[1730] They said this out of sheer desperation (cf. al-Jazā’irī).
[1731] This is not merely a wish but a prayer of a most noble Messenger of God and, somehow a promise to his people (cf. Abū Ḥayyān, Riḍā). What follows is a detailing of how this prayer was answered and the promise fulfilled. This is how great leaders shine like stars in the dark in the most adverse of circumstances.