Believers, why is it that when you are told to march for the cause of God, you seem to linger at home. Have you given preference to the worldly life over the life hereafter? The worldly gains compared to those of the next life are but very little. 38 Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least. For Allah hath power over all things. 39 If you do not help him (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), Allah has helped him – when he had to go forth due to the mischief of the disbelievers, just as two men* – when they were in the cave, when he was saying to his companion “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us”; then Allah caused His calm to descend upon him and helped him with armies you did not see, and disgraced the word of the disbelievers; and Allah’s Word is supreme; and Allah is the Almighty, the Wise. (* The Holy Prophet migrated only with S. Abu Bakr (who later became the first caliph) as his sole companion.) 40 Whether lightly or heavily, march on and fight for the Way of Allah, with your wealth and your persons. This will be best for you, if you but knew. 41 Had the gain been immediate and the journey shorter, they would have followed you: but the distance seemed too great for them. Yet they will swear by God, "Had we been able, we would have gone out with you." They bring ruin upon themselves. God knows that they are surely lying. 42