O you who have believed, do not take your fathers or your brothers as allies if they have preferred disbelief over belief. And whoever does so among you - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
Verse 23 of Surah At-Tawbah (9:23), a Medinan surah, is in juz 10, on page 190 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.
Listen to verse 23 of Surah At-Tawbah
78 recitations by 72 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.
All voices (78)
Tafsir of verse 23
Al-Mukhtasar
O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, do not take your fathers and brothers, relatives and other relations, as intimates and protectors, telling them the secrets of the believers and consulting them, if they prefer disbelief to faith in Allah alone. Whoever makes them protectors despite their disbelief, drawing close to them, disobeys Allah, wrongs themselves and brings destruction upon themselves because of their disobedience.
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.
O you who believe! Take not as Auliyâ’ (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 Zâlimûn (wrong-doers).
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.
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.
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.
O you who have believed, do not take to yourselves your fathers and your brethren to be (your) patrons, in case they show love to disbelief (rather) than belief. And whoever of you patronizes them, then, those are they (who) are the unjust..
You will not find a people who believe in Allāh and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allāh and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. Those - He has decreed within their hearts faith and supported them with spirit from Him. And We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. Allāh is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him - those are the party of Allāh. Unquestionably, the party of Allāh - they are the successful.
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves [i.e., believers], for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason.
O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allāh guides not the wrongdoing people.
