efficacious for confirming their faith; and we should
then have surely given them in our sight an exceeding
great reward, and we should have directed them in
the right way. Whoever obeyeth God and the apostle,
they shall be with those unto whom God hath been gracious,
of the prophets, and the sincere, and the martyrs,
and the righteous; and these are the most excellent
company. This is bounty from God; and God is
sufficiently knowing. O true believers, take your
necessary precaution against your enemies, and either
go forth to war in separate parties, or go forth all
together in a body. There is of you who tarrieth
behind; and if a misfortune befall you, he saith, Verily
God hath been gracious unto me, that I was not present
with them: but if success attend you from God,
he will say (as if there was no friendship between
you and him), Would to God I had been with them, for
I should have acquired great merit. Let them
therefore fight for the religion of God, who part
with the present life in exchange for that which is
to come; for whosoever fighteth for the religion of
God, whether he be slain, or be victorious, we will
surely give him a great reward. And what ails
you, that ye fight not for God’s true religion,
and in defence of the weak among men, women, and children,
who say, O Lord, bring us forth from this city, whose
inhabitants are wicked; grant us from before thee
a protector, and grant us from thee a defender.
They who believe fight for the religion of God; but
they who believe not fight for the religion of Taghut.
Fight therefore against the friends of Satan, for
the stratagem of Satan is weak. Hast thou not
observed those unto whom it was said, Withhold your
hands from war, and be constant at prayers, and pay
the legal alms? But when war is commanded them,
behold, a part of them fear men as they should fear
God, or with a greater fear, and say, O Lord, wherefore
hast thou commanded us to go to war, and hast not
suffered us to wait our approaching end? Say unto
them, The provision of this life is but small; but
the future shall be better for him who feareth God;
and ye shall not be in the least injured at the day
of judgment. Wheresoever ye be, death will overtake
you, although ye be in lofty towers. If good
befall them, they say, This is from God; but if evil
befall them, they say, This is from thee, O Mohammed:
say, All is from God; and what aileth these people,
that they are so far from understanding what is said
unto them? Whatever good befalleth thee, O man,
it is from God; and whatever evil befalleth thee, it
is from thyself.[73] We have sent thee an apostle
unto men, and God is a sufficient witness thereof.
Whoever obeyeth the apostle, obeyeth God; and whoever
turneth back, we have not sent thee to be a keeper
over them. They say, Obedience: yet when
they go forth from thee, part of them meditate by
night a matter different from what thou speakest; but
God shall write down what they meditate by night:
therefore let them alone, and trust in God, for God