Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of Repentance.
Surah An-Nasr (The Divine Support) — Full Text
Ayah 1
إِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْفَتْحُ
When the victory of Allāh has come and the conquest,1
This surah was revealed near the very end of the Prophet's life, and it opens with a promise: when God's help arrives and Makkah is finally conquered. After years of persecution, exile, and struggle, the Prophet and his community were about to see everything come full circle — returning victorious to the city that once drove them out. But there's a bittersweet layer here too: this victory was also a signal that the Prophet's mission on earth was nearly complete, like God saying "your work here is almost done."
And you see the people entering into the religion of Allāh in multitudes,
And that's exactly what happened — once Makkah was conquered, people started accepting Islam in massive waves, not just individuals but entire tribes and regions. A lot of these people had actually been convinced for a while but were held back by political pressure or fear of the ruling tribe. Once that barrier fell, it was like a dam breaking. Within just two years of the conquest, basically the entire Arabian Peninsula had embraced Islam.
Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of Repentance.1
Here's the beautiful part: at the peak of success, instead of celebrating or taking credit, the response should be to praise God and ask for His forgiveness. Real victory doesn't make you arrogant — it makes you more humble, because you realize none of it was possible without God's help. The Prophet took this so seriously that after this surah was revealed, he would constantly glorify God and seek forgiveness in his prayers, even more than before. It's a powerful lesson: no matter how much you accomplish, stay grateful, stay humble, and always remember where the help really came from.