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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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Signposts on the Path of Steadfastness.

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The Second Requirement:

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The Means of Steadfastness.

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Steadfastness has specific means ordained by Allah in His Book

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and through the words of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),

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exemplified in the stories of the steadfast among the prophets and messengers,

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as well as the righteous allies of Allah, both early and late.

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The clarification and detail of this are as follows:

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First:

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Allah is the Granter of Steadfastness.

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The linchpin in the process of steadfastness

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is that we know with absolute certainty

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that Allah is the One who grants steadfastness,

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and that the hearts of the servants are between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful,

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turning them however He wills.

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For Allah, the Exalted and Majestic,

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makes His righteous allies steadfast in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.

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Granting steadfastness (*al-tathbīt*) is His attribute and His action,

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not one of His proper names.

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No one can dispense with the steadfastness granted by Allah, Glorified and Exalted, even for a single moment,

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not even the prophets and messengers.

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Allah Almighty said:

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“And they indeed strove hard to beguile thee (Muhammad) away from that wherewith We have inspired thee, that thou shouldst invent other than it against Us; and then would they have accepted thee as a friend.” (17:73)

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"that you would invent about Us something else;"

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"and then they would have taken you as an intimate friend."

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"And if We had not strengthened you, you would have almost inclined to them a little."

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“Then had we made thee taste a double (punishment) of living and a double (punishment) of dying, then hadst thou found no helper against Us.” (17:75)

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“Then had we made thee taste a double (punishment) of living and a double (punishment) of dying, then hadst thou found no helper against Us.” (17:75)

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Ibn al-Qayyim said in *Rawdat al-Muhibbin*:

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"Thus, the servant must never rely upon his own self, his patience, his state, or his chastity;

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for whenever one relies upon such things, Allah’s protection abandons him,

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and helplessness encompasses him.

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Indeed, Allah Almighty said to the noblest and most beloved of His creation to Him:

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'And if We had not strengthened you, you would have almost inclined to them a little.'"

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For this reason, among his supplications was:

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"O Turner of the hearts, make my heart steadfast upon Your religion!"

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And most of his oaths were: "No, by the Turner of the hearts!"

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How could it be otherwise when to him was revealed:

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“O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and the messenger when He calleth you to that which quickeneth you, and know that Allah cometh in between the man and his own heart, and that He it is unto Whom ye will be gathered.” (8:24)

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And Allah Almighty said:

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“Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying in the life of the world and in the Hereafter, and Allah sendeth wrong-doers astray. And Allah doeth what He will.” (14:27)

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"and Allah sends astray the wrongdoers."

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“Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying in the life of the world and in the Hereafter, and Allah sendeth wrong-doers astray. And Allah doeth what He will.” (14:27)

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In the two *Sahih*s, with the wording from Muslim,

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on the authority of al-Bara' ibn 'Azib,

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from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:

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“Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying in the life of the world and in the Hereafter, and Allah sendeth wrong-doers astray. And Allah doeth what He will.” (14:27)

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He said: "It was revealed concerning the torment of the grave,

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when it is said to him, 'Who is your Lord?'

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and he replies, 'My Lord is Allah and my prophet is Muhammad (peace be upon him).'"

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That is His saying, Mighty and Majestic:

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“Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying in the life of the world and in the Hereafter, and Allah sendeth wrong-doers astray. And Allah doeth what He will.” (14:27)

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Ibn al-Qayyim said in *I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in*:

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"Beneath His saying:

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“Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying in the life of the world and in the Hereafter, and Allah sendeth wrong-doers astray. And Allah doeth what He will.” (14:27)

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lies a tremendous treasure.

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Whoever is guided to its place,

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extracts it well, acquires it, and spends from it,

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has indeed gained great spoils;

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and whoever is deprived of it is truly deprived.

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That is because the servant cannot dispense with Allah’s granting him steadfastness for the blink of an eye.

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For if He does not make him steadfast,

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the heaven and earth of his faith would vanish from their places.

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Indeed, Allah Almighty said to the noblest of His creation, His servant and messenger:

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'And if We had not strengthened you, you would have almost inclined to them a little.'

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And Allah Almighty said to the noblest of His creation:

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“When thy Lord inspired the angels, (saying): I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger.” (8:12)

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And Allah Almighty said to His Messenger:

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“And all that We relate unto thee of the story of the messengers is in order that thereby We may make firm thy heart. And herein hath come unto thee the Truth and an exhortation and a reminder for believers.” (11:120)

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Thus, all creation falls into two categories:

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one granted success through steadfastness, and one forsaken by its withholding.

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The essence of steadfastness, its origin and source, stems from the firm word

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and acting upon what the servant has been commanded.

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Through both of these, Allah grants steadfastness to His servant;

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and whoever is firmer in speech and better in deed

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will be granted greater steadfastness.

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Allah Almighty said:

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“And if We had decreed for them: Lay down your lives or go forth from your dwellings, but few of them would have done it; though if they did what they are exhorted to do it would be better for them, and more strengthening;” (4:66)

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Thus, the people with the most steadfast hearts are those with the firmest speech.

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The 'firm word' is the word of truth and sincerity,

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and it is the opposite of false, lying speech.

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For speech is of two kinds: firm, possessing reality,

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and false, having no reality.

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The firmest speech is the statement of Tawhid and its requisites,

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for it is the greatest means by which Allah grants steadfastness to His servants in this world and the Hereafter.

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Hence, you find the truthful person among the most steadfast of people and the bravest in heart,

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while the liar is among the most humiliated, cowardly, fickle, and least steadfast of people.

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People of discernment recognize the truthfulness of the truthful

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from the steadfastness of his heart during trials, as well as his courage and dignified presence,

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and they recognize the falsehood of the liar by the exact opposite of that;

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and this is hidden only from one who lacks insight."

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Since Allah is the Granter of Steadfastness, steadfastness comes solely from Him and returns to Him.

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For this reason, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to supplicate frequently for steadfastness.

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On the authority of Shahr ibn Hawshab, who said:

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I said to Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her):

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"O Mother of the Believers,

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what was the most frequent supplication of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when he was with you?"

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She said:

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"His most frequent supplication was:

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'O Turner of the hearts,

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make my heart steadfast upon Your religion!'"

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She said:

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"So I said to him,

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'O Messenger of Allah,

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how frequently you make this supplication!'

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He said,

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'O Umm Salamah,

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there is no human being except that his heart is between two of the fingers of Allah;

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whomever He wills He keeps upright, and whomever He wills He turns astray.'"

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In *Sahih Muslim*, on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:

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I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:

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"Indeed, the hearts of the children of Adam are all between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful,

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like a single heart;

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He turns it wherever He wills."

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Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

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"O Allah, Director of hearts,

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direct our hearts toward Your obedience!"

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And on the authority of Anas, who said:

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The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say frequently:

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"O Turner of the hearts,

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make my heart steadfast upon Your religion!"

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He said:

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"So we said, 'O Messenger of Allah,

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we have believed in you and in that with which you have come;

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do you fear for us?'

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He said:

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He replied, 'Yes,

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indeed, the hearts are between two of the fingers of Allah, Mighty and Majestic; He turns them.'"

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Ibn al-Qayyim said in *Tariq al-Hijratayn wa Bab al-Sa'adatayn*:

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"When the servant realizes that Allah, Glorified and Exalted, is the Turner of the hearts,

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and that He comes between a person and his heart,

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and that every day He is bringing about a matter,

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doing whatever He wills and decreeing whatever He pleases,

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and that He guides whom He wills and sends astray whom He wills,

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elevating whom He wills and abasing whom He wills—

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what can make him feel secure against Allah turning his heart,

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coming between him and it,

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and causing it to deviate after having made it upright?

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Indeed, Allah praised His believing servants for saying:

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“Our Lord! Cause not our hearts to stray after Thou hast guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Thy Presence. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Bestower.” (3:8)

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Were it not for the fear of deviation, they would not have asked Him not to let their hearts deviate."

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And he said in *Miftah Dar al-Sa'adah*:

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"For this reason, in the hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and al-Nasa'i

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from the Prophet (peace be upon him):

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'O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in the matter,

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and determination upon right guidance.'

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These two phrases encompass all prosperity,

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and a servant is only afflicted through neglecting them

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or neglecting one of them.

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For one is only afflicted through haste and rashness,

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being swayed by passing impulses,

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or through complacency and sluggishness,

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letting opportunities slip away after they become favorable.

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If steadfastness is attained first and determination second,

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he will attain complete prosperity.

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And Allah is the Grantor of success."

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Supplicating for steadfastness

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was the constant practice of the righteous before us,

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especially during times of hardship.

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Allah Almighty said, describing the early fighters:

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“And when they went into the field against Goliath and his hosts they said: Our Lord! Bestow on us endurance, make our foothold sure, and give us help against the disbelieving folk.” (2:250)

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"they said, 'Our Lord, pour upon us patience"

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"and plant firmly our feet"

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"and give us victory over the disbelieving people.'"

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And He said:

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"And how many a prophet"

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"fought with whom were many religious scholars,"

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“And with how many a prophet have there been a number of devoted men who fought (beside him). They quailed not for aught that befell them in the way of Allah, nor did they weaken, nor were they brought low. Allah loveth the steadfast.” (3:146)

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“And with how many a prophet have there been a number of devoted men who fought (beside him). They quailed not for aught that befell them in the way of Allah, nor did they weaken, nor were they brought low. Allah loveth the steadfast.” (3:146)

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"And Allah loves the steadfast."

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“Their cry was only that they said: Our Lord! forgive us for our sins and wasted efforts, make our foothold sure, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.” (3:147)

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“Their cry was only that they said: Our Lord! forgive us for our sins and wasted efforts, make our foothold sure, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.” (3:147)

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"and our excess in our affair"

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"and plant firmly our feet"

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"and give us victory over the disbelieving people."

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“So Allah gave them the reward of the world and the good reward of the Hereafter. Allah loveth those whose deeds are good.” (3:148)

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"and the good reward of the Hereafter."

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"And Allah loves the doers of good."

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And He said regarding the supplication of the believers:

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"Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after"

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“Our Lord! Cause not our hearts to stray after Thou hast guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Thy Presence. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Bestower.” (3:8)

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"Indeed, You are the Bestower."

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In the two *Sahih*s,

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on the authority of al-Bara' (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

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I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

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on the Day of the Confederates (al-Ahzab) carrying earth,

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the dust concealing the whiteness of his stomach,

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while he was chanting:

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"Were it not for You, we would not have been guided,

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nor given in charity, nor prayed.

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So send down tranquility upon us,

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and make our feet firm when we meet the enemy!

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Indeed, the transgressors have rebelled against us;

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whenever they intend tribulation, we refuse!"

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Signposts on the Path of Steadfastness.