How many a prophet has been killed qutila a variant reading has qātala ‘has fought’ the subject of the verb being the person governing it and with him ma‘ahu the predicate the subject of which follows thousands manifold fought but they fainted not they did not shrink in the face of what afflicted them in God’s way of wounds and the slaying of their prophets and companions; they neither weakened in the face of struggle nor did they humble themselves nor did they succumb to their enemy as you did when it was said that the Prophet s had been killed. And God loves the patient during trials meaning that He will reward them.