22وَلَمّا رَأَى المُؤمِنونَ الأَحزابَ قالوا هٰذا ما وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسولُهُ وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسولُهُ ۚ وَما زادَهُم إِلّا إيمانًا وَتَسليمًاAli UnalWhen the (true) believers saw the Confederates before them, they said: “This is what God and His Messenger promised us, and God is true and so is His Messenger. This has but increased them in faith and submission.1Since the hypocrites pursued only worldly gains and judged everything according to apparent circumstances, when they found themselves besieged in the center of Islam, they thought that the promises of God and His Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, concerning the future successes of Islam were a delusion. However, the true believers were well aware of the way in which God acts and of the fact that God did not promise them success without them having to do something in return. They knew that God would not leave them at ease merely because they had professed, “We have believed,” without putting them to a test. He certainly tested those who had preceded them. This was His unchanging way; it was done so that He might mark out with certainty those who proved to be true in their profession of faith, and so that He might mark out with certainty the liars (29: 2–3). He would certainly test them with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth, lives and benefits. The good tidings were for those who, when they were visited by an affliction, said: “Surely we belong to God (as His creatures and servants), and surely to Him we are bound to return” (2: 155–157), and they acted accordingly. He would certainly reward those who succeeded in the test and made them victorious. The Battle of the Trench once more showed that God and His Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, are always true to their promises.