۞ Indeed Allah was truly pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you beneath the tree – so He knew what was in their hearts – He therefore sent down peace upon them, and rewarded them with an imminent victory. 18 And plenty of war booty, to take; and Allah is Most Honourable, Wise. 19 [O you who believe!] God has promised you many war-gains which you shall yet achieve; and He has vouchsafed you these [worldly gains] well in advance, and has stayed from you the hands of [hostile] people, so that this [your inner strength] may become a symbol to the believers [who will come after you,] and that He may guide you all on a straight way. 20 And one more, not within your capacity, is within Allah’s hold; and Allah is Able to do all things. 21 Had the unbelievers fought against you at that time, they would have turned their backs (in flight), and would have found none to protect or help them. 22 This is the law of God, effective as before: You will not find any change in the law of God. 23 And it is He Who has restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Makka, after that He gave you the victory over them. And Allah sees well all that ye do. 24 They were those who disbelieved, and hindered you from the Sacred Mosque, and hindered the detained offering that it should arrive at the goal thereof. And had it not been for believing men and believing women whom ye knew not, and that ye might have trampled on them, and thus there might have befallen you crime on their account unwittingly. But this He did that He might bring into His mercy whomsoever He will. Had they been distinguished one from another, surely We had tormented those who disbelieved among them with a torment afflictive. 25 When the unbelievers fostered a sense of honour in their hearts, a sense of pagan honour, God sent down a sense of tranquility on His Apostle and the believers, and obliged them to an act of self-restraint, for they were deserving and worthy of it. God is cognisant of everything. 26