NOW THOSE who have attained to faith say: "Would that a revelation [allowing us to fight] was bestowed from on high!" But now that a revelation clear in and by itself, mentioning war, has been bestowed from on high, thou canst see those in whose hearts is disease looking at thee, [O Muhammad,] with the look of one who is about to faint for fear of death! And yet, far better for them would be 20 Their obedience and speech are known. Then when the affair is determined, if even then they gave credence unto Allah, it would have been better for them. 21 Then, belike ye are, if ye turn, to cause corruption in the earth and to sever your kinship. 22 Those [who do so] are the ones that Allah has cursed, so He deafened them and blinded their vision. 23 Ponder then they not on the Qur'an, or are on the hearts locks thereof? 24 Verily those who have apostated on their backs after the guidance had become manifest unto them, the devil hath embellished this apostacy for them and hath given them false hopes. 25 That is because they said unto those who detest that which Allah hath revealed: we shall obey you in part of the affair; and Allah knoweth their talking in secret. 26 How shall it be when the angels (of death) take them and beat them on their face and back? 27 This because they followed that which called forth the Wrath of Allah, and they hated Allah's good pleasure; so He made their deeds of no effect. 28