The purpose is seeking His pleasure, not conquering our enemy. We do not fight God for worldly desires, nor do we covet them. However, Allah Almighty has permitted this for us and made our spoils from it lawful. None of us cares if he has a qintar of gold or possesses only a dirham, because our worldly needs are met by a meal to satisfy our hunger for the night and day, and a cloak to cover ourselves. If one of us has only this, it is enough. If he has a qintar of gold, he spends it in the cause of Allah and is content with what he has. This will suffice him in this world, for worldly comfort is not true comfort, and its ease is not true ease. True comfort and ease are in the Hereafter. This is what Allah has commanded us, what our Prophet commanded us, and what He entrusted to us: that none of us should be concerned with worldly matters except what sustains his hunger and covers his nakedness. His concern and occupation should be in seeking His pleasure and fighting His enemy.

When the Muqawqis heard this, he said to those around him in their language, "Have you ever heard such words from this man? His appearance is awe-inspiring, and his words are even more so. Allah has brought forth this man and his companions to inhabit the earth. I do not think their kingdom will be confined to the earth; it will encompass it all." Then he turned to Ubadah and said, "O truthful man, I have heard your words and what you have mentioned about yourself and your companions. By my life, you have achieved this only through what you have mentioned, and you have only prevailed because of your desire for this world and your eagerness for it. The Romans have sent against us an army whose numbers cannot be counted, a people known for their bravery and strength. I do not need to tell you about their prowess or their fighting. I know that you will not be able to withstand them due to your small numbers and weakness. You have been among us for months, enduring hardship and scarcity in your sustenance and condition, yet we are pleased to make peace with you. We will grant each man ten dinars, their commander one hundred dinars, and your leader a thousand dinars. Take them and return to your lands before a calamity befalls you that you cannot withstand."

Ubadah replied, "O man, do not deceive yourself or your companions. As for what you threaten us with, the Roman army, their numbers, and their multitude, and our inability to face them, by my life, this is not what we fear, nor what will deter us from our purpose. If what you say is true, then by Allah, we will be even more eager to fight them and more resolute in facing them, because that will be a greater excuse for us before our Lord. If we fight for the Hereafter, it will be easier for us to attain His pleasure and His Paradise. Nothing is more pleasing to our eyes or more beloved to us than that. In that case, we will be on one of two good outcomes: either we gain spoils of this world if we defeat you, or we gain the spoils of the Hereafter if you defeat us. These are the two most beloved outcomes to us after our striving. Allah Almighty said in His Book, 'How often has a small company overcome a large company by Allah's permission. And Allah is with the patient.' (Quran 2:249) None of us but prays to his Lord in the morning and evening for martyrdom and not to be returned to his homeland."