O believers, be not as the unbelievers who say to their brothers, when they journey in the land, or are upon expeditions, 'If they had been with us, they would not have died and not been slain' -- that God may make that an anguish in their hearts. For God gives life, and He makes to die; and God sees the things you do. 156 And what though ye be slain in Allah's way or die therein? Surely pardon from Allah and mercy are better than all that they amass. 157 surely if you die or are slain, it is unto God you shall be mustered. 158 It was by the mercy of Allah that thou wast lenient with them (O Muhammad), for if thou hadst been stern and fierce of heart they would have dispersed from round about thee. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult with them upon the conduct of affairs. And when thou art resolved, then put thy trust in Allah. Lo! Allah loveth those who put their trust (in Him). 159 If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? in Allah, then, Let believers put their trust. 160 And it is unimaginable that any Prophet would hide something; and whoever hides it, will bring what he hid with him on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul will be paid in full for whatever they earned; and they will not be wronged. 161 Are those who seek God's pleasure equal to those who incur His wrath and whose dwelling will be hell, the terrible destination? 162 Of diverse degrees shall be they with Allah, and Allah is Beholder of that which they work. 163 Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error. 164 How is it that when misfortune befell you, you said: "Where has this come from?" -- even though you had inflicted disaster twice as great on (the enemy). Say: "This has come from your own selves." Surely God has power over all things. 165 What befell you on the day when the two hosts met was by the leave of Allah, and in order that He might mark out those who believe 166 and those who are hypocrites. And when these hypocrites were asked: 'Come and fight in the wayof Allah', or (at least) 'defend yourselves', they answered: 'If we but knew that there would be fighting, we would certainly have followed'. They were nearer then to infidelity than to faith. They utter from their mouths what is not in their hearts. Allah knows well what they conceal. 167 Those who stayed behind, said of their brothers, "Had they listened to us, they would not have been killed." Say to them, "Ward off death from yourselves, then, if what you say be true!" 168 And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision, 169 Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. 170 ۞ They rejoice at the kindness and mercy of God; and God does not suffer the wages of the faithful to go waste. 171