Those desert Arabs who remained behind will say to you, "Our belongings and our families kept us occupied, so ask forgiveness for us." They will say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say, "Who then has any power at all [to intervene] on your behalf with God, if His will is to do you harm, or if He intends to do you good? Indeed, God is well aware of all that you do." 11 "Nay, but you thought that the Messenger (SAW) and the believers would never return to their families; and that was made fair-seeming in their hearts, and you did think an evil thought and you became a useless people going for destruction." 12 As for those who do not believe in Allah and His Messenger, for such unbelievers We have prepared a Blazing Fire. 13 And Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. He forgiveth whom He will, and punisheth whom He will. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. 14 Those who had stayed behind will now say, “When you go to receive the war booty, let us also go with you”; they wish to change the Words of Allah; say “You shall never come with us – this is already decreed by Allah”; so they will now say, “But rather you envy us”; in fact they never understood except a little. 15 Say to those who remained behind of the bedouins, "You will be called to [face] a people of great military might; you may fight them, or they will submit. So if you obey, Allah will give you a good reward; but if you turn away as you turned away before, He will punish you with a painful punishment." 16 It is not an offense for the blind, the lame, or the sick not to take part in the battle. Whoever obeys God and His Messenger will be admitted to the gardens wherein streams flow. God will make whoever turns away suffer a painful torment. 17