If this verse is to be taken as referring to the conquest of Mecca...

If this verse is to be taken as referring to the conquest of Mecca, even then it holds good, if it means to say that the people must prove their worthiness or value to the Truth in Islam by bearing the hardest trials with constant prayers to the Lord; for prayer suggests the praying individual's acknowledgment of God's Omnipotence and the individual's confidence in God being the All-Merciful one, as the only One who can grant the prayers of the sincere supplicants.

Real Faith can never be mere empty words. It must express or manifest itself through patience or endurance in all that befalls the individual to show his faithfulness to God, and the help from God must be sought through prayers or supplications to the Lord. The aid of Allah requires eligibility. This eligibility is confirmed by two things: The first is having patience in worldly hardships and perseverance in bearing its bitter circumstances.

And also having patience in tolerating the hardship of performing Divine services, and obtaining knowledge and good ethics, patience in withholding one's self from lusts and the fleeting pleasure of committing sins and yeilding to low desires, is necessary. This bitterness of hardship, which is short in time, finally results in a sweet fruit which lasts a long time.

Concerning the epithets of the true believers, Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (a.s.) has said: " The short 19 period of patience resulted in a long period of tranquility for them." (1) The term / sabr / ' patience ', in this verse, is rendered into ' fasting ' and 'holy war '. The second thing is ' prayer ' which is the highest means of turning towards and approaching Allah by which we may seek help and aid from that Origin of favour and Grace.

Some commentators have rendered the term / salat / into ' supplication ' whose explanation demands a separate chapter. Some others, based on some Islamic traditions, have interpreted it into the ' obligatory prayers ' and ' supererogatory prayers' .

For example: it is cited in Tafsir 'Ayyashi narrated from Fudayl from Imam Baqir (a.s.) who said: " O' Fudayl, convey our salam (regards) to our followers whom you visit and tell them I say that I avail you aught (in keeping you far) from the punishment of Allah save by piety. Then, they must control their tongues and be careful of their hands. They should be attentive to patience and prayer.