HOW COULD they who ascribe divinity to aught beside God be granted a covenant by God and His Apostle, unless it be those [of them] with whom you [O believers] have made a covenant in the vicinity of the Inviolable House of Worship? [As for the latter,] so long as they remain true to you, be true to them: for, verily, God loves those who are conscious of Him. 7 How (can they be trusted)? If they prevail against you they will neither observe pacts nor good faith with you. They flatter you with their tongues, but their hearts are averse to you, for most of them are iniquitous. 8 They barter away the words of God for a petty price, and obstruct (others) from His path. How evil indeed are the things they do! 9 They neither have any respect for kinship nor for agreement in respect of the believers. Such are indeed transgressors. 10 Yet if they repent, and perform the prayer, and pay the alms, then they are your brothers in religion; and We distinguish the signs for a people who know. 11 And if they break their promises after making a treaty and malign your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief – indeed their promises are nothing – in the hope that they may desist. 12 Will you not fight against those who have broken their oaths and conspired to banish the Messenger? They were the first to attack you. Do you fear them? Surely God is more deserving of your fear, if you are true believers. 13 Fight against them! God will chastise them by your hands, and will bring disgrace upon them, and will succour you against them; and He will soothe the bosoms of those who believe, 14 He will take away all anger from their hearts: Allah turns to whomsoever He will. Allah is Knowing, Wise. 15 Or think ye that ye shall be abandoned, as though Allah did not know those among you who strive with might and main, and take none for friends and protectors except Allah, His Messenger, and the (community of) Believers? But Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do. 16