۞ Assuredly well-pleased was Allah with the believers when they sware fealty unto thee under the tree, and He knew that which was in their hearts, wherefore He sent down tranquillity on them, and rewarded them with a victory near at hand. 18 and they took many spoils, and Allah is the Almighty, and the Wise. 19 [O you who believe!] God has promised you many war-gains which you shall yet achieve; and He has vouchsafed you these [worldly gains] well in advance, and has stayed from you the hands of [hostile] people, so that this [your inner strength] may become a symbol to the believers [who will come after you,] and that He may guide you all on a straight way. 20 And other gains (there are), which are not within your power, but which Allah has compassed: and Allah has power over all things. 21 Had the unbelievers fought against you at that time, they would have turned their backs (in flight), and would have found none to protect or help them. 22 That has been the Way of Allah already with those who passed away before. And you will not find any change in the Way of Allah. 23 It is He who restrained their hands from you, and your hands from them, in the hollow of Mecca, after that He made you victors over them. God sees the things you do. 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 While those who deny the truth made it a prestige issue [in their hearts], the bigotry of the days of ignorance, God sent His tranquillity down on to His Messenger and believers and firmly established in them the principle of righteousness, for they were indeed better entitled to it and more worthy of it. God has full knowledge of all things. 26