Believers, call to mind Allah's favour to you when enemy hosts invaded you. Then We sent against them a wind and hosts that you did not see although Allah was observing all that you were then doing. 9 They came on you from above and from below, and when your eyes swerved and your hearts leapt to your throats, and you thought thoughts about Allah; 10 [for] there and then were the believers tried, and shaken with a shock severe. 11 The hypocrites and people with sickness in their hearts said, "God and His Messenger have promised us nothing but delusions." 12 And when a party of them said: O inhabitants of Yathrib! there is no place for you, so return. And a part of them asked leave of the Prophet, saying: verily our houses lie open; whereas they lay not open; they only wished to flee. 13 Now if their town had been stormed, and they had been asked [by the enemy] to commit apostasy, [the hypocrites] would have done so without much delay 14 Whereas earlier they had made a promise to God that they would never turn their backs; and a promise made to God is answerable. 15 Proclaim, “Fleeing will never benefit you if you flee from death or killing, and even then you will not be given the usage of this world except a little.” 16 ۞ Say, “Who is he who can avert the command of Allah from you, if He wills harm for you or wills to have mercy upon you?” And other than Allah, they will not find any friend or supporter. 17 Allah knows those of you who hinder, and those who say to their brothers: 'Come to us' and they do not come to the battle but a little, 18 Being chary of helping you. But when danger appears you will find them looking at you with eyes turning like a man's in the swoon of death. Yet when the danger is past they lash you with sharp tongues, covetous of the best (of booty). Such as these have not come to belief. So God nullifies whatever they have done. This is how (the innate law of) God works inevitably. 19 They thought the confederate tribes would never withdraw. Indeed, if the confederates should come again, they would prefer to be in the desert, among the Bedouins. There they would ask news of you [from a distance]. But if they were with you, they would take very little part in the fighting. 20