No one can die except by God’s permission, according to the Book that fixeth the term of life.⁴² He who desireth the recompense of this world, we will give him thereof; And he who desireth the recompense of the next life, we will give him thereof! And we will certainly reward the thankful.

How many a prophet hath combated those who had with them many myriads! Yet were they not daunted at what befel them on the path of God, nor were they weakened, nor did they basely submit! God loveth those who endure with steadfastness,

Nor said they more than this:⁴³ “O our Lord! forgive us our sins and our mistakes in this our work; and set our feet firm; and help us against the unbelieving people.” And God gave them the recompense of this world, and the excellence of the recompense of the next. For God loveth the doers of what is excellent.

O ye who have believed! if ye obey the infidels, they will cause you to turn upon your heels,⁴⁴ and ye will fall back into perdition:

But God is your liege lord, and He is the best of helpers.

We will cast a dread into hearts of the infidels because they have joined gods with God without warranty sent down; their abode shall be the fire; and wretched shall be the mansion of the evil doers.

Already had God made good to you His promise, when by His permission ye destroyed your foes, until your courage failed you, and ye disputed about the order,⁴⁵ and disobeyed, after that the Prophet had brought you within view of that for which ye longed.⁴⁶

Some of you were for this world, and some for the next.⁴⁷ Then, in order to make trial of you, He turned you to flight from them,—yet hath He now forgiven you; for all-bounteous is God to the faithful—

When ye came up the height⁴⁸ and took no heed of any one, while the Prophet in your rear was calling you to the fight! God hath rewarded you with trouble upon trouble, that ye might learn not to be chagrined at your loss of booty, or at what befel you! God is acquainted with your actions.

Then after the trouble God sent down security upon you. Slumber fell upon a part of you: as to the other part—their own passions stirred them up to think unjustly of God with thoughts of ignorance! They said—What gain we by this affair? SAY: Verily the affair resteth wholly with God. They hid in their minds what they did not speak out to thee, saying, “Were we to have gained aught in this affair, none of us had been slain at this place.” SAY: Had ye remained in your homes, they who were decreed to be slain would have gone forth to the places where they lie:—in order that God might make trial of what was in your breasts, and might discover what was in your hearts, for God knoweth the very secrets of the breast.

Of a truth it was Satan alone who caused those of you to fail in duty who turned back on the day when the hosts met, for some of their doings! But now hath God pardoned them; For God is Forgiving, Gracious.

O ye who believe! be not like the infidels, who said of their brethren when they had travelled by land or had gone forth to war, “Had they kept with us, they had not died, and had not been slain!” God purposed that this affair should cause them heart sorrow! God maketh alive and killeth; and God beholdeth your actions.

And if ye shall be slain or die on the path of God, then pardon from God and mercy is better than all your amassings;

For if ye die or be slain, verily unto God shall ye be gathered.

Of the mercy of God thou hast spoken to them in gentle terms. Hadst thou been severe and harsh- hearted, they would have broken away from thee. Therefore, forgive and ask for pardon for them, and consult them in the affair of war, and when thou art resolved, then put thou thy trust in God, for God loveth those who trust in Him.