Believers, why is it that when you are told to march for the cause of God, you seem to linger at home. Have you given preference to the worldly life over the life hereafter? The worldly gains compared to those of the next life are but very little. 38 If you do not go forth, He will chastise you with a painful chastisement and bring in your place a people other than you, and you will do Him no harm; and Allah has power over all things. 39 If you do not help him (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), Allah has helped him – when he had to go forth due to the mischief of the disbelievers, just as two men* – when they were in the cave, when he was saying to his companion “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us”; then Allah caused His calm to descend upon him and helped him with armies you did not see, and disgraced the word of the disbelievers; and Allah’s Word is supreme; and Allah is the Almighty, the Wise. (* The Holy Prophet migrated only with S. Abu Bakr (who later became the first caliph) as his sole companion.) 40 March forth whether light or heavy, and strive in the way of Allah with your belongings and your lives. That is best for you if you only knew it. 41 Were it a gain at hand or a short journey, they would have surely followed you, but the distance seemed too far to them. Still they will swear by Allah: "If only we could, we would surely have gone forth with you." They merely bring ruin upon themselves. Allah knows well that they are liars. 42