O ye who believe! Remember Allah's favour unto you when there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a great wind and hosts ye could not see. And Allah is ever Seer of what ye do. 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 There the believers were tried and they were shaken with severe shaking. 11 And [remember how it was] when the hypocrites and those with hearts diseased said [to one another,] "God and His Apostle have promised us nothing but delusions!" 12 And when a faction of them said, "O people of Yathrib, there is no stability for you [here], so return [home]." And a party of them asked permission of the Prophet, saying, "Indeed, our houses are unprotected," while they were not exposed. They did not intend except to flee. 13 If the enemy had entered from all sides and they had been exhorted to treachery, they would have committed it, and would have hesitated thereupon but little. 14 And verily they had already sworn unto Allah that they would not turn their backs (to the foe). An oath to Allah must be answered for. 15 Say, "Flight shall not avail you: if you manage to escape from death or killing, you will enjoy life only for a short while." 16 ۞ Say, "Who is there to shield you from God if He wishes to harm you? If God wishes to show you mercy, who can prevent Him." Besides God they shall find none to protect them, and none to bring them succour. 17 Allah knows indeed those among you who hinder others and those who say to their brethren: Come to us; and they come not to the fight but a little, 18 They are utterly niggardly (in coming to your aid). Whenever there is danger, you will see them looking at you, their eyes rolling as though they were on the verge of fainting at the approach of death. But when the danger passes away, their greed for wealth prompts them to greet you with their sharp, scissor-like tongues. These are the ones who never truly believed, and so Allah has caused their deeds to be reduced to naught. That is easy enough for Allah. 19 They assume that the armies of the disbelievers have not gone away; and were the armies to come again, their wish would be to go out to the villages seeking information about you; and were they to stay among you even then they would not fight, except a few. 20