SURA VIII.-THE SPOILS1 [XCV.]

Medina.-76 Verses

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

They will question thee about the spoils.  Say:  The spoils are God’s and the apostle’s.  Therefore, fear God, and settle this among yourselves; and obey God and his apostle, if you are believers.

Believers are they only whose hearts thrill with fear when God is named, and whose faith increaseth at each recital of his signs, and who put their trust in their Lord;

Who observe the prayers, and give alms out of that with which we have supplied them;

These are the believers:  their due grade awaiteth them in the presence of their Lord, and forgiveness, and a generous provision.

Remember how thy Lord caused thee to go forth from thy home2 on a mission of truth, and part of the believers were quite averse to it: 

They disputed with thee about the truth3 which had been made so clear, as if they were being led forth to death, and saw it before them: 

And remember when God promised you that one of the two troops4 should fall to you, and ye desired that they who had no arms should fall to you:  but God purposed to prove true the truth of his words, and to cut off the uttermost part ofthe infidels;

That he might prove his truth to be the truth, and bring to nought that which is nought,5 though the impious were averse to it: 

When ye sought succour of your Lord, and he answered you, “I will verily aid you with a thousand6 angels, rank on rank:” 

And God made this promise as pure good tidings, and to assure your hearts by it:  for succour cometh from God alone!  Verily God is Mighty, Wise.

Recollect when sleep, a sign of security from Him, fell upon you, and he sent down upon you water from Heaven that he might thereby cleanse you, and cause the pollution of Satan to pass from you, and that he might gird up your hearts, and stablish your feet by it: 

When thy Lord spake unto the angels, “I will be with you:  therefore stablish ye the faithful.  I will cast a dread into the hearts of the infidels.”  Strike off their heads then, and strike off from them every finger-tip.

This, because they have opposed God and his apostle:  And whoso shall oppose God and his apostle. . . .  Verily, God will be severe in punishment.

“This for you!  Taste it then! and for the infidels is the torture of the fire!”

O ye who believe! when ye meet the marshalled hosts of the infidels, turn not your backs to them: 

Whoso shall turn his back to them on that day, unless he turn aside to fight, or to rally to some other troop, shall incur wrath from God:  Hell shall be his abode and wretched the journey thither!

So it was not ye who slew them, but God slew them; and those shafts were God’s, not thine!7 He would make trial of the faithful by a gracious trial from Himself:  Verily, God Heareth, Knoweth.