۞ 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 Allah promiseth you much booty that ye will capture, and hath given you this in advance, and hath withheld men's hands from you, that it may be a token for the believers, and that He may guide you on a right 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 And [now,] if they who are bent on denying the truth should fight against you, they will indeed turn their backs [in flight,] and will find none to protect them and none to bring them succour: 22 That has been the Way of Allah already with those who passed away before. And you will not find any change in the Way of Allah. 23 And He it is Who restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the vale of Makka, after He had made you superior to them; and Allah is of that which ye work ever a Beholder. 24 It were those who disbelieved who hindered you from (going to) the Holy Mosque, preventing your offerings from arriving at the place of sacrifice. Had it not been for (the presence of) believers, men and women, (among the unbelievers) of whom you were unaware, and whom you might have trampled and thus incurred guilt unknowingly on account of them, (the matter would have been settled). (But this was not done) so that God may admit into His favour whom He willed. If these (believers) had been separated from them, He would have inflicted a grievous punishment on the unbelievers. 25 (This is why) when the unbelievers set in their hearts a fierce bigotry -- the bigotry of ignorance -- Allah bestowed inner peace upon His Messenger and upon the believers and made the word of piety binding on them. They were more deserving and worthier thereof. Allah has knowledge of everything. 26