ll surely cast a dread into the hearts
of the unbelievers, because they have associated with God that
concerning which he sent them down no power: their dwelling shall be the
fire of hell; and the receptacle of the wicked shall be miserable. God
had already made good unto you his promise, when ye destroyed them by
his permission, until ye became faint-hearted, and disputed concerning
the command of the apostle, and were rebellious; after God had shown you
what ye desired. Some of you chose this present world, and others of you
chose the world to come. Then he turned you to flight from before them,
that he might make trial of you (but he hath now pardoned you; for God
is endued with beneficence towards the faithful); when ye went up as ye
fled, and looked not back on any; while the apostle called you, in the
uttermost part of you. Therefore God rewarded you with affliction on
affliction, that ye be not grieved hereafter for the spoils which ye
fail of, nor for that which befalleth you; for God is well acquainted
with whatever ye do. Then he sent down upon you after affliction
security; soft sleep which fell on some part of you; but other parts
were troubled by their own souls; falsely thinking of God a foolish
imagination, saying, Will anything of the matter happen unto us? Say,
Verily the matter belongeth wholly unto God. They concealed in their
minds what they declared not unto thee; saying, If anything of the
matter had happened unto us, we had not been slain here. Answer, If ye
had been in your houses, verily they would have gone forth to fight,
whose slaughter was decreed, to the places where they died, and this
came to pass that God might try what was in your breasts, and might
discern what was in your hearts; for God knoweth the innermost parts of
the breasts of men. Verily they among you who turned their backs on the
day whereon the two armies met each other at Ohod, Satan caused them to
slip, for some crime which they had committed: but now hath God forgiven
them; for God is gracious and merciful. O true believers, be not as they
who believe not, and said of their brethren, when they had journeyed in
the land or had been at war, If they had been with us, those had not
died, nor had these been slain: whereas what befell them was so ordained
that God might make it matter of sighing in their hearts. God giveth
life, and causeth to die: and God seeth that which ye do. Moreover, if
ye be slain, or die in defence of the