from fighting
before it was made clear to you
which ones were telling the truth
and which ones were lying?
44Those who believe in God
and the last day do not ask you
to exempt them from striving
with their wealth and their lives.
And God Knows those
who were mindful of Him.°
45Only those who don’t believe
in God and the last day
ask you for exemption—those
whose hearts are doubtful, wavering
back and forth, in their doubt.
46Had they wanted to go and fight
with you, they would have prepared.
But God would not countenance
their going out, so He made them
lag behind, and they were told, “Stay,
with the others who stay behind.”
47Had they come out with you,
they would only
have wrought confusion,
actively sowing discord
in your midst—and some among you
would have listened to them—
God has full Knowledge
of those who do wrong.
48Indeed, they had sought before
to sow discord, and to overturn
your plans°—until the truth emerged,
and God’s command was revealed,
though they loathed it.
49Some of them say,
“Exempt me from fighting,
and don’t drag me into trial.”
Have they not fallen
already into trial?
Hell shall encompass
the disbelievers.
50If something good comes to you,
this grieves them; but if some trouble
comes your way, they say smugly,
“Well, we already took precautions,”
and they turn away, exulting.
51Say, “Nothing shall happen to us
beyond what God has decreed for us;
He is our Protector—so let believers
put their trust in God.”
52Say, “What do you expect for us
beyond one of the two best outcomes
[—martyrdom or victory]?
What we expect for you
is God’s punishment, either
from Himself or at our hands.
So, wait—we are waiting with you.”°
53Say, “Whether you give to charity
willingly or unwillingly,
it will never be accepted of you,
for you are disobedient people.”
54Nothing stops their spending
from being accepted except
that they disbelieve in God
and His messenger,
perform their prayer slothfully,
and give to charity grudgingly.
55Don’t be dazzled by their wealth
or their children. God intends
to punish them by both of these
in the life of this world,
and to let their souls take leave
while they disbelieve.
56They swear by God
that they are with you, the believers,
but they are not—
for they are cowardly people.
57If they could find a refuge,
or some cave or a place to hide,
they would bolt to it in wild panic.
58And some of them upbraid you
about the giving of alms;
if they receive a share of them,
they’re appeased; if not, they seethe.
59If only they had been content
with what God and His messenger
had given them; if they had said,
“God suffices for us;
God and His messenger
will give us of His bounty—
we turn in hope to God alone.”
SECTION 8
60Alms° are only for
the poor, the needy,
those who administer them,
those whose hearts
are to be won,
the freeing of slaves,
those in debt,
those in the cause of God,
and travelers.
This is an obligation
imposed by God—
God is All Knowing, All Wise.
61Some of them hurt the Prophet,
saying “He listens to anything.”
Say, “He listens to what
is good for you;
he believes in God,
has faith in the believers,
and is a mercy to those of you
who believe.”
Those who hurt the Prophet,
shall face painful torment.
62They swear by God before you
just to please you;
but it is God and His messenger
—who have greater claim—
that they should please
if they are true believers.
63Don’t they know that those
who oppose God and His messenger
shall feel the fire of hell—where
they shall stay forever.
That is the supreme disgrace.
64The hypocrites fear
that a sura will be revealed
exposing what’s in their hearts.
Say, “By all means, mock!
For God will bring to pass
exactly what you fear.”
65If you ask them about this,
they’ll be sure to say,
“We were just talking lightly,
amusing ourselves.”
Say, “Was it God, His signs,
and His messenger
that you were mocking?
66“Don’t offer excuses—
you sank from belief into disbelief.
Even if We pardon some of you,
We shall punish others,
for they were sinners.”
SECTION 9
67The hypocrites, men and women,
are all alike: they urge what is wrong,
forbid what is right,
and are tightfisted.
They have forgotten God,
so He has forgotten them—
the hypocrites are rebellious.
68God has promised the fire of hell
to the hypocrites, men and women,
as well as the disbelievers—
where they will stay forever.
It is fitting° for them.
God has cursed them, and
they shall face enduring torment.
69You are just like those before you;
but they were stronger,
with more wealth and children.
They enjoyed their lot
as did you and those before you.
And you indulge in idle talk
just like them. Their deeds
will come to nothing,
in this world and the hereafter,
and they will be the losers.
70Have they not heard the story
of those before them?
Of the people of Noah, ʿAd,
Thamud, Abraham, Midian,
and the fallen cities?
Their messengers came to them
with clear signs—
it was not God who wronged them,
but they who wronged themselves.
71The believers, men and women,
are allies of one another.
They enjoin what is right
and forbid what is wrong;
they are steadfast in prayer,
and give duly to charity;
they obey God and His messenger.
They are the ones on whom
God shall have mercy—
God is Almighty, All Wise.
72God has promised gardens
to the believing men and women,
with rivers flowing beneath,
abiding there forever,
residing in splendid homes
in gardens of lasting bliss.
But greater than this
is the good pleasure of God—
that is the supreme triumph.
SECTION 10
73Prophet, strive against
the unbelievers and the hypocrites,
and deal firmly with them;
their home shall be hell, an evil end.
74They swear by God
that they said nothing,
but they did—
they uttered words of disbelief,
and they did disbelieve, having
[pretended to] submit to God’s will.
And they vainly plotted [harm
to the Prophet]. This revenge
was their only response after
God and His messenger had
enriched them from God’s bounty.°
If they turn to repent,
that will be better for them;
but if they turn away,
God will give them severe torment
in this world and the hereafter,
and they shall have
no protector or helper on the earth.
75Some of them pledged to God,
“If He gives to us from His bounty,
we’ll be sure to give to charity
and we will be righteous.”
76But when He did give them
from His bounty, they were miserly with it,
and turned away.
77He lodged hypocrisy in their hearts,
by way of requital, until the day they meet Him—
for they broke their promise to God
and would always lie.
78Don’t they know
that God knows their secrets
and secret counsels,
that He Knows the unseen?
79Some people reproach believers
who give freely to charity
as well as believers who can give
no more than what they toil for
—they mock them—
but God will mock them,
and they shall face severe torment.
80Prophet, whether you ask
forgiveness for them or not,
[it is all the same]—
even if you ask seventy times,
God will not forgive them,
for they denied God
and His messenger,
and God does not forgive
people who are disobedient.
SECTION 11
81Those who were left behind
[in the Tabuk mission]
were happy to stay back,°
in defiance of God’s messenger,
for they scorned to strive
with their wealth and lives
in the cause of God, saying,
“Don’t advance in this heat.”
Say, the fire of hell
is fiercer in its heat”—if only
they could understand.
82So let them laugh a little;
they will weep a lot—the reward
they’ll reap for all their deeds.
83Prophet, if God brings you again
to any group of them, and they ask
your permission to come out
and fight alongside you, say,
“You shall never come out with me,
and you shall never fight the enemy
by my side. For you preferred
to sit idle the first time—so stay now
with the others who stayed behind.”
84And don’t ever pray
for any of them who died,
nor stand at their graveside.
They denied God
and His messenger,
and were disobedient
when they died.
85Don’t be dazzled by their wealth
or their children. God intends
to punish them by both of these
in the life of this world,
and to let their souls take leave
while they disbelieve.
86When a sura is revealed
exhorting them, “Believe in God,
and strive alongside His messenger,”
the wealthy among them ask you
to exempt them, “Leave us—
with those who stay back.”
87They prefer to be
with those who stay back;
their hearts are sealed
so they don’t understand.
88As for the messenger
and those who believe with him,
striving with their wealth, their lives—
the best things shall be theirs;
they are the ones who will flourish.
89God has prepared gardens
for them, with rivers flowing beneath,
to live there forever—
that is the supreme triumph.
SECTION 12
90Bedouin Arabs° came also,
making excuses, seeking exemption;
those who lied to God and
His messenger also stayed behind.
Severe torment shall strike
the disbelievers among them.
91There is no blame on those
who can’t fight if they are weak,
or sick, or don’t have the means
to spend anything—
as long as they are true
to God and His messenger;
nor is there cause to blame
those who do good—
for God is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
92Nor is there blame
on those who came to you
asking for mounts to convey them,
and whom you told,
“I can find no mounts for you.”
They turned away, their eyes
streaming with tears of grief
because they had no means
to [join the battle].
93Blame falls only on those
who ask you to exempt them
in spite of their wealth,
and prefer to stay with
the others who stay behind.
God has sealed their hearts,
so they are void of knowledge.
94When you return [from fighting],
they’ll offer their excuses to you.
Say, “Don’t offer excuses.
We won’t believe you.
God has informed us about you.
God and His messenger
will observe your deeds,
and you will be returned
to the Knower of the unseen
and the seen—
and He will inform you
of all you have done.”
95When you return [from fighting],
they’ll swear by God to you—
so you might leave them alone.
So, leave them alone.
They are defiled, and their home
shall be hell—the reward
they reap for all they have done.
96They swear to you,
in order to please you;
but even if you
were pleased with them,
God is displeased
with disobedient people.
97The Bedouin Arabs are the worst
of any in disbelief and hypocrisy,
and the least likely to recognize
the limits revealed by God
to His messenger—
God is All Knowing, All Wise.
98Some of the Bedouin Arabs consider
what they spend in God’s cause
as a loss, and wait for misfortune
to befall you. It is on them
that ill fortune shall fall—
God is All Hearing, All Knowing.
99But others among the Bedouin Arabs
believe in God and the last day,
and consider what they spend
as a means of bringing them
nearer to God and the prayers
of the messenger. It is indeed
such a means for them.
God will bring them into His mercy—
God is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
SECTION 13
100God is well pleased
with the forerunners°—the first
emigrants and helpers, and those
who followed them in good deeds,
and they are pleased with Him.
He has prepared gardens for them,
with rivers flowing beneath,
to live there for eternity—
that is the