Al-Qur'an Surah At-Tawbah Verse 23

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, do not take your fathers and your brothers as your friends, if they prefer infidelity to Faith. Those of you who have friendship with them are the wrongdoers.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Do not take your parents and siblings as trusted allies if they choose disbelief over belief. And whoever of you does so, they are the ˹true˺ wrongdoers.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, do not take your parents and brothers as allies if they choose disbelief over belief; whoever among you takes them as allies, it is they who are the wrongdoers.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, take not your fathers and brothers to be your friends, if they prefer unbelief to belief; whosoever of you takes them for friends, those -- they are the evildoers.

Abdul Haleem

Believers, do not take your fathers and brothers as allies if they prefer disbelief to faith: those of you who do so are doing wrong.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Ye who believe! take not your fathers and your brothers for friends if they love infidelity above faith. Whosoever of you then befriendeth them then those! they are the wrong-doers.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if they love infidelity above Faith; if any of you do so, they do wrong.

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers, do not take your fathers and your brothers for your allies if they choose unbelief in preference to belief. Whosoever of you takes them as allies those are wrong-doers.

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.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Do not consider your fathers and your brothers as your friends if they prefer disbelief over faith; and whoever among you befriends them – then it is he who is the unjust.

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Do not befriend your fathers and brothers if they prefer faithlessness to faith. Those of you who befriend them—it is they who are the wrongdoers.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Do not take your fathers and your brothers for confidants and guardians (to whom you can entrust your affairs), if they choose unbelief in preference to belief. Whoever of you takes them for confidants and guardians, those are wrongdoers (who have wronged themselves by committing a great error).

Amatul Rahman Omar

O you who believe! take not your fathers and brothers for allies, if they prefer disbelief to belief. And whoever of you ally themselves with them, it is then these who are the real wrong doers.

English Literal

You, you those who believed, do not take your fathers and your brothers (as) guardians/allies if they loved/liked the disbelief more (preferred) over the belief, and who follows them from you, so those, those are the unjust/oppressors.

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Do not consider your fathers and your brothers as your friends if they prefer disbelief over faith; and whoever among you befriends them - then it is he who is the unjust.

Hamid S. Aziz

O you who believe! Choose not your fathers, nor your brothers for patrons if they love disbelief rather than faith; for whoever amongst you takes them for patrons these are the wrong-doers.

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Take not for Auliya' (supporters and helpers) your fathers and your brothers if they prefer disbelief to Belief. And whoever of you does so, then he is one of the Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Abiding therein for ever. Surely Allah has a mighty reward with Him.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! do not take your fathers and your brothers for guardians if they love unbelief more than belief; and whoever of you takes them for a guardian, these it is that are the unjust.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Choose not your fathers nor your brethren for friends if they take pleasure in disbelief rather than faith. Whoso of you taketh them for friends, such are wrong-doers.

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, do not accept your fathers and brothers as your guardians if they prefer disbelief to faith, lest you be unjust.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, do not take your fathers or your brothers for a guide if they love disbelief rather than belief. Whosoever of you takes them for guides are the harmdoers.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Take not as supporters your fathers and your brothers if they prefer disbelief to belief. And whoever of you befriends them, then he is one of the wrongdoers.

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers, do not take your fathers and your brothers for allies if they choose denial of truth in preference to faith. Those among you who ally themselves with them are wrongdoers.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Do not ally yourselves with your parents and your siblings if they prefer disbelief to belief. Whoever of you allies himself with them—these are the wrongdoers.

Tafsir jalalayn

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.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Prohibition of taking the Idolators as Supporters, even with Relatives

Allah says;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تَتَّخِذُواْ ابَاءكُمْ وَإِخْوَانَكُمْ أَوْلِيَاء إَنِ اسْتَحَبُّواْ الْكُفْرَ عَلَى الاِيمَانِ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُم مِّنكُمْ فَأُوْلَـيِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ



O you who believe! Take not as supporters your fathers and your brothers if they prefer disbelief to belief. And whoever of you befriends them, then he is one of the wrongdoers.

Allah commands shunning the disbelievers, even if they are one's parents or children, and prohibits taking them as supporters if they choose disbelief instead of faith.

Allah warns,

لااَّ تَجِدُ قَوْماً يُوْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الااٌّخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَأدَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُواْ ءَابَأءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَأءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَنَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ أُوْلَـيِكَ كَتَبَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ الااِيمَـنَ وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الااٌّنْهَـرُ

You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written (predetermined) faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a Ruh (proof, light and true guidance) from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow. (58;22)

Al-Hafiz Al-Bayhaqi recorded that Abdullah bin Shawdhab said,

"The father of Abu Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah was repeatedly praising the idols to his son on the day of Badr, and Abu Ubaydah kept avoiding him. When Al-Jarrah persisted, his son Abu Ubaydah headed towards him and killed him. Allah revealed this Ayah in his case,

لااَّ تَجِدُ قَوْماً يُوْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الااٌّخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَأدَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ

You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger." (58;22)

Allah commanded His Messenger to warn those who prefer their family, relatives or tribe to Allah, His Messenger and Jihad in His cause