All praise be to Allah. May peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, Companions, and those who followed his guidance!

Whoever ponders on the Noble Qur'an that Allah (Exalted be He) sent down to explain all things and to be the means of guidance, mercy, and glad tidings for Muslims, will find a manifest revelation of the means to attain victory, empowerment on earth, and the defeat of enemies regardless of their strength. It is clear that these means and factors are all related to two basic factors: true faith in Allah and His Messenger and sincere Jihad (fighting) in the Cause of Allah. It is well­known that the legal Iman (faith) with which Allah (Exalted be He) has associated victory and good reward includes devotion to Allah (Exalted be He) in every act, following His ordinances, and abstaining from His prohibitions. Iman includes obligatory adherence to Shari`ah (Islamic law) as the judgment of all matters in society, enjoining the virtues, preventing the vices, and referring all disputes among the people to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet) of His Messenger (peace be upon him). It also includes obligatory preparation of every possible means of power to defend the religion and to fight those who deviate from Al­Haqq (the Truth) until they return to it.

The second factor is true Jihad and it is also one of the obligatory acts of Iman. Allah (Exalted be He) has drawn our attention to it and mentioned it in many places

of His Book. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also enjoined and aroused interest in Jihad because of its great importance and the dire need for it. Most people can not be deterred from their falsehood by mere menace and threat, so there should be a ruling deterrent to make them abide by the

Truth and prevent them from falsehood. Whenever any nation possesses these two basic factors; believing in Allah (Exalted be He) and His Messenger and Jihad in the Cause of Allah, they will be victorious and Allah (Exalted be He) will empower them on earth and grant them succession. This is Allah's Promise that can never be broken and Allah's Way (of conducting affairs) can never be changed. The early generations of this Ummah (nation) were granted honor, empowerment, and victory over their enemies, thus proving the evidence mentioned in the Noble Qur'an and the Sunnah of the honest Messenger (peace be upon him). Anyone who has an idea about Muslim history will be certain that what we have mentioned is true and can never be ignored; the only reason for that was the sincerity of the early generations in their belief in Allah (Exalted be He) and His Messenger and their defense of the Cause of Allah by word, action, and belief. Dear Muslim brothers, here are some Ayahs (Qur'anic verses) confirming this concept to be fully aware and well­informed. You can call to the Path of your Lord and draw the attention of your Muslim brothers to the factors that bring about victory and (warn them against) the causes of defeat. It is authentically narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Verily, if Allah were to guide just one man through you, it would be better for you than red camels." Allah (Glorified be He) says, O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allâh, He will help you, and make your foothold firm. Mufassirs (exegetes of the Qur'an) unanimously decided that supporting Allah (Glorified be He) means, supporting His religion by acting upon its teachings, calling to it and fighting those who oppose it. This is evident in another Ayah from Surah Al­Hajj in which Allah (Glorified be He) says,