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 If you are killed in the cause of God or you die, the forgiveness and mercy of God are better than all that you amass. 157 And whether you die, or are killed, verily, unto Allah you shall be gathered. 158 It was thanks to Allah's mercy that you were gentle to them. Had you been rough, hard-hearted, they would surely have scattered away from you. So pardon them, and pray for their forgiveness, and take counsel from them in matters of importance. And when you are resolved on a course of action place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). 159 If God is there to help you none will overcome you; and if He forsake you, who will help you other than Him? So only in God should the faithful place their trust. 160 It is not for a prophet to be false; and whoever is false will indeed bring his falsehood with him on the Day of Reckoning when each will receive his reward without favour or wrong. 161 Is then one who followeth the pleasure of Allah like unto him who hath settled under the displeasure of Allah? His resort is Hell, and ill is that destination 162 They are in different ranks before Allah; and Allah sees their deeds. 163 Allah has surely been gracious to the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves to recite to them His verses, to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom (prophetic sayings), though before that they were in clear error. 164 How is it that when misfortune befell you, you said: "Where has this come from?" -- even though you had inflicted disaster twice as great on (the enemy). Say: "This has come from your own selves." Surely God has power over all things. 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 those who are hypocrites. And when these hypocrites were asked: 'Come and fight in the wayof Allah', or (at least) 'defend yourselves', they answered: 'If we but knew that there would be fighting, we would certainly have followed'. They were nearer then to infidelity than to faith. They utter from their mouths what is not in their hearts. Allah knows well what they conceal. 167 Those who stayed behind, said of their brothers, "Had they listened to us, they would not have been killed." Say to them, "Ward off death from yourselves, then, if what you say be true!" 168 Think not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living. With their Lord they have provision. 169 Rejoicing in what Allah has given them out of His grace and they rejoice for the sake of those who, (being left) behind them, have not yet joined them, that they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve. 170 ۞ They rejoice because of the favours from Allah and (His) munificence, and because Allah does not waste the reward of the believers. 171