God pardon thee! Why gavest thou them leave, till it was clear to thee which of them spoke the truth, and thou knewest the liars? 43 Those who believe in God and the Last Day will never ask you to exempt them from striving with their wealth and their lives, God best knows the righteous, 44 They only ask leave of thee who believe not in God and the Last Day, those whose hearts are filled with doubt, so that in their doubt they go this way and that. 45 ۞ Had they truly intended to march forth to fight, they would have certainly made some preparation for it. But Allah was averse to their going forth, so He made them lag behind, and they were told: "Stay behind with those that are staying behind." 46 Had they gone forth among you, they would only have increased your burden, and run to and fro in your midst, seeking to stir up sedition between you; and some of you would listen to them; and Allah knows the harmdoers. 47 Aforetime they sought to cause sedition and raised difficulties for thee till the Truth came and the decree of Allah was made manifest, though they were loth. 48 And among them is one who requests you that, “Grant me exemption (from fighting) and do not put me to test”; pay heed! They have indeed fallen into trial; and indeed hell surrounds the disbelievers. 49 If good comes to you, it grieves them; but if hardship befalls you, they say: 'We have taken our precautions' and they turn away, rejoicing. 50 Say: "Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Maula (Lord, Helper and Protector)." And in Allah let the believers put their trust. 51 Say: Do you await for us but one of two most excellent things? And we await for you that Allah will afflict you with punishment from Himself or by our hands. So wait; we too will wait with you. 52 Tell them: "You may spend (in the way of God), whether willingly or with reluctance, it will not be accepted from you, for you are reprobates." 53 Nothing prevents the acceptance of what they spend except that they do not believe in God and His Apostle, and come to worship but languidly and spend only grudgingly. 54 Let not then their property and their children excite your admiration; Allah only wishes to chastise them with these in this world's life and (that) their souls may depart while they are unbelievers. 55 And they swear by Allah that they are surely of you, whereas they are not of you; but they are a people who dread. 56 Should they find a refuge, or caves, or a place of concealment, they would turn straightway thereto with a swift rush. 57 And of them is he who defameth thee in the matter of the alms. If they are given thereof they are content, and if they are not given thereof, behold! they are enraged. 58 If only they had been content with what God and His Messenger had given them and had said, "God is sufficient for us. God will give us out of His bounty, and so will His Messenger. To God alone do we turn with hope!" 59