Verse. 1258

٩ - ٱلتَّوْبَة

9 - At-Tawba

يٰۗاَيُّھَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَتَّخِذُوْۗا اٰبَاۗءَكُمْ وَاِخْوَانَكُمْ اَوْلِيَاۗءَ اِنِ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْكُفْرَ عَلَي الْاِيْمَانِ۝۰ۭ وَمَنْ يَّتَوَلَّہُمْ مِّنْكُمْ فَاُولٰۗىِٕكَ ہُمُ الظّٰلِمُوْنَ۝۲۳
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo la tattakhithoo abaakum waikhwanakum awliyaa ini istahabboo alkufra AAala aleemani waman yatawallahum minkum faolaika humu alththalimoona

English

Ahmed Ali

O you who believe, do not hold your fathers and brothers as friends if they hold disbelief more dear than faith; and those of you who do so are iniquitous.

23

Tafseer

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : (o ye who believe! choose not your fathers nor your brethren) who are in mecca from among the disbelievers (for friends) in religion (if they take pleasure in disbelief rather than faith) if they choose disbelief instead of faith. (whoso of you taketh them for friends) in religion, (such are wrong-doers) disbelievers like them; it is also said that this means: o ye who believe! take not your believing fathers and brothers who are in mecca, who had prevented you from migrating to medina, for allies, seeking their help and assistance, if they choose to remain in the abode of disbelief, i.e. mecca, rather than migrate to the abode of islam, i.e. medina. whosoever takes them for allies harms only himself.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : the following was revealed regarding those who refrained from emigrating because of their families and trade: o you who believe, do not take your fathers and brothers for your friends, if they prefer, if they have chosen, disbelief over belief; whoever of you takes them for friends, such are the evildoers.

Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi

تفسير : (o ye who believe! choose not your fathers nor your brethren for friends if they take pleasure in disbelief rather than faith) [9:23-24]. said al-kalbi: “when the messenger of allah, allah bless him and give him peace, was commanded to migrate to medina, some men went to their fathers, brothers or wives and said: 'we have been commanded to migrate to medina'. thus, some people liked the command and hastened to execute it, while the wives, dependents and children of others hung on to some others, saying: 'we beseech you by allah not to leave us to no one, causing our waste and peril'. the hearts of these softened for them and, as a result, they refrained from migrating. these words of allah, exalted is he, were then revealed to rebuke them (o ye who believe! choose not your fathers nor your brethren for friends if they take pleasure in disbelief rather than faith…)”. as for those who stayed back in mecca and did not migrate, allah, exalted is he, revealed (then wait till allah bringeth his command to pass…) [9:24], meaning fighting and the conquest of mecca.