Allah forgive thee (O Muhammad)! Wherefor didst thou grant them leave ere those who told the truth were manifest to thee and thou didst know the liars? 43 Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day would not ask thy leave to be excused from striving hard with their riches and their lives; and Allah is Knower of the God-fearing. 44 They only ask leave of thee who believe not in God and the Last Day, those whose hearts are filled with doubt, so that in their doubt they go this way and that. 45 ۞ If they had wished to go forth, they would surely have made some preparation for it, but God disliked their setting out [and being raised high in God's eyes] and held them back. They were told to stay behind with those who stay behind. 46 Had they gone out with you, they would only have been a hindrance and let loose confusion among you to create discord; for there are some in your midst who spy for them. But God knows who are the wicked. 47 Even prior to this, they tried to cause trouble and to turn your affairs upside-down until the truth came and the cause of God triumphed against their desires. 48 Some of them ask you, "Make us exempt from taking part in the battle and do not try to tempt us by telling us what we may gain from the battle; many people have died in the battle." Hell certainly encompasses the unbelievers. 49 If good befalls you, it grieves them, and if hardship afflicts you, they say: Indeed we had taken care of our affair before; and they turn back and are glad. 50 Say: "Never can anything befall us save what God has decreed! He is our Lord Supreme; and in God let the believers place their trust!" 51 Say: "Are you, perchance, hopefully waiting for something [bad] to happen to us - [the while nothing can happen to us] save one of the two best things? But as far as you are concerned, we are hopefully waiting for God to inflict chastisement upon you, [either] from Himself or by our hands! Wait, then, hopefully; behold, we shall hopefully wait with you!" 52 Say: Spend willingly or unwillingly, it shall not be accepted from you; surely you are a transgressing people. 53 And naught preventeth their expendings being accepted except that they have disbelieved in Allah and His apostle, and they perform not prayer except as sluggards and expend not except as those averse. 54 Let not their wealth nor their (following in) sons dazzle thee: in reality Allah's plan is to punish them with these things in this life, and that their souls may perish in their (very) denial of Allah. 55 And they swear by Allah that they are in truth of you, when they are not of you, but they are folk who are afraid. 56 If they could find a refuge or some caves or any place to enter [and hide], they would turn to it while they run heedlessly. 57 Among them there are some who find fault with you concerning the distribution of alms. If a share is given to them, they are pleased, but if they receive nothing, they grow resentful. 58 (How much more seemly) had they been content with that which Allah and His messenger had given them and had said: Allah sufficeth us. Allah will give us of His bounty, and (also) His messenger. Unto Allah we are suppliants. 59