[It is] Medinan. (1–9)
“In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
O you who believe, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, showing them affection even though they have disbelieved in the truth that has come to you. They drive out the Messenger and yourselves simply because you believe in Allah, your Lord. If you have gone forth to strive in My cause and seek My pleasure, how can you secretly show them affection when I know best what you conceal and what you reveal? Whoever among you does so has certainly strayed from the straight path. * If they gain the upper hand over you, they will be your enemies and stretch out their hands and tongues against you with evil, and they wish that you would disbelieve. * Neither your relatives nor your children will benefit you on the Day of Resurrection. He will judge between you, and Allah sees all that you do. * You have an excellent example in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, ‘We disassociate ourselves from you and from whatever you worship besides Allah. We utterly reject you, and enmity and hatred have arisen between us and you forever, until you believe in Allah alone’—except for Abraham’s words to his father: ‘I will certainly seek forgiveness for you, though I have no power to avail you against Allah in any way.’ ‘Our Lord, in You we trust, to You we turn in repentance, and to You is the final return. * Our Lord, do not make us a trial for those who disbelieve. Forgive us, our Lord. You alone are the Almighty, the All-Wise.’”
⦗855⦘
Many commentators, [may Allah have mercy on them], mention that the occasion for the revelation of these noble verses was the story of Hātib ibn Abī Baltaʿa. When the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—undertook the campaign of the Conquest, Hātib wrote to Quraysh (1), informing them that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was marching toward them. He did so to place them under an obligation to him, not out of [doubt or] hypocrisy, and sent the letter with a woman. The Prophet was informed of the matter, so he sent someone to intercept the woman before she arrived, and the letter was taken from her.
He reprimanded Hātib, who—may Allah be pleased with him—offered an excuse that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—accepted. These verses contain a stern prohibition against giving allegiance to the disbelievers, whether polytheists or others, and showing them affection. They explain that this is incompatible with faith, contrary to the creed of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend—peace and blessings be upon him—and opposed to sound reason, which demands the utmost caution toward an enemy who spares no effort in his hostility and seizes every opportunity to harm his foe. Allah Most High therefore says, “O you who believe”: act according to the demands of your faith by giving allegiance to those who uphold faith and opposing those who oppose it, for such a person is an enemy of Allah and an enemy of the believers.
Thus, do not take the enemy of Allah and “your enemy as allies, showing them affection.” That is, you hasten to show them affection and pursue the means that foster it. Once affection arises, support and allegiance follow it, whereupon the servant departs from faith, joins the ranks of the unbelievers, and separates himself from the people of faith.
Anyone who takes a disbeliever as an ally also lacks honor. How can he ally himself with his bitterest enemy, who desires nothing but evil for him, while opposing his Lord and Protector, who desires good for him, commands him to pursue it, and urges him toward it? Another reason believers must oppose the disbelievers is that they have rejected the truth that came to the believers. No opposition or hostility could be greater than this: they have rejected the very foundation of your religion and claim that you are misguided and without guidance.
Yet they have disbelieved in the truth about which there is neither doubt nor uncertainty. It is impossible for anyone who rejects the truth to possess any proof or argument establishing the validity of his claim. Indeed, mere knowledge of the truth (2) demonstrates the falsehood and corruption of the words of anyone who rejects it.
One manifestation of their intense hostility is that “they drive out the Messenger and yourselves,” O believers, from your homes and force you into exile from your homelands. In their eyes, you are guilty of nothing except believing in Allah, your Lord, whom all creatures are obliged to worship because He nurtured them and bestowed upon them blessings both outward and inward. He is Allah Most High.
When they turned away from this duty—the most obligatory of all duties—while you fulfilled it, they became hostile toward you and drove you from your homes because of it. What faith, honor, or reason can remain in a servant who gives allegiance to disbelievers whose nature is such in every time and place? Nothing prevents them from acting accordingly except fear or some powerful deterrent.
“If you have gone forth to strive in My cause and seek My pleasure.” That is, if your purpose in setting out is to strive in Allah’s cause, exalt His word, and seek His pleasure (3), then act according to what this requires: give allegiance to Allah’s allies and oppose His enemies. This is striving in His cause (4), and it is among the greatest deeds by which those seeking nearness draw close to their Lord and seek His pleasure.
“You secretly show them affection, while I know best what you conceal and what you reveal.” That is, how can you secretly show and conceal affection for the disbelievers when you know that Allah knows all that you conceal and reveal? Although this may remain hidden from the believers, it cannot remain hidden from Allah Most High. He will recompense His servants for the good and evil He knows of them. “Whoever among you does so”—meaning, gives allegiance to the disbelievers after Allah has warned you against it—“has certainly strayed from the straight path,” for he has followed a course contrary to the revealed law, sound reason, and human honor.
Allah Most High then explained the intensity of their hostility in order to rouse the believers to oppose them: “If they gain the upper hand over you”—that is, if they find you and the opportunity to harm you presents itself—“they will be your enemies,” ⦗856⦘ openly, “and stretch out their hands against you” by killing, beating, and the like.
“And their tongues with evil,” meaning with harmful words, including insults and other abuse; “and they wish that you would disbelieve,” for this is their ultimate desire for you.
If you argue, saying, “We give allegiance to the disbelievers because of family ties and wealth,” then neither your wealth nor your children will avail you in the least against Allah. “Allah sees all that you do.” He has therefore warned you against giving allegiance to the disbelievers, for such allegiance will harm you.
O company of believers, “you have an excellent example”—that is, a righteous model whose example will benefit you—“in Abraham and those with him” among the believers, for you have been commanded to follow the creed of Abraham, who was wholly devoted to Allah. “When they said to their people, ‘We disassociate ourselves from you and from whatever you worship besides Allah.’” That is, Abraham—peace be upon him—and the believers with him disassociated themselves from their polytheistic people and from whatever they worshipped besides Allah.
They then declared their hostility in the clearest possible terms, saying, “We utterly reject you, and there has arisen”—that is, appeared and become manifest—“between us and you enmity and hatred.” Hatred refers to the hatred within the heart and the disappearance of affection, while enmity refers to outward opposition. This enmity and hatred have neither a set time nor a limit; rather, they will remain “forever” so long as you persist in your disbelief, “until you believe in Allah alone.” Once you believe in Allah alone, the enmity and hatred will disappear and be transformed into affection and allegiance.
Thus, O believers, you have an [excellent] example in Abraham and those with him: in upholding faith and monotheism, fulfilling all their necessary consequences and requirements, and in everything by which you worship Allah alone. There is “except” one matter: “Abraham’s words to his father,” the obstinate polytheistic disbeliever Āzar. When Abraham called him to faith and monotheism, he refused, so Abraham said, “I will certainly seek forgiveness for you,” although “I have no power to avail you against Allah in any way.” In other words: I will call upon my Lord, hoping that my prayer to Him will not leave me disappointed.
You may not follow Abraham’s example in this particular instance, when he prayed for a polytheist. You may not pray for the polytheists and say, “In doing so, we are following the creed of Abraham,” for Allah explained Abraham’s excuse in this regard when He said: “Abraham’s prayer for his father’s forgiveness was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to Abraham that he was an enemy of Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Abraham was indeed tender-hearted and forbearing.”
You also have an excellent example in Abraham and those with him when they supplicated Allah, trusted in Him, turned to Him in repentance, and acknowledged their helplessness and shortcomings. They said, “Our Lord, in You we trust,” meaning: we rely upon You to bring us what benefits us and repel what harms us, and we place our confidence in You regarding all of this, our Lord.
“To You we turn in repentance,” meaning: we return to obeying You, seeking Your pleasure, and pursuing everything that draws us close to You. We strive toward this and diligently perform good deeds. We know that we shall return to You, so we will prepare to come before You and do what brings us nearer to You (5).
“Our Lord, do not make us a trial for those who disbelieve.” That is, do not allow them to overpower us because of our sins, lest they persecute us and, to the extent of their ability, prevent us from practicing matters of faith. They too would be led further astray, for if they saw themselves prevail, they would think that they were upon the truth and that we were upon falsehood, thereby increasing in disbelief and transgression. “Forgive us” for the sins and evil deeds we have committed and for our shortcomings in fulfilling what we were commanded to do. “Our Lord, You alone are the Almighty,” who subdues all things, “the All-Wise,” who places everything in its proper place. By Your might (6) and wisdom, grant us victory over our enemies, forgive our sins, and rectify our faults.