۞ God was pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you [Prophet] under the tree: He knew what was in their hearts and so He sent tranquillity down to them and rewarded them with a victory near at hand 18 And abundant spoils that they will capture. And Allah 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 Besides these, there were other gains which you could not receive, but God has full control over them. God has power over all things. 21 And if those [Makkans] who disbelieve had fought you, they would have turned their backs [in flight]. Then they would not find a protector or a helper. 22 (Such has been) the practice (approved) of Allah already in the past: no change wilt thou find in the practice (approved) of Allah. 23 He it is Who restrained their hands from you, and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah, even though He had made you victorious against them. Allah was watching all that you did. 24 It were those who disbelieved who hindered you from (going to) the Holy Mosque, preventing your offerings from arriving at the place of sacrifice. Had it not been for (the presence of) believers, men and women, (among the unbelievers) of whom you were unaware, and whom you might have trampled and thus incurred guilt unknowingly on account of them, (the matter would have been settled). (But this was not done) so that God may admit into His favour whom He willed. If these (believers) had been separated from them, He would have inflicted a grievous punishment on the unbelievers. 25 When the unbelievers fostered a sense of honour in their hearts, a sense of pagan honour, God sent down a sense of tranquility on His Apostle and the believers, and obliged them to an act of self-restraint, for they were deserving and worthy of it. God is cognisant of everything. 26