O you who believe! Remember Allah's Favour to you, when there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a wind and forces that you saw not [i.e. troops of angels during the battle of AlAhzab (the Confederates)]. And Allah is Ever AllSeer of what you do. 9 When they came against you from above you and from below you, and when your eyes swerved and your hearts reached your throats, while you thought thoughts about God; 10 There the faithful were put to the proof and they were shaken as if by an earthquake. 11 And when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, began saying, “Allah and His Noble Messenger have not given us a promise except one of deceit.” 12 And when a party of them said: O inhabitants of Yathrib! there is no place for you, so return. And a part of them asked leave of the Prophet, saying: verily our houses lie open; whereas they lay not open; they only wished to flee. 13 And if entrance had been forced against them from those quarters, and then they had been asked to apostatise, they would have done so, and but tarried about it briefly. 14 And indeed before this they had agreed with Allah that they would not turn their backs; and the covenant of Allah will be questioned about. 15 Say: "Of no gain will be your running away if you run from death or being killed, even then you will enjoy the good things of life but only for a while." 16 ۞ Say: 'Who is he that shall defend you from God, if lie desires evil for you, or desires mercy for you?' They shall find for themselves, apart from God, neither protector nor helper. 17 Allah already knows those among you who keep back (men) from fighting in Allah's Cause, and those who say to their brethren "Come here towards us," while they (themselves) come not to the battle except a little. 18 They are niggardly in spending for you. When fear comes, you can see them looking at you, their eyes rolling about like to faint because of the agony of death. When their fear subsides, they start to bite you with their sharp tongues. They are miserly in spending for a virtuous cause and have no faith. God has turned their deeds devoid of all virtue. This was not at all difficult for God. 19 They think that the Confederates have not [really] withdrawn; and should the Confederates return, these [hypocrites] would prefer to be in the desert, among the bedouin, asking for news about you, [O believers, from far away;] and even were they to find themselves in your midst, they would but make a pretence at fighting [by your side]. 20