۞ God was pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you [Prophet] under the tree: He knew what was in their hearts and so He sent tranquillity down to them and rewarded them with a victory near at hand 18 And plenty of war booty, to take; and Allah is Most Honourable, 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 Such is the way of Allah in days gone by, and you shall find no change in the ways of Allah. 23 It was He who restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the hollow (Hudaibiah) of Mecca after He had given you victory over them. Allah sees the things you do. 24 These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment. 25 And when the unbelievers established in their hearts fierce bigotry, the fierce bigotry of ignorance, Allah sent down His tranquility on His Messenger and the believers and firmly fastened to them the Word of 'taqwa' (there is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger, as it is the cause of righteousness) to which they have better right and are worthy of it. Allah has knowledge of all things. 26