“There has certainly been an excellent example for you in them—for whoever places his hope in Allah and the Last Day. But whoever turns away, then surely Allah alone is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy. * It may be that Allah will bring about affection between you and those of them with whom you have been enemies. Allah has power over all things, and Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. * Allah does not forbid you from showing kindness and acting justly toward those who neither fought you because of your religion nor drove you from your homes. Surely Allah loves those who act justly. * Allah only forbids you from taking as allies those who fought you because of your religion, drove you from your homes, and aided others in driving you out. Whoever takes them as allies—it is they who are the wrongdoers.”
He then repeated the exhortation [to them] to follow their example, saying, “There has certainly been an excellent example for you in them.” Not everyone finds this example easy to follow; it is easy only for one who “places his hope in Allah and the Last Day.” Faith and seeking reward and recompense make every hardship easy for the servant and every great burden seem small. They also impel him to follow the example of Allah’s righteous servants, the prophets, and the messengers, for he sees himself as being in the utmost need of doing so.
“But whoever turns away” from obeying Allah and following the example of Allah’s messengers will harm only himself and cannot harm Allah in the least. “Surely Allah alone is the Self-Sufficient,” possessing complete [absolute] self-sufficiency in every respect and needing none of His creation [in any respect]; “the Praiseworthy” in His essence, names, attributes, and actions, for He is praised for all of them.
Allah Most High then explained that the enmity He commanded the believers to maintain toward the polytheists, and described them as upholding, applies only so long as the latter persist in their polytheism and disbelief. If they embrace faith, the ruling changes with its effective cause, and affection (1) born of faith returns. Therefore, O believers, do not despair of their returning to faith: “It may be that Allah will bring about affection between you and those of them with whom you have been enemies,” arising from their return to faith. “Allah has power over all things,” including guiding hearts and turning them from one state to another. “And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” No sin is too grave for Him to forgive, and no fault too great for Him to conceal:
“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Allah truly forgives all sins. He alone is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’”
This verse contains an indication and glad tidings that some of the polytheists who were then enemies of the believers would embrace Islam. This indeed occurred, and to Allah belong all praise and grace.
When these noble verses, which urged hostility toward the disbelievers, were revealed, the believers took them fully to heart and acted upon them in the most complete manner. They feared that maintaining ties with some of their polytheistic relatives would be sinful and assumed that it fell within what Allah had forbidden.
Allah therefore informed them that this was not included in the prohibition, saying, “Allah does not forbid you from showing kindness and acting justly toward those who neither fought you because of your religion nor drove you from your homes. Surely Allah loves those who act justly.” ⦗857⦘ That is, Allah does not forbid you from showing kindness, maintaining ties, reciprocating good treatment, and acting justly toward polytheists, whether they are your relatives or others, so long as they have not taken up arms against you because of your religion or sought to drive you from your homes. There is no sin upon you for maintaining ties with them, since doing so under these circumstances entails neither danger nor harm (2). As Allah Most High says concerning polytheistic parents whose child is a Muslim:
“But if they strive to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them; yet accompany them in this world with kindness.”
[And His words:] “Allah only forbids you from taking as allies those who fought you because of your religion”—that is, on account of your religion, out of hostility toward Allah’s religion and those who uphold it—“drove you from your homes, and aided,” meaning that they assisted others, “in driving you out.” Allah forbids you “from taking them as allies” by showing them affection and supporting them in word or deed. As for kindness and good treatment that do not amount to giving allegiance to the polytheists, Allah has not forbidden them. Rather, they fall within the general command to show kindness to relatives, other human beings, and indeed other creatures.
“Whoever takes them as allies—it is they who are the wrongdoers.” The extent of this wrongdoing varies according to the nature of the allegiance. If it is complete allegiance, it becomes (3) unbelief that takes a person outside the fold of Islam. Beneath that are other degrees, some grave and others less so.