True Believers and Hypocrites

What befell you on the day the two armies met was by Allah’s permission, so He could distinguish the true believers.

3:166That which befell you, on the day when the two armies met, was by permission of Allah; that He might know the true believers;

And so, He could expose the hypocrites, those who were told, ‘Come, fight in Allah’s cause or at least defend yourselves,’ but they replied, ‘If we knew there would be fighting, we would have joined you.’ They were closer to disbelief that day than to faith. They spoke with their mouths what was not in their hearts. Allah knows what they conceal.

3:167And that He might know the hypocrites, unto whom it was said: Come, fight in the way of Allah, or defend yourselves. They answered: If we knew aught of fighting we would follow you. On that day they were nearer disbelief than faith. They utter with their mouths a thing which is not in their hearts. Allah is Best Aware of what they hide.

Remember when Allah promised you victory over one of the two enemy groups, but you wished for the unarmed one. Yet Allah intended to establish the truth through His words and uproot the disbelievers.

8:7And when Allah promised you one of the two bands (of the enemy) that it should be yours, and ye longed that other than the armed one might be yours. And Allah willed that He should cause the Truth to triumph by His words, and cut the root of the disbelievers;

To affirm the truth and nullify falsehood, even though the guilty disliked it.

8:8That He might cause the Truth to triumph and bring vanity to naught, however much the guilty might oppose;