۞ Allah was pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree and He knew what was in their hearts. Therefore, He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with a victory close by 18 and with many future gains -- God is mighty and wise. 19 God has promised you many future gains, and He has given you these in advance; and He has restrained the hands of men from harming you, so that it may be a sign for the believers, and so that He may guide you to a straight path. 20 Besides these, there were other gains which you could not receive, but God has full control over them. God has power over all things. 21 If the Unbelievers should fight you, they would certainly turn their backs; then would they find neither protector nor helper. 22 Such is the way of Allah in days gone by, and you shall find no change in the ways of Allah. 23 It is He who restrained their hands from you, and your hands from them, in the hollow of Mecca, after that He made you victors over them. God sees the things you do. 24 [It was not for your enemies sake that He stayed your hands from them: for] it was they who were bent on denying the truth, and who debarred you from the Inviolable House of Worship and prevented your offering from reaching its destination. And had it not been for the believing men and believing women [in Mecca,] whom you might have unwittingly trampled underfoot, and on whose account you might have become guilty, without knowing it, of a grievous wrong: [had it not been for this, you would have been allowed to fight your way into the city: but you were forbidden to fight] so that [in time] God might admit to His grace whomever He wills. Had they [who deserve Our mercy and they whom We have condemned] been clearly discernible [to you,] We would indeed have imposed grievous suffering [at your hands] on such of them as were bent on denying the truth. 25 When those who disbelieve had put in their hearts a zeal, the zeal of paganism, then Allah sent down His tranquillity upon His apostle and upon the believers, and kept them fixed on the way of piety, and they were worthy thereof and meet therefor; and Allah is of everything ever Knower. 26