O People who Believe! Do not be like the disbelievers who said regarding their brothers who went on a journey or on holy war, “If they had been here with us they would not have died or been killed” – so that Allah may make it as despair in their hearts; and Allah gives life and causes death; and Allah is seeing your deeds. 156 And if you are killed in the cause of Allah or die - then forgiveness from Allah and mercy are better than whatever they accumulate [in this world]. 157 And whether you die or are killed, unto Allah you will be gathered. 158 It was by some mercy of God that thou wast gentle to them; hadst thou been harsh and hard of heart, they would have scattered from about thee. So pardon them, and pray forgiveness for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; and when thou art resolved, put thy trust in God; surely God loves those who put their trust. 159 If God helps you, none can overcome you, but if He withdraws His help from you, who is there who can help you besides Him? In God, then, let the believers place their trust! 160 And it is not attributable to a prophet that he should act unfaithfully; and he who acts unfaithfully shall bring that in respect of which he has acted unfaithfully on the day of resurrection; then shall every soul be paid back fully what it has earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. 161 Is then he who strives after God's goodly acceptance like unto him who has earned the burden of God's condemnation and whose goal is hell? - and how vile a journey's end! 162 They are in varying gardens in the sight of Allah, and Allah sees well all that they do. 163 Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error. 164 Why [is it that] when a [single] disaster struck you [on the day of Uhud], although you had struck [the enemy in the battle of Badr] with one twice as great, you said, "From where is this?" Say, "It is from yourselves." Indeed, Allah is over all things competent. 165 What hit you the day the two armies met was by the permission of Allah, so that He might know the believers 166 And in order to expose them who turned hypocrites; and it was said to them, “Come, fight in Allah's cause, or repel the enemy”; they answered, “If we knew how to fight, we would certainly have been with you”; and on that day they were nearer to open disbelief than to professed faith; they utter with their mouths what is not in their hearts; and Allah knows well what they hide. – 167 (They are) the ones who said about their killed brethren while they themselves sat (at home): "If only they had listened to us, they would not have been killed." Say: "Avert death from your ownselves, if you speak the truth." 168 But do not think of those that have been slain in God's cause as dead. Nay, they are alive! With their Sustainer have they their sustenance, 169 rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them out of His bounty, jubilant that neither fear nor grief shall come upon the believers left behind in the world who have not yet joined them. 170 ۞ they rejoice in the glad tiding of God's blessings and bounty, and [in the promise] that God will not fail to requite the believers 171