Those of the bedouin who stayed behind will say unto thee: "[The need to take care of] our chattels and our families kept us busy: do then, [O Prophet,] ask God to forgive us!" [Thus,] they will utter with their tongues something that is not in their hearts. Say: "Who, then, has it in his power to avert from you aught that God may have willed, whether it be His will to harm you or to confer a benefit on you? Nay, but God is fully aware of what you do! 11 You thought the Messenger and the believers would never ever return to their families and this attracted your hearts and caused you to develop evil suspicions. You are a wrong doing people. 12 And so for him who believeth not in Allah and His messenger - Lo! We have prepared a flame for disbelievers. 13 To Allah belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He forgives whom He will and punishes whom He will. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. 14 When you [believers] set off to gather the spoils, those that stayed behind will say, "Let us come with you." They want to change God's word, but tell them, "You shall not follow us. God has declared this beforehand." Then they will say, "You are jealous of us." But how little they understand! 15 Say to the desert Arabs who stayed behind, "You shall be called against a mighty people; then shall you fight, unless they submit. Then if you prove obedient, God will grant you a good reward, but if You turn back as you did before, He will inflict on you a painful punishment -- 16 No blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame attach to the lame, nor does blame attach to the sick [for staying away from a war in God's cause]; but whoever heeds [the call of] God and His Apostle [in deed or in heart,] him will He admit into gardens through which running waters flow; whereas him who turns away will He chastise with grievous chastisement. 17