¹⁵⁰ The truth is,¹ God is your protector; and He is the best of helpers.

¹⁵¹ We will cast into the hearts of those who ignore warning¹ terror because they have ascribed a partnership² with God to that for which He sent not down authority; and their shelter is the Fire; and evil is the dwelling of the wrongdoers.³

¹⁵² And God was indeed¹ true in His promise² to you. When³ you were aware⁴ of them by His leave, when⁵ you had lost heart and disputed concerning the affair, and rebelled after He had shown you what⁶ you love[...].⁷ Among you is he who desires the World; and among you is he who desires the Hereafter. Then He turned you away from them that He might try you; and He has pardoned you; and God is bountiful to the believers.⁸

¹⁵³ When¹ you were ascending, and paying no heed to anyone, and the Messenger calling you from your rear,² so He requited you with grief upon grief, that you might not grieve for what eluded you³ or what befell you; and God is aware of what you do.

¹⁵⁴ Then He sent down upon you, after distress, security, slumber overcoming a number of you; and a number had grieved themselves¹ thinking about God other than the truth² — the thought of ignorance — saying: “Have we any part³ in the affair?” Say thou: “The affair belongs entirely to God.” They hide within themselves what they reveal not to thee, saying: “Had we any part⁴ in the affair, we would not have been slain here.”⁵ Say thou: “Had you been in your houses, those for whom killing was decreed would have gone forth to their resting places”;⁶ and: “That God might try what is in your breasts”; and: “That He might refine what is in your hearts.” And God knows what is in the breasts.

¹⁵⁵ Those who turned back among you the day the two hosts met: the satan¹ caused them to slip only for some of what they earned. But God has pardoned them; God is forgiving and clement.

¹⁵⁶ O you who heed warning:¹ be not like those who ignore warning,² and say of their brothers when they travel in the earth or are on an expedition: “Had they been with us, they would not have died or been killed,” that God might make that a sorrow in their hearts; for God gives life, and gives death; and God sees what you do.

¹⁵⁷ And if you are killed or die in the cause of God, pardon from God and mercy are better than what they amass.

¹⁵⁸ And if you die or are killed, to God will you be gathered.

¹⁵⁹ And because of the mercy of God, thou wast lenient with them; and hadst thou been coarse and stern, they would have disbanded from about thee. So pardon thou them, and ask thou forgiveness for them, and take thou counsel with them in the affair. And when thou hast made a decision, place thou thy trust in God;¹ God loves those who would place their trust aright.²

¹⁶⁰ If God helps you, none can defeat you; but if He forsakes you, who is there who can help you after Him?¹ And in God let the believers² place their trust.

¹⁶¹ And it is not for a prophet that he should coerce.¹ And whoso coerces will come with what he coerced on the Day of Resurrection; then will every soul be paid in full what it earned, and they will not be wronged.

¹⁶² Is then he who¹ seeks the approval of God like one who incurs wrath from God, and whose shelter is Gehenna? And evil is the journey’s end.

¹⁶³ They have¹ degrees² in the sight of God; and God sees what they do.

¹⁶⁴ God indeed showed favour to the believers¹ when He raised up among them a messenger among themselves, reciting to them His proofs,² and increasing them in purity,³ and teaching them the Writ⁴ and wisdom⁵ — though they were before in manifest error.

¹⁶⁵ Do you not say, when calamity has befallen you — you having caused the double thereof: — “Whence is this?” Say thou: “It is from yourselves; God is over all things powerful.”

¹⁶⁶ And what befell you the day the two hosts met was by the leave of God, that He might know the believers,¹

¹⁶⁷ And that He might know the waverers.¹ And it was said to them: “Come, fight in the cause of God; or repel.” They said: “Had we known of fighting, we would have followed you.” They were nearer to denial that day than to faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts; and God is most aware of what conceal

¹⁶⁸ Those who said of their brothers when they stayed back: “Had they obeyed us, they would not have been killed.” Say thou: “Then avert from yourselves death, if you be truthful.”¹

¹⁶⁹ And think not of those who are killed in the cause of God as dead; nay,¹ they are alive, with their Lord receiving provision,

¹⁷⁰ Exulting in what God has bestowed upon them of His bounty; and rejoicing in those behind them who are yet to join them, that no fear will be upon them, nor will they grieve;

¹⁷¹ Rejoicing in favour and bounty from God, and that God causes not to be lost the reward of the believers.¹

¹⁷² Those who responded to God and the Messenger after injury had befallen them — for those of them as do good and are in prudent fear¹ is a great reward —

¹⁷³ Those to whom men said: “The people have gathered against you, so be afraid of them,” but it increased them in faith, and they said: “Sufficient for us is God” — and excellent is the disposer of affairs —

¹⁷⁴ So they returned with favour and bounty from God, evil not touching them. And they sought the approval of God; and God is possessor of tremendous bounty.

¹⁷⁵ That¹ is but the satan² putting his allies in dread³ of it; but fear them not; and fear Me, if you be believers.⁴

¹⁷⁶ And let not grieve thee those who compete in denial; they will never harm God at all. God desires not to make for them a portion in the Hereafter; and they have a great punishment.

¹⁷⁷ Those who buy denial at the price of faith, they will never harm God at all; and they have a painful punishment.

¹⁷⁸ And let not those who ignore warning¹ think that We but grant them respite good for their souls; We but grant them respite that they might increase in sin;² and they have a humiliating punishment.

¹⁷⁹ God will not leave the believers¹ in that² which you are in until He distinguishes the bad from the good. And God will not apprise you of the Unseen; but God chooses of His messengers whom He wills, so believe in³ God and His messengers; and if you believe and are in prudent fear,⁴ for you is a great reward.

¹⁸⁰ And let not those who are miserly with what God gives them of His bounty think it good for them; the truth is,¹ it is evil for them: hung about their necks will be that with which they were miserly on the Day of Resurrection; and to God belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth; and God is aware of what you do.

¹⁸¹ God has heard the saying of those who say: “God is poor, and we are rich.” We will record what they say, and their killing of the prophets without cause;¹ (and We will say: “Taste the punishment of the consuming fire

¹⁸² For it is that¹ your hands sent ahead, and that God is not unjust to the servants!”²)

¹⁸³ Those¹ who said: “God has made a covenant with us, that we believe not any messenger until he brings us an offering consumed by fire.” Say thou: “There came to you messengers before me with clear signs, and with what you say; why then did you kill them, if you be truthful?”²

¹⁸⁴ And if they deny thee, then denied were the messengers who were before thee, who came with the clear signs, and the writings,¹ and the Illuminating Writ.²

¹⁸⁵ Every soul will taste death; and you will but be paid in full your rewards on the Day of Resurrection. And whoso is removed from the Fire and made to enter the Garden: he has attained; and the life of this world is only the enjoyment of delusion.

¹⁸⁶ You will be tried in your wealth and in yourselves. And you will hear from those given¹ the Writ² before you, and from the idolaters,³ much hindrance.⁴ But if you are patient and in prudent fear:⁵ that is among the resolution of affairs.⁶

¹⁸⁷ And when God took an agreement of those given¹ the Writ:² “You are to make it plain³ to mankind, and not to conceal it,” then they cast it behind their backs, and sold it at a cheap price; and evil is what they bought.

¹⁸⁸ Think not those who exult at what they have accomplished,¹ and love to be praised for what they have not done[...].² And think them not in a place of safety from the punishment; and they have a painful punishment.

¹⁸⁹ And to God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and God is over all things powerful.

¹⁹⁰ In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day are proofs¹ for men of understanding:

¹⁹¹ Those who remember God, standing and sitting and on their sides, and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord: Thou createdst not this to no purpose. Glory¹ be to Thee! And protect Thou us from the punishment of the Fire!

¹⁹² “Our Lord: whom Thou causest to enter the Fire: him hast Thou disgraced”; and there are for the wrongdoers¹ no helpers.

¹⁹³ “Our Lord: we have heard a caller calling to faith: ‘Believe in¹ your Lord!’ And we have believed. Our Lord: forgive Thou us our transgressions,² and remove Thou from us our evil deeds;³ and take Thou us⁴ with the virtuous.⁵

¹⁹⁴ “Our Lord: give Thou us¹ what Thou hast promised us by Thy messengers, and disgrace Thou us not on the Day of Resurrection; Thou wilt not break the appointment.”

¹⁹⁵ And their Lord responded to them: “I cause not to be lost the work of any that works among you, male or female; you are of one another.”¹ And those who emigrated and were turned out of their homes, and were hindered² in My cause, and fought and were killed: I will remove from them their evil deeds,³ and I will make them enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, as a reward from God; and God, with Him is the best of rewards.

¹⁹⁶ Let not delude thee the going to and fro of those who ignore warning¹ in the land:

¹⁹⁷ A little enjoyment, then is their shelter Gehenna; and evil is the resting-place.

¹⁹⁸ But those who are in prudent fear¹ of their Lord: they will have gardens beneath which rivers flow, they abiding eternally therein, as a welcome from God; and what is with God is better for the virtuous.

¹⁹⁹ And among the doctors of the Law¹ are those who believe in² God and what was sent down to you, and what was sent down to them: — humble³ towards God, they sell not the proofs⁴ of God at a cheap price — those have their reward with their Lord; God is swift in reckoning.