Those of the bedouins who lagged behind will say to you: "Our possessions and our families occupied us, so ask forgiveness for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say: "Who then has any power at all (to intervene) on your behalf with Allah, if He intends you hurt or intends you benefit? Nay, but Allah is Ever All-Aware of what you do. 11 Nay, but ye deemed that the messenger and the believers would never return to their own folk, and that was made fairseeming in your hearts, and ye did think an evil thought, and ye were worthless folk. 12 Those who do not believe in God and His Messenger should know that We have prepared hell for the disbelievers. 13 But God's is the dominion over the heavens and the earth: He forgives whomever He wills, and imposes suffering on whomever He wills - and [withal,] He is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. 14 When you [believers] set off to gather the spoils, those that stayed behind will say, "Let us come with you." They want to change God's word, but tell them, "You shall not follow us. God has declared this beforehand." Then they will say, "You are jealous of us." But how little they understand! 15 Say to the desert Arabs who stayed behind, "You shall be called against a mighty people; then shall you fight, unless they submit. Then if you prove obedient, God will grant you a good reward, but if You turn back as you did before, He will inflict on you a painful punishment -- 16 There is no blame for the blind, nor is there blame for the lame, nor is there blame for the sick (that they go not forth to war). And whoso obeyeth Allah and His messenger, He will make him enter Gardens underneath which rivers flow; and whoso turneth back, him will He punish with a painful doom. 17