O you who have attained to faith! Be not like those who are bent on denying the truth and say of their brethren [who die] after having set out on a journey to faraway places or gone forth to war, "Had they but remained with us, they would not have died," or, "they would not have been slain" - for God will cause such thoughts to become a source of bitter regret in their hearts, since it is God who grants life and deals death. And God sees all that you do. 156 And if ye are slain, or die, in the way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all they could amass. 157 And if indeed you die or you are slain, certainly to Allah shall you be gathered together. 158 It was by that Mercy of Allah that you (Prophet Muhammad) dealt so leniently with them. Had you been harsh and hardhearted, they would have surely deserted you. Therefore, pardon them and ask forgiveness for them. Take counsel with them in the matter and when you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Allah loves those who trust. 159 If Allah helps you none shall prevail over you; if He forsakes you then who can help you? It is in Allah that the believers should put their trust. 160 And it is not attributable to a prophet that he should act unfaithfully; and he who acts unfaithfully shall bring that in respect of which he has acted unfaithfully on the day of resurrection; then shall every soul be paid back fully what it has earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. 161 Is then he who follows the pleasure of Allah like him who has made himself deserving of displeasure from Allah, and his abode is hell; and it is an evil destination. 162 They are [varying] degrees in the sight of Allah, and Allah is Seeing of whatever they do. 163 Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error. 164 Why, when an affliction visited you, and you had visited twice over the like of it, did you say, 'How is this?' Say: 'This is from your own selves; surely God is powerful over everything.' 165 the misfortune which befell you on the day when the two armies met happened by God's leave, so that He might mark out the [true] believers 166 And in order to expose them who turned hypocrites; and it was said to them, “Come, fight in Allah's cause, or repel the enemy”; they answered, “If we knew how to fight, we would certainly have been with you”; and on that day they were nearer to open disbelief than to professed faith; they utter with their mouths what is not in their hearts; and Allah knows well what they hide. – 167 (They are) the ones who said about their killed brethren while they themselves sat (at home): "If only they had listened to us, they would not have been killed." Say: "Avert death from your ownselves, if you speak the truth." 168 And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision, 169 Rejoicing at what God has given them of His grace, and happy for those who are trying to overtake them but have not joined them yet, and who will have no fear or regret. 170 ۞ They glory in the Grace and the bounty from Allah, and in the fact that Allah suffereth not the reward of the Faithful to be lost (in the least). 171