The Quran

Preface

إِن تَتوبا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَقَد صَغَت قُلوبُكُما ۖ وَإِن تَظاهَرا عَلَيهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ مَولاهُ وَجِبريلُ وَصالِحُ المُؤمِنينَ ۖ وَالمَلائِكَةُ بَعدَ ذٰلِكَ ظَهيرٌ

Yusuf Ali

If ye two turn in repentance¹ to Him, your hearts are indeed so inclined; But if ye back up each other against him, truly God is his Protector, and Gabriel, and (every) righteous one among those who believe,- and furthermore,² the angels - will back (him) up.

There are further lessons. (5) Both the party betraying confidence and that encouraging the betrayal must purge their conduct by repentance. (6) Frank repentance would be what their hearts and conscience themselves would dictate and they must not resist such amends on account of selfish obstinacy. (7) If they were to resist frank repentance and amends, they are only abetting each other’s wrong, and they cannot prevail against all the spiritual forces which will be ranged on the side of the right.
Do not forget the dual meaning: immediate, in application to the Prophet, and general, being the lesson which we ought all to learn. The Prophet could not be injured by any persons doing anything against him even though they might unconsciously put him in greater jeopardy: for God, the Angel Gabriel, (who was the Messenger to hirn), and the whole Community, would protect him,-to say nothing of the army of angels or hidden spiritual forces that always guarded him. Cf. 33:56. The general lesson for us is that the good man’s protection is that of the spiritual forces around him; it is divine protection, against which human weakness or folly will have no power.