O you who believe! be not like those who disbelieve and say of their brethren when they travel in the earth or engage in fighting: Had they been with us, they would not have died and they would not have been slain; so Allah makes this to be an intense regret in their hearts; and Allah gives life and causes death and Allah sees what you do. 156 If you should be killed in the way of Allah or die, the Forgiveness and Mercy from Allah would surely be better than all you amass. 157 And whether ye die or be slain, assuredly unto Allah shall ye be gathered. 158 Only through the Divine Mercy have you (Muhammad) been able to deal with your followers so gently. If you had been stern and hard-hearted, they would all have deserted you a long time ago. Forgive them and ask God to forgive (their sins) and consult with them in certain matters. But, when you reach a decision, trust God. God loves those who trust Him. 159 If Allah assists you, then there is none that can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, who is there then that can assist you after Him? And on Allah should the believers rely. 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 Is a man who has followed the pleasure of God the same as he who has incurred His wrath, whose abode is surely Hell, a dreadful place? 162 They are on [entirely] different levels in the sight of God; for God sees all that they do. 163 Assuredly Allah hath conferred a benefit on the believers when He raised up unto them an apostle from amongst themselves, he rehearseth unto them His revelations and purifieth them and teacheth them the Book and wisdom, and afore they were in an error manifest. 164 AND DO YOU, now that a calamity has befallen you after you had inflicted twice as much [on your foes,] ask yourselves, "How has this come about?" Say: "It has come from your own selves." Verily, God has the power to will anything: 165 What befell you on the day when the two hosts met was by the leave of Allah, and in order that He might mark out those who believe 166 and who were the hypocrites. When the hypocrites were asked to fight for the cause of God or to defend the city, they replied, "Had we known before that you would fight, we would certainly not have followed you." At that time they were closer to disbelief than to faith. They speak words that do not come from their hearts. God knows well whatever they try to hide. 167 There are those who themselves did not join the others in fighting for the cause of God and said about their brothers, "Had they listened to us and stayed at home, they would not have been killed." (Muhammad), tell them to save themselves from death if they are true in their claim. 168 Do not think of those who have been killed in God's cause as dead. They are alive, and well provided for by their Lord; 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 on account of favor from Allah and (His) grace, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers. 171