The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

the second year after the Migration. The Muslims, some of whom were at 
first
reluctant to 
fight, won in spite of being vastly outnumbered, and began to
question the distribution of the gains. The sura reminds them that it was God
who brought about the victory. Verse 
41 shows how the gains were to be distrib-
uted. It advises Muslims and comments on the role of the hypocrites and on
those who always break their treaties (verse 
56), ending with a statement about
loyalties and alliances.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1They ask you [Prophet] about [distributing] the battle gains. Say,
‘That is a matter for God and His Messenger, so be mindful of God
and make things right between you. Obey God and His Messenger
if you are true believers: 
2true believers are those whose hearts
tremble with awe when God is mentioned, whose faith increases
when His revelations are recited to them, who put their trust in
their Lord, 
3who keep up the prayer and give to others out of what
We provide for them. 
4Those are the ones who truly believe. They
have high standing with their Lord, forgiveness, and generous
provision.’
5For
a
it was your Lord who made you [Prophet] venture from your
home for a true purpose –– though a group of the believers disliked it
6and argued with you about the truth after it had been made clear, as
if they were being driven towards a death they could see with their
own eyes. 
7Remember how God promised you [believers] that one of
the two enemy groups
b
would fall to you: you wanted the unarmed
group to be yours, but it was God’s will to establish the truth accord-
ing to His Word and to 
finish off the disbelievers––8to prove the
Truth to be true, and the false to be false, much as the guilty might
dislike it. 
9When you begged your Lord for help, He answered you,
‘I will reinforce you with a thousand angels in succession.’ 
10God
a
This links to v. 
1.
b
The Meccan trade caravan or their army.

---

made this a message of hope to reassure your hearts: help comes only
from God, He is mighty and wise. 
11Remember when He gave you
sleep
a
as a reassurance from Him, and sent down water from the sky
to cleanse you, to remove Satan’s pollution from you, to make your
hearts strong and your feet 
firm. 12Your Lord revealed to the angels:
‘I am with you: give the believers 
firmness; I shall put terror into
the hearts of the disbelievers –
– strike above their necks and strike all
their
fingertips.’ 13That was because they opposed God and His
Messenger, and if anyone opposes God and His Messenger, God
punishes them severely –
–
14‘That is what you get! Taste that!’––and
the torment of the Fire awaits the disbelievers.
15Believers, when you meet the disbelievers in battle, never turn
your backs on them: 
16if anyone does so on such a day–– unless
manœuvring to 
fight or to join a fighting group–– he incurs the wrath
of God, and Hell will be his home, a wretched destination! 
17It was
not you who killed them but God, and when you [Prophet] threw
[sand at them]
b
it was not your throw [that defeated them] but
God’s, to do the believers a favour: God is all seeing and all know-
ing –
–
18‘That is what you get!’––and God will weaken the dis-
believers’ designs. 
19[Disbelievers], if you were seeking a decision,
now you have witnessed one: if you stop here, it will be better for
you. If you return, so shall We, and your forces, though greater in
number, will be of no use to you. God is with the believers.
20Believers, obey God and His Messenger: do not turn away when
you are listening to him; 
21do not be like those who say, ‘We heard,’
though in fact they were not listening –
–
22the worst creatures in
God’s eyes are those who are [wilfully] deaf and dumb, who do not
reason. 
23If God had known there was any good in them, He would
have made them hear, but even if He had, they would still have
turned away and taken no notice. 
24Believers, respond to God and
His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. Know
that God comes between a man and his heart,
c
and that you will be
gathered to Him. 
25Beware of discord that harms not only the
wrongdoers among you: know that God is severe in His punishment.