O ye who believe! Be not as those who disbelieved and said of their brethren who went abroad in the land or were fighting in the field: If they had been (here) with us they would not have died or been killed: that Allah may make it anguish in their hearts. Allah giveth life and causeth death; and Allah is Seer of what ye do. 156 And what though ye be slain in Allah's way or die therein? Surely pardon from Allah and mercy are better than all that they amass. 157 For, indeed, if you die or are killed, it is to God that you shall be gathered. 158 So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]. 159 If God is your helper, no one can defeat you. However, if He abandons you, who would help you? The true believers trust in God. 160 It is not for a Prophet to be fraudulent; whoso defrauds shall bring the fruits of his fraud on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul shall be paid in full what it has earned, and they shall not be wronged. 161 Can one who seeks the pleasure of God, be like one who incurs the wrath of God and whose abode shall be Hell -- an evil destination? 162 They are in varying gardens in the sight of Allah, and Allah sees well all that they do. 163 God has favoured the faithful by sending an apostle to them from among themselves, who recites to them His messages, and reforms and teaches them the Law and the judgement, for they were clearly in error before. 164 So will you say when disaster strikes you, though you had struck them with twice as much, “Where has this come from?” Say (to them, O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), “It has come from yourselves”; indeed Allah is Able to do all things. 165 That which befell you, on the day when the two armies met, was by permission of Allah; that He might know the true believers; 166 And that He might know the hypocrites; and it was said to them: Come, fight in Allah's way, or defend yourselves. They said: If we knew fighting, we would certainly have followed you. They were on that day much nearer to unbelief than to belief. They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts, and Allah best knows what they conceal. 167 who said of their brothers (and they themselves held back), 'Had they obeyed us, they would not have been slain.' Say: 'Then avert death from yourselves, if you speak truly.' 168 Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision. 169 they are joyful because of what God has bestowed on them of His grace and they rejoice that those they left behind, who have not yet joined them, that they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve; 170 ۞ They rejoice at the favours and bounties of Allah, and at the awareness that Allah will not cause the reward of the believers to be lost. 171