The hypocrites, both men and women, are all alike. They enjoin what is evil, forbid what is right and they are niggardly when it comes to spending for the cause of God. They have forgotten God, so He has forgotten them. The hypocrites are the disobedient ones. 67 Allah has promised the hypocrites, both men and women, and the unbelievers the Fire of Gehenna. They shall live in it for ever. It is sufficient for them. Allah has cursed them and for them is a lasting punishment. 68 You are like those before you. They were stronger than you in might, and had greater riches and more children. They took enjoyment in their share, so do you take enjoyment in your share as those before you took enjoyment in their share. You have plunged as they plunged. Those, their works are annulled, failed in this world and in the Everlasting Life, those, they are the losers. 69 Have, then, the stories of those who preceded them never come within the ken of these [hypocrites and deniers of the truth]? - [the stories] of Noah's people, and of [the tribes of] 'Ad and Thamud, and of Abraham's people, and of the folk of Madyan, and of the cities that were overthrown? To [all of] them their apostles had come with all evidence of the truth [but they rejected them:] and so it was not God who wronged them [by His punishment,] but it was they who wronged themselves. 70 The believers, men and women, are Auliya' (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. 71 Allah has promised to the believing men and the believing women gardens, beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them, and goodly dwellings in gardens of perpetual abode; and best of all is Allah's goodly pleasure; that is the grand achievement. 72