O you who have attained to faith! Be not like those who are bent on denying the truth and say of their brethren [who die] after having set out on a journey to faraway places or gone forth to war, "Had they but remained with us, they would not have died," or, "they would not have been slain" - for God will cause such thoughts to become a source of bitter regret in their hearts, since it is God who grants life and deals death. And God sees all that you do. 156 And were you to be slain or to die in the way of Allah, then surely Allah's forgiveness and mercy are better than all the goods they amass. 157 What though ye be slain or die, when unto Allah ye are gathered? 158 So what a great mercy it is from Allah that you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), are lenient towards them; and if you had been stern and hardhearted (unsympathetic) they would have certainly been uneasy in your company; so forgive them and intercede for them and consult with them in the conduct of affairs; and when you decide upon something, rely upon Allah; indeed Allah loves those who trust (Him). 159 If Allah is your helper none can overcome you, and if He withdraw His help from you, who is there who can help you after Him? In Allah let believers put their trust. 160 It is not for a prophet to be false; and whoever is false will indeed bring his falsehood with him on the Day of Reckoning when each will receive his reward without favour or wrong. 161 Is one who followeth the pleasure of Allah as one who hath earned condemnation from Allah, whose habitation is the Fire, a hapless journey's end? 162 Of diverse degrees shall be they with Allah, and Allah is Beholder of that which they work. 163 God has favoured the faithful by sending an apostle to them from among themselves, who recites to them His messages, and reforms and teaches them the Law and the judgement, for they were clearly in error before. 164 Is it that when a reverse hath befallen you, albeit ye had inflicted twice as much, ye say: whence is this? Say thou: it is but from yourselves. Verily Allah is over everything Potent. 165 and all that befell you on the day when the two hosts met in battle happened by God's leave, so that He might mark out the [true] believers, 166 and that He might know the hypocrites' When it was said to them: 'Come, fight or repel in the way of Allah' They replied: 'If only we knew how to fight, we would follow you' On that day, they were nearer to disbelief than belief. They said with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah knows what they hide. 167 Those who spoke regarding their brothers while they themselves stayed back at home, “Had they listened to us, they would not have been slain”; say (to them, O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), “Then avert your own death, if you are truthful!” 168 Do not think of those slain for the cause of God as dead. They are alive with their Lord and receive sustenance from Him. 169 Happy over what Allah has bestowed upon them from His grace, and rejoicing for those who will succeed them, and have not yet joined them; for on them is no fear nor any grief. 170 ۞ They rejoice at the favours and bounties of Allah, and at the awareness that Allah will not cause the reward of the believers to be lost. 171