۞ INDEED, well-pleased was God with the believers when they pledged their allegiance unto thee [O Muhammad] under that tree, for He knew what was in their hearts; and so He bestowed inner peace upon them from on high, and rewarded them with [the glad tiding of] a victory soon to come 18 and many spoils to take; and God is ever All-mighty, All-wise. 19 God has promised that you will receive much booty. He has enabled you to receive this at this time and has protected you from enemies to make it an evidence (of the Truth) for the believers. He will guide you to the right path. 20 And there are yet other [gains] which are still beyond your grasp, [but] which God has already encompassed [for you]: for God has power over all things. 21 And if those who disbelieve join battle with you they will take to flight, and afterward they will find no protecting friend nor helper. 22 The tradition of Allah, ongoing since before; and you will not find the tradition of Allah changing. 23 It is He who kept peace between you and the people of the valley of Mecca after having given you a victory over them. God is Well Aware of what you do. 24 They are the ones who disbelieved and barred you from the Inviolable Mosque and prevented the animals you had designated for sacrifice from reaching the place of their offering. If it had not been for the believing men and believing women (who lived in Makkah and) whom you did not know, and had there not been the fear that you might trample on them and unwittingly incur blame on their account, (then fighting would not have been put to a stop. It was stopped so that) Allah may admit to His Mercy whomsoever He pleases. Had those believers been separated from the rest, We would certainly have inflicted a grievous chastise-ment on those of them [i.e. the Makkans) who disbelieved. 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