۞ Certainly Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity on them and rewarded them with a near victory, 18 and [of] many war-gains which they would achieve: for God is indeed almighty, wise. 19 Allah has promised you plenty of booty which you will take, and has bestowed this to you quickly, and restrained peoples’ hands from you; and in order that it may be a sign for the believers, and to guide you on the Straight Path. 20 Besides these, there were other gains which you could not receive, but God has full control over them. God has power over all things. 21 If the unbelievers had fought you they would have been put to flight, and found none to protect or help them. 22 That has been the Way of Allah already with those who passed away before. And you will not find any change in the Way of Allah. 23 It is He who withheld their hands from you, and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah, after giving you victory over them. God sees what you do. 24 It was these who disbelieved and prevented you from the Sacred Mosque, and stopped the sacrificial animals from reaching their place; and were it not for some Muslim men and Muslim women, whom you do not know – lest you may crush them and unintentionally incur some violation due to them – Allah would have permitted you to slay them; this relief for them, is so that Allah may admit into His mercy whomever He wills; and had they been separated, We would have indeed punished the disbelievers among them with a painful punishment. 25 When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His peace of reassurance upon His messenger and upon the believers and imposed on them the word of self-restraint, for they were worthy of it and meet for it. And Allah is Aware of all things. 26