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Defining Nasr: 12 ingredients for victory from the Quran

ByShaykh Haytham Tamim

In Arabic, the word nasr (نصر) appears 33 times in the Quran. What does it mean?

Nasr is commonly understood as “victory”. However, when you turn to the linguist, Ibn Faris (395 H), in “Mu’jam maqayees Al-Lughah” whose dictionary is a key reference in Arabic, the root word nasara (نصر) means ‘bringing or facilitating goodness. This was a surprising revelation, as it expands our understanding of nasr beyond just military or physical victory. It means that when you are granted nasr, Allah is facilitating goodness for you, guiding you towards success. It also has the meaning of help, or divine support.

Nasr varies on the context

Ibn Mandhur, in his dictionary, “Lisan al-Arab”, defines nasr as we know it, as victory. In the context of the seerah (the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him), we see that the concept of nasr varies according to his situation. Victory is not just winning a battle, it is broader than that.

It’s divided into inward and outward.

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in Makkah or in Madinah we see that  the nasr he experienced varied according to his circumstances and his goals – victory was not just about the battlefield, it was in the overturning of erroneous polytheistic beliefs that the  Quraysh had inherited. Nasr was overcoming the various obstacles that kept blocking his mission and of spreading imaan (faith) and belief. This was victory.

In Makkah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) simply wanted the chance to be able to deliver the message to people in peace, unhindered by the hostility and prejudices and conniving of his opponents. The challenge he faced was to bring belief to a community who were unwilling to even think about it, let alone it. Thus, the focus in Makkah was the individual and laying the foundations for cultivating future leaders, so it was inward.

Madinah presented a different set of challenges for the Prophet (peace be upon him). While he still faced ignorance within the community, his focus shifted towards establishing and safeguarding an Islamic society. In Madinah, the Prophet worked to instill and strengthen imaan (faith) within the community, while also protecting it from both internal and external threats. Internally, there were hypocrites as well as tensions between believers and disbelievers, posing a constant danger from within. Externally, the Muslim community faced opposition from surrounding tribes and enemies. As a result, nasr was about strengthening the community, as well as protecting it from external and internal threats.

Residing in London, there is no battlefield. What is nasr for us? It is to have firm faith, and to build a family of strong believers in a secular society. It is to live without compromising your principles and integrity and preserving your Muslim identity. In contrast, for the people of Gaza, where they are under constant threat and living in unimaginable conditions, defending their right to exist, nasr is about resilience, perseverance and survival.

In the Quran, Allah gives us great optimism, when He says in Surat Ale Imran:

إِن یَنصُرۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمۡۖ

If Allah helps you, no one can defeat you. [3:160]

In Surat asSaffat, He says:

وَلَقَدۡ سَبَقَتۡ كَلِمَتُنَا لِعِبَادِنَا ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِینَ

إِنَّهُمۡ لَهُمُ ٱلۡمَنصُورُونَ

وَإِنَّ جُندَنَا لَهُمُ ٱلۡغَـٰلِبُونَ

And Our Word has already come to pass in favour of Our servants, the messengers

(that) they are the ones who will be supported,

and verily it is Our forces (of chosen servants) that prevails. [37:171-173]

In this verse, the word ‘Jund’ is not soldiers, but forces. It means that the forces of Allah will prevail. This is a promise from Allah that no matter what happens or how many obstacles you have, of which we have plenty, the servants of Allah will win.

Imagine if the Prophet (peace be upon him) was here today watching the calamities of the Ummah? Watching the massacred in Gaza daily and in Lebanon, watching ourselves killing each other in Sudan and watching Arab leaders betraying one another. What would be his response? He would be so upset and angry to see his Ummah fighting one another. Among his last words, he said in his Farewell Sermon to the Ummah that they should not return to fighting and kill each other:

عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:

Abu Bakra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

لاَ تَرْجِعُوا بَعْدِي كُفَّارًا يَضْرِبُ بَعْضُكُمْ رِقَابَ بَعْضٍ

Do not revert to disbelief after me by striking the necks (beheading) of one another. (Bukhari and Muslim)

We are sorry, Rasul Allah, that we have turned against each other, and we are betraying each other. May Allah forgive us.

How do we achieve victory in our current scenario?

Scholars have extracted 12 conditions from the Quran that enable us to achieve victory. If we apply these, we will achieve victory.

1. Faith (imaan)

Allah says:

وَلا تَهِنُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الأَعْلَوْنَ إن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are true believers (Surah Al-Imran:139)

 وَلَن يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلاً

And never will Allah give the disbelievers a way over the believers (Surah An-Nisa:141)

إنَّ اللَّهَ يُدَافِعُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا

Indeed, Allah defends those who have believed (Surah Al-Hajj:38)

وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

And Allah is with the believers (Surah Al-Anfal:19)

Regardless where you are on the scale of imaan, you need a good connection with Allah. Don’t expect victory if you do not have a strong connection with Him. If you don’t have this, and despite it, you are victorious on the battlefield, you have won the battle in dunya, but lost the akhirah.

2. Righteous deeds (‘amal salih)

These are acts performed sincerely for Allah and in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Righteous deeds are those that are free from showing off and in accordance with the Sunnah.

Allah says:

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا

Allah has promised those who believe among you and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession in the land just as He granted it to those before them. He will establish for them their religion, which He has chosen for them, and He will surely replace their fear with security, provided they worship Me and do not associate anything with Me. (Surah An-Nur:55)

3. Fear of Allah (taqwa)

It means fulfilling obligatory duties and avoiding what has been prohibited. Complete taqwa is attained by fulfilling recommended acts and avoiding disliked acts and doubtful matters. Allah says:

إنَّ الأَرْضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

The land belongs to Allah. He gives it as inheritance to whom He wills of His servants, and the final outcome is for the righteous. (Surah Al-A’raf:128)

4. Increasing remembrance of Allah and making supplication (dhikr and dua)

Allah says:

 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إذَا لَقِيتُمْ فِئَةً فَاثْبُتُوا وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

O you who have believed, when you encounter a force, be firm and remember Allah much, so that you may be successful. (Surah Al-Anfal:45)

Nasr comes when you are engaged in remembrance of Allah. So, never forget Allah even in the midst of a calamity, be in the sate of remembrance of Allah, that is when you need Him most.

5. Unity and avoiding division

Allah says:

وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلا تَفَرَّقُوا

And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. (Surah Al-Imran:103)

Unity is important because we have disunited. Even though we are nearly 2 billion Muslims, it is useless and sadly, through our disunity, we have lost respect

6. Allegiance to the believers and disavowal of the oppressors

Allah says:

وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَإنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْغَالِبُونَ

And whoever allies himself with Allah and His Messenger and those who have believed—indeed, the party of Allah will be victorious. (Surah Al-Ma’idah:56)

We need to be connected as believers, but our situation is the opposite of that today. Some of our Ummah are supporting enemies, rather than their brothers and sisters.

7. Devotion to Allah (ikhlas)

Allah says:

﴿ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ

O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet. (Surah Muhammad:7)

8. Sacrifice

Allah says:

إنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ

Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their wealth in exchange for Paradise. (Surah At-Tawbah:111)

You should be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of Allah – be it your life, your wealth or anything you possess. This is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions did – they left behind their families, property and wealth when they migrated to Madinah to safeguard Islam and protect their faith.

9. Preparation

Allah says:

وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَآخَرِينَ مِن دُونِهِمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِن شَيْءٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لا تُظْلَمُونَ
Prepare against them whatever strength you can muster and horses tethered, to strike fear in the hearts of Allah’s enemies and your enemies. (Surah Al-Anfal:60)

Prepare as much as you can. Preparation is one of the main ingredients of victory.

10. Patience (sabr)

Allah says:

وَإن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا لا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا إنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ

But if you are patient and conscious of Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do. (Surah Al-Imran: 120)

The people of Gaza have shown us a living embodiment of this verse. They have redefined patience, demonstrating resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity. They have redefined izzah (honour) and wafa (loyalty), holding steadfast to their faith and principles despite the constant threat to their lives. From them, we are learning the true essence of humanity—what it means to endure with dignity and compassion.

11. Reliance on Allah (tawakkul)

This means trusting in Allah while availing ourselves of the necessary means to achieve our aims. Allah says:

إن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّنْ بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

If Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who is there that can aid you after Him? (Surah Al-Imran:160)

Do your best and leave the rest to Allah. Do not rely on your own power, because you are powerless. Tawakkul is a key ingredient. The Prophet (peace be upon him) distinguished between true tawakkul and false tawakkul. He said if we rely on Allah with a true reliance, He would provide for us as He provides for the birds.

عن عمر بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:

Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:


لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ تَوَكَّلُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ حَقَّ تَوَكُّلِهِ لَرَزَقَكُمْ كَمَا يَرْزُقُ الطَّيْرَ تَغْدُو خِمَاصًا وَتَرُوحُ بِطَانًا

If you were to rely upon Allah with the reliance He is truly due, you would be provided for like the birds: they go out in the morning with empty stomachs and return full. (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)

By the example of a diminutive bird, rather than a ferocious beast who hunts its prey, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was teaching us a lesson. How does a bird return to its nest with full stomach? It does not attend virtual meetings and sit at a desk from 9-5, however, it does go out to seek its provision, and Allah provides for it. It does not sit in its nest waiting for food to descend. Rather, it flaps its wings and flies off. This is the depiction of how to demonstrate full tawakkul. Shayakh Sha’rawi said the mission of the heart is to practice tawakkul and the mission of the body is to do actions.

12. Face reality

In order to achieve victory, we have to face our reality. Sometimes we tend to escape our reality. Yet we see from the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he suffered for 13 years, yet he always faced his reality. He could have walked away on the first day and abandoned his mission, yet he was persistent. He could have remained in Makkah, but Allah commanded him to leave. When he received the command to leave, he prepared for his departure and left, even though it was his home and it was the most beloved city to him. He was dealing with reality, and not burying his head in the sand. We too need to face our reality.

On a practical level, what should we do? Victories can vary from minor to major, but no victory comes without effort. It requires preparation.

We are individuals, families, a society and a global Ummah. At an individual level we have to check the list of ingredients, and see where we are. Do we have a good connection with Allah? Are we making continuous dhikr? Do we have sabr? And have we acquired a good education and good understanding of the Quran and Sunnah? Do we understand the reasons behind the fall of societies? These are the first things we have to check ourselves for.

The motto of our Utrujj Foundation, “Learn, understand, love, and live Islam,” highlights a vital process that must be embraced fully. Too often, we try to jump to the end point, wanting to live Islam without first learning about it, understanding it, and coming to love it. This approach is particularly crucial for our children. Islam is not a set of rituals to be followed robotically; whether you are a child or an adult, you must begin by understanding the faith. With learning, you come to understand and love Islam when see the wisdom of Allah behind His rulings and the divine revelation.

Nasr in life is the result of a process—an accumulation of faith, understanding, and righteous actions. By following the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this journey, we move closer to achieving true success and victory, both spiritually and in the challenges we face.

Learning from him and his experience how he raised the Companions, and nurtured their spiritual growth by night prayer, how he gave continuous dawah and spread Islam among people.

Do your best, but remember that the timing of success is not in our hands. It is in Allah’s hand, so don’t be sad if victory is not yours tomorrow. Our children are impatient and want everything yesterday, let alone tomorrow. They want to eat the fruit before planting the seeds. This is our nature, hasty.

Rising from defeat

When we read Surat Ale Imran, nearly a third of it talks about rising from defeat. Allah gives us lessons from the defeat of Muslims at the Battle of Uhud. It shows us how to rise and the reasons behind victory from a psychological, spiritual and physical point of view.

Allah stated:

 ‏وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Do not be weak and do not grieve, for you will be superior if you are true believers. (3:139)

Allah teaches us that we will face calamities and tests that will sadden us, but we should not allow that sadness to turn into depression. Do not fall into a state of despair. Imaan (faith) is the antidote to depression. Do not be weak or let yourself be broken. Who will mend your weakness? Allah. If you rely solely on yourself, anything can break you. But if you rely on Allah, He will strengthen you.

For 13 years, the Prophet (peace be upon him) tirelessly sought support, knocking on every door, but no one supported him until year 11 before the Hijrah. Six people came to Makkah from Yathrib to perform Hajj. The Prophet (peace be upon him) never anticipated that these six people would be the key to his victory. Yet, from those six people, the revolution began—this was the start of the Ansar and the establishment of Madinah. It wasn’t 60 or 600,000 people—it was just six who changed the course of history.

So do not think something is beyond your capacity, no matter how big it seems. Why can’t you be one of those who initiate change? You can be the game-changer. All it takes is choosing the right opportunity, the right time, making the right preparations and the right intention. Most importantly, keep your connection with Allah strong.

At the marches in London we see Muslims alongside many diverse communities standing shoulder to shoulder. We need to forge more alliances with other communities. The Prophet (peace be upon him) made alliances with non-Muslim tribes, Jews, and others, as long as those alliances aligned with Islamic principles. In the protests and movements we see today, there are good alliances, and we must nurture them. But also, we must put our house in order—both as a community and within our own homes.

This is how we prepare for victory. Without this foundation, we are simply living on false hopes.

Surat an-Nasr

The surah, which is named Nasr, and dedicated to the resounding victory Allah gave to the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he conquered Makkah (Fath Makkah). This marked a turning point in Islamic history and the culmination of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) mission, when Islam was established in his birthplace, the home of the Kabah, whose people had rejected and opposed the divine message. The surah reflects the divine help (nasr) that made this victory possible.

إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ
وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا

When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, and you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes, then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance. (110:1-3)

Also worth noting is that the Ansar (helpers) of Madinah, whose name derives from the word nasr, played a crucial role in the spread and victory of Islam. Their support laid the foundation for the Prophet to establish the first Islamic state in Madinah. Without their help, the eventual conquest of Makkah and the final victory of Islam would not have been possible. The Ansar’s role can be seen as a manifestation of Allah’s nasr because their assistance was key to achieving the victory mentioned in the surah.

We ask Allah to enable us to follow the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to be part of the change that leads to true victory. It is not far off, for Allah is All-Powerful. But it requires resilience, devotion, and action from us, and then, by Allah’s permission, change will come.

Delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 13th Oct 2024 at Nadi at the Evening on Reflections on the Causes of Victory from the Seerah.

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