (3:140)

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“If ye have received a blow, the (disbelieving) people have received a blow the like thereof. These are (only) the vicissitudes which We cause to follow one another for mankind, to the end that Allah may know those who believe and may choose witnesses from among you; and Allah loveth not wrong-doers.” (3:140)

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That is, so that what Allah already knows may manifest in reality,

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by His prior knowledge of the believers,

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and they are distinguished from those who merely claim to be such,

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namely the hypocrites.

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For Allah, glorified be He,

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knows matters before they occur,

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and events are what bring this knowledge

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into existence.

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Thus, this alternation reveals what is hidden,

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making it a reality in the lives of people,

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transforming faith into manifest action,

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and likewise transforming hypocrisy

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into manifest behavior.

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Consequently, accountability and recompense are attached to it.

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For Allah, glorified be He, does not hold people accountable

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based on what He knows of their affairs,

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but rather holds them accountable for what they actually commit.

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Second:

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If the disbelievers were always victorious over the believers,

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the purpose of the mission and the message would not be achieved.

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Therefore, the wisdom of Allah the Almighty necessitated

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that He grant the believers victory over the disbelievers at times,

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and grant the disbelievers victory over them at other times,

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in order to achieve two things:

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the distinction of the believers from the hypocrites,

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and the fulfillment of the purpose of the mission and the message.