O believers, do not stray from the path of God, and be with those who are truthful. 119 The people of Madinah and the Arabs who dwell around them have no cause to stay behind the Messenger of Allah, or to prefer their lives to his. They are neither stricken by thirst, nor by tiredness, nor yet by hunger in the Way of Allah, nor do they take steps that anger the unbelievers, nor gain any gain from an enemy, but that it is counted as a righteous deed. Allah does not waste the wage of the gooddoers. 120 Also, they would not have spent anything, great or small, for the cause of God or travel through a valley without God decreeing a reward for them far better than whatever they had done. 121 ۞ With all this, it is not desirable that all of the believers take the field [in time of war]. From within every group in their midst, some shall refrain from going forth to war, and shall devote themselves [instead] to acquiring a deeper knowledge of the Faith and [thus be able to] teach their home-coming brethren, so that these [too] might guard themselves against evil. 122