Al 'Imran: (28) Let not the believers take...

Contextual Linkage

There are two perspectives on the structure of this verse:

1. First View: After mentioning what is incumbent upon the believer regarding the glorification of God, the verse then mentions what is incumbent upon the believer in dealings with people. This is because perfection in matters consists of two things: glorifying God's command and showing compassion to God's creation. Thus, God said: {Let not the believers take the disbelievers as allies instead of the believers}.
2. Second View: After clarifying that God possesses dominion over this world and the Hereafter, it is explained that desire should be directed towards what is with Him and with His allies, not His enemies.

Issues in the Verse

There are several accounts:

1. Some Jews came to a group of Muslims to tempt them away from their religion. Rifāʿah ibn al-Mundhir, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Jubayr, and Saʿīd ibn Khaythama told these Muslims: "Avoid these Jews and beware lest they tempt you from your religion." Then this verse was revealed.
2. Qatādah said: It was revealed concerning Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Baltaʿah and others, who used to ally with the Jews and polytheists, informing them of news, hoping for victory over the Messenger of God (PBUH). Then this verse was revealed.
3. It was revealed concerning ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit. He had allies among the Jews. On the Day of the Confederates (Al-Aḥzāb), he said: "O Prophet of God, I have five hundred Jews with me, and I see that they should come out with me." Then this verse was revealed.

Objection: God Almighty said: {Whoever does that has nothing of God in anything}, which is a description of a disbeliever.

Response: The meaning of the verse is: "He has nothing of God's alliance (walāyah) in anything." This does not necessitate disbelief, regarding the prohibition of befriending disbelievers.

Know that God Almighty revealed many verses concerning this meaning, such as: {O you who have believed, do not take as intimates others than your own people} (Al 'Imran: 118); {You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day showing love to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger} (Al-Mujadilah: 22); {O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies}; {O you who have believed, do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies} (Al-Mumtaḥinah: 1); and {The believers, men and women, are allies of one another} (At-Tawbah: 71).

Know that a believer's alliance with a disbeliever can take three forms:

1. Contentment with their disbelief and allying with them for the sake of their disbelief. This is forbidden because whoever does this affirms them in that religion. Affirming disbelief is disbelief, and contentment with disbelief is disbelief. Thus, it is impossible for such a person to remain a believer while holding this attribute.
   • Objection: Didn't God say: {Whoever does that has nothing of God in anything}, which does not necessitate disbelief? Therefore, this person is not covered by this verse, because God said: {That is because those who disbelieve...} (implying the consequence is disbelief), so the address must be about something where the believer remains a believer.
   • Response: (The text seems to skip the direct response to this specific objection here, but the following points clarify the scope.)

2. Beautiful outward association in worldly matters, which is not forbidden.

3. The intermediate form: Allying with disbelievers in the sense of leaning towards them, assisting them, supporting them, or aiding them, either due to kinship or affection, while believing their religion to be false. This does not necessitate disbelief, but it is forbidden because this type of alliance might lead one to approve of their path and be content with their religion, which would expel them from Islam. Therefore, God threatened them by saying: {Whoever does that has nothing of God in anything}.

Objection: Why can't the verse mean a prohibition against taking disbelievers as allies instead of the believers? If one allies with them and with the believers, that is not forbidden. Furthermore, the phrase {Let not the believers take the disbelievers as allies} implies an added distinction, as a person might be allied with someone without taking them as an ally (mutual relationship). The prohibition against taking them as an ally does not necessitate a prohibition against the mere act of alliance.

Response: Although these two possibilities exist in the verse, the other verses indicating that alliance with them is impermissible negate these two possibilities.

The dhāl (ذ) in yattakhidh is vocalized with a sukūn because it is in the jussive mood due to the prohibition. It is given a kasrah to avoid the meeting of two silent letters (the sukūn of the dhāl and the sukūn of the following letter, though the text implies the sukūn of the dhāl and the sukūn of the initial letter of the next word, which is not explicitly written here, or perhaps the sukūn of the dhāl and the sukūn of the lām in al-kāfirīn if read without the initial alif).

Al-Zajjāj said: If it were in the indicative mood (raffaʿ), it would also be permissible. The meaning in the indicative mood would be: "Whoever is a believer, it is not appropriate for him to take a disbeliever as an ally."

Know that the meaning of prohibition and the meaning of the indicative statement approach each other, because whenever it is the characteristic of a believer not to ally with a disbeliever, then he is necessarily prohibited from allying with a disbeliever. And whenever he is prohibited from that, it is necessarily his characteristic and path not to do so.

This means "other than the believers," similar to {and call upon your witnesses other than Allah} (Al-Baqarah: 23), meaning other than God. This is because the word dūn (دون) is specifically used for place, as you say: "Zayd sat dūna ʿAmr," meaning in a place lower than him. Since whoever is spatially distant from another is different from him, the word dūn is used to mean "other than."

Then God Almighty said: {And whoever does that has nothing of God in anything}. There is an ellipsis here. The meaning is: "He has nothing of God's alliance (walāyah) in anything that could be called alliance," meaning he is completely stripped of God's alliance. This is logical, as allying with the ally and allying with the enemy are opposites. A poet said:

It is also possible that the meaning is: "He has nothing of God's religion in anything," and this is more emphatic.

Then God Almighty said: {except in the way that you take precaution against them out of fear} (illā an tattaqū minhum tiqāh).

Al-Kisā'ī recited it with imālah (inclination towards yā'). Nāfiʿ and Ḥamzah recited it between tafkhīm (emphatic pronunciation) and imālah. The rest recited it with tafkhīm. Yaʿqūb recited it as tiqiyyah (تقية). The imālah is permissible to indicate that the alif originates from a yā'. The form tiqāh (تقاة) is on the pattern of fiʿlah (فعلة), like tu'dah (تؤدة) and tukhmāh (تخمة). Those who used tafkhīm did so because of the emphatic letter qāf (ق).

Al-Wāḥidī said: One says taqaytuhu taqāh, taqā, taqiyyah, and taqwā. If you say ittaqaītu, its verbal noun is ittiqā’ (اتقاء). Why did God say tattaqū (you take precaution) and then tiqāh instead of ittiqā’? It is a noun placed in the position of a verbal noun, just as one says jalasa jalsatan (he sat a sitting) and rakiba rukbatan (he rode a riding). God said: {then He accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow a good growth} (Al 'Imran: 37). A poet said:

He treated it as an act of giving. He said: It is also possible to treat tiqāh here like rumāh (archers), making it an emphatic circumstantial accusative (ḥāl mu'akkidah).

Al-Ḥasan narrated that Musaylimah the Liar seized two companions of the Messenger of God (PBUH). He asked the first: "Do you testify that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God?" He said: "Yes, yes, yes." He asked: "Do you testify that I am the Messenger of God?" He said: "Yes." (Musaylimah claimed to be the messenger for Banū Ḥanīfah, and Muḥammad for Quraysh.) So Musaylimah let him go and summoned the other. He asked him the same questions. The second man replied: "I am deaf (i.e., I did not hear you clearly) three times." So Musaylimah brought him forward and killed him. When this reached the Messenger of God (PBUH), he said: "As for this killed man, he died upon his certainty and truthfulness—good for him! As for the other, he accepted God's concession, so there is no blame upon him."

Know that the parallel to this verse is God's saying: {except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is firm in faith} (An-Naḥl: 106).

We mention some of its many rulings:

1. First Ruling: Taqiyyah applies only when a man is among disbelievers and fears for his life and property. He placates them with his tongue, meaning he does not show enmity verbally. It is even permissible to show apparent words suggesting affection and alliance, but only on the condition that he conceals the opposite in his heart, and that everything he says is ambiguous. The effect of Taqiyyah is on outward actions, not the states of the heart.
2. Second Ruling: If he were to openly declare the truth and faith where Taqiyyah is permissible, that would be better, as evidenced by the story of Musaylimah.
3. Third Ruling: Taqiyyah is permissible regarding the outward expression of alliance or enmity. It may also be permissible regarding the outward expression of religion. However, concerning matters that cause harm to others—such as killing, adultery, seizing wealth, false testimony, slandering chaste women, or revealing the secrets/vulnerabilities of Muslims to disbelievers—it is absolutely not permissible.
4. Fourth Ruling: The apparent meaning of the verse suggests Taqiyyah is only permitted against dominant disbelievers. However, the school of thought of Imam Shāfiʿī (may God be pleased with him) holds that if the situation among Muslims resembles the situation between Muslims and polytheists (i.e., fear for life), Taqiyyah is permitted for self-preservation.
5. Fifth Ruling: Taqiyyah is permissible to preserve life. Whether it is permissible to preserve wealth is debatable. It is likely permissible, based on the Prophet's saying: "The sanctity of a Muslim's wealth is like the sanctity of his blood," and his saying: "Whoever is killed defending his wealth is a martyr." Furthermore, the need for wealth is severe; for instance, if water is sold at an inflated price, the obligation of wuḍūʾ (ablution) is lifted, and tayammum is permitted to avoid that financial loss. How then could it not be permitted here? And God knows best.
6. Sixth Ruling: Mujāhid said: This ruling was valid in the early days of Islam due to the weakness of the Muslims. But after the strength of the Islamic state, it is not. ʿAwf narrated from Al-Ḥasan that he said: Taqiyyah is permissible for believers until the Day of Resurrection. This latter view is stronger, as warding off harm from the self is obligatory to the extent possible.

Then God Almighty said: {And Allah warns you of Himself} (Wa yuḥadhirukum Allāhu nafsah). There are two sayings regarding this:

1. First Saying: There is an omission, and the meaning is: "And Allah warns you of the punishment of Himself." Abū Muslim said the meaning is: {And Allah warns you of Himself} that you disobey Him and thus deserve His punishment. The benefit of mentioning the Self is that if He had said: "And Allah warns you," it would not clarify that what is intended for warning is a punishment originating from God or someone else. When the Self is mentioned, this ambiguity is removed. It is known that the punishment originating from Him is the greatest type of punishment because He is capable of infinite things, and no one has the power to repel or prevent what He wills.
2. Second Saying: The Self here refers back to taking disbelievers as allies, meaning God warns them against this very act.

Then He said: {And to Allah is the final destination}. The meaning is: Allah warns you of His punishment when you return to Him.

Verse 3:187

{Say, "Whether you conceal what is within your breasts or bring it to light, Allah knows it. And Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth. And Allah is over all things competent."}