Translation
Be prepared against them with whatever forces (effective means) you can muster and horses (people, institutions, tools and technology) stationed to safeguard and to deter the enemies of God who are also your enemies and others whom you do not know but God knows them. Whatever you dedicate and spend (resource, time, collective commitment) in the cause of God (truth and justice), God will compensate back in full measure and you will not be wronged (for your commitments). 414
If they (your adversaries) incline to peace, you too should incline and put your trust in God Who hears, and He knows. If they intend to deceive you, then be rest assured that God is sufficient (for your protection and success). It is God who strengthens you with His help and with aid from the faithful whose hearts He had unified. If you were to spend all the resources that are on earth, you could not have brought them together, but God united them. God is Mighty and Wise.
O Prophet, God is sufficient for you and for those, from among the faithful, who follow you. Call and inspire the faithful to resist fear of loss and fight. If there are twenty of you, committed and steadfast, you will overcome two hundred of them and if there are a hundred of you, you will overcome a thousand of them who disbelieve, it is because these are a people who do not comprehend (truth). 415
Interpretation
414 For the forces of good to prevail, there need to be constant vigilance and sustainment of effort and institutions. This is not about fighting a battle (though that is the context here) but is about a larger context in our contemporary societies, where battle does not solve conflicts, but dialogue, shared values, and proactive containment of evil works and evil tendencies do. Preparation is not only about defensive war machinery and capabilities, which is permitted, while offensive, unprovoked war is not, but more importantly establishing and sustaining social norms about faith and goodness; social, political, and commercial institutions that respect freedom of choice; consensus building; human dignity; equitable distribution of income and wealth; and responsible care of the natural world and resources. The world needs such proactive measures and on a wider scale to sustain and nurture humanity on this planet.
415 A call is made to the faithful that they need to dedicate their persons and their resources for such causes and in the face of immediate adversity and armed conflicts. Such commitments should not cause fear of loss of their property of their person because God will support them to be successful, irrespective of whether they win the immediate battle or not. God will reward them for their efforts and for their resources in this life and more importantly in the life to come after death. They are assured in multiple ways: (1) no wrong can come to them if do the right things, (2) God will pay back generously for their effort and spending to support truth and justice, and (3) God will offer help to win over in the face of enormous odds, if they are steadfast, peace loving, and demonstrative of commitment and courage.
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REFLECTION
Every time there was difficulty and odds appeared against the Prophet and his followers, God offered assurance in ways that were permanent, consistent, and pertinent to all people of faith and goodness, irrespective of time, generation, and ethnicity. In exchange for their commitment and dedication of their persons and resources, God offers immediate and sustained help, improves the odds for success against adversaries who may be numerous and more powerful, and assures a generous return for their commitment in this life and in the hereafter, while demanding that they commit to no excess and incline to peace at all times.
ACTION
The verses here and the verse 3:110 best summarize the actions one can take: “You (the community of faith and goodness) are the best community raised for the benefit of mankind—you sustain and encourage what is good, you contain and discourage what is evil, and you have faith in God (and goodness).” God had already programmed in all of us (ref. 30:30) an innate ability to recognize evil, an affinity for goodness, and a moral code to continuously reform our societies. We will do well to be faithful to our human nature, the nature that God had implanted on us and that aligns us with God.