O you who have attained to faith! Be not like those who are bent on denying the truth and say of their brethren [who die] after having set out on a journey to faraway places or gone forth to war, "Had they but remained with us, they would not have died," or, "they would not have been slain" - for God will cause such thoughts to become a source of bitter regret in their hearts, since it is God who grants life and deals death. And God sees all that you do. 156 If you were to die or to be killed for the cause of God, certainly His forgiveness and mercy is far better than your worldly gains. 157 And if you die or are killed, before Allah you shall all be gathered. 158 It was by that Mercy of Allah that you (Prophet Muhammad) dealt so leniently with them. Had you been harsh and hardhearted, they would have surely deserted you. Therefore, pardon them and ask forgiveness for them. Take counsel with them in the matter and when you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Allah loves those who trust. 159 If God is there to help you none will overcome you; and if He forsake you, who will help you other than Him? So only in God should the faithful place their trust. 160 And it is unimaginable that any Prophet would hide something; and whoever hides it, will bring what he hid with him on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul will be paid in full for whatever they earned; and they will not be wronged. 161 Can one who seeks the pleasure of God, be like one who incurs the wrath of God and whose abode shall be Hell -- an evil destination? 162 They are in varying gardens in the sight of Allah, and Allah sees well all that they do. 163 God has favoured the faithful by sending an apostle to them from among themselves, who recites to them His messages, and reforms and teaches them the Law and the judgement, for they were clearly in error before. 164 And was it so, when a disaster smote you, though ye had smitten (them with a disaster) twice (as great), that ye said: How is this? Say (unto them, O Muhammad): It is from yourselves. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things. 165 And what you suffered (of the disaster) on the day (of the battle of Uhud when) the two armies met, was by the leave of Allah, in order that He might test the believers. 166 and that He might know the hypocrites' When it was said to them: 'Come, fight or repel in the way of Allah' They replied: 'If only we knew how to fight, we would follow you' On that day, they were nearer to disbelief than belief. They said with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah knows what they hide. 167 Those who said about their brothers while sitting [at home], "If they had obeyed us, they would not have been killed." Say, "Then prevent death from yourselves, if you should be truthful." 168 And reckon not thou those slain in the way of Allah to be dead. Nay, they are alive, and with their Lord, and provided for. 169 exulting in that [martyrdom] which God has bestowed upon them out of His bounty. And they rejoice in the glad tiding given to those [of their brethren] who have been left behind and have not yet joined them, that no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve: 170 ۞ They rejoice at the favours and bounties of Allah, and at the awareness that Allah will not cause the reward of the believers to be lost. 171