O Meccans! if ye desired a decision, now hath the decision come to you.⁸ It will be better for you if ye give over the struggle. If ye return to it, we will return; and your forces, though they be many, shall never avail you aught, for God is with the faithful.

O ye faithful! obey God and his apostle, and turn not away from Him, now that ye hear the truth;

And be not like those who say “We hear,” when they hear not;

For the vilest beasts in God’s sight, are the deaf, the dumb, who understand not.

Had God known any good in them, he would certainly have made them hear. But even if He had made them hear, they would certainly have turned back and withdrawn afar.

O ye faithful! make answer to the appeal of God and his apostle when he calleth you to that which giveth you life. Know that God cometh in between a man and his own heart, and that to him shall ye be gathered.

And be afraid of temptation: the evil doers among you will not be the only ones on whom it will light: And know ye that God is severe in punishment.

And remember when ye were few, and reputed weak in the land:⁹ ye feared lest men should pluck you away; then was it that He took you in and strengthened you with his help, and supplied you with good things, that haply ye might give thanks.

O ye who believe! deal not falsely with God and his apostle; and be not false in your engagements, with your own knowledge:

And know that your wealth and your children are a temptation; and that God! with Him is a glorious recompense.

O ye who believe! if ye fear God he will make good your deliverance, and will put away your sins from you, and will forgive you. God is of great bounteousness!

And call to mind when the unbelievers plotted against thee, to detain thee prisoner, or to kill thee, or to banish thee: They plotted—but God plotted: and of plotters is God the best!

And oft as our signs were rehearsed to them, they said, “Now have we heard: if we pleased we could certainly utter its like! Yes, it is mere tales of the ancients.”

And when they said, “God! if this be the very truth from before thee, rain down stones upon us from Heaven, or lay on us some grievous chastisement.”

But God chose not to chastise them while thou wast with them, nor would God chastise them when they sued for pardon.

But because they debarred the faithful from the holy temple, albeit they are not its guardians, nothing is there on their part why God should not chastise them. The Godfearing only are its guardians; but most of them know it not.

And their prayer at the house of God is no other than whistling through the fingers and clapping of the hands—“Taste then the torment, for that ye have been unbelievers.”

The infidels spend their riches¹⁰ with intent to turn men aside from the way of God: spend it they shall; then shall sighing be upon them, and then shall they be overcome.

And the infidels shall be gathered together into Hell,