Quran Quote  :  As for those who believe in falsehood and are engaged in infidelity with Allah, it is they who will be the losers. - 29:52

Quran-3:28 Surah Al-imran English Translation,Transliteration and Tafsir(Tafseer).

لَّا يَتَّخِذِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ أَوۡلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَۖ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيۡسَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ فِي شَيۡءٍ إِلَّآ أَن تَتَّقُواْ مِنۡهُمۡ تُقَىٰةٗۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسَهُۥۗ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ

Transliteration:( Laa yattakhizil mu'minoonal kaafireena awliyaaa'a min doonil mu'mineena wa mai yaf'al zaalika falaisa minal laahi fee shai'in illaaa an tattaqoo minhum tuqaah; wa yuhazzirukumul laahu nafsah; wa ilal laahil maseer )

28. Let not the believers take disbelievers as their friends [62] instead of the believers. And whoever does that has no connection with Allah, unless you cautiously safeguard yourselves from them [63]. And Allah warns you to fear Him [64]. And to Allah belongs the final destination. (Kanzul Imaan Translation)

(28) Let not believers take disbelievers as allies [i.e., supporters or protectors] rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has nothing [i.e., no association] with Allāh, except when taking precaution against them in prudence.[122] And Allāh warns you of Himself, and to Allāh is the [final] destination. (Saheen International Translation)

Surah Al Imran Ayat 28 Tafsir (Commentry)



  • Tafseer-e-Naeemi (Ahmad Yaar Khan)
  • Ibn Kathir
  • Ala-Madudi
  • Shaheen International

62. Reason for its Revelation:
This verse was revealed on the occasion of the Battle of the Trench when Hazrat Ubadah bin Suamit had said that as five hundred Yahud are his friends and allies he could ask their assistance in the war if the Holy Prophet commands him to do so. Allah revealed this verse in response to this request which teaches us that it is forbidden to keep friendship with non-believers. Their assistance in military matters is only allowed under extreme circumstances, not otherwise Says Allah Almighty "And take not any of them as friends and helpers" (S4: V 89)
63. From this verse the permitted evasion of the Shias is not proven because permission for good treatment of non-believers is only given during times of fear. It does not give permission to live with non-believers and seek worldly benefits from them. For it the following verse is applicable: "Was not Allah's earth spacious so that you might have migrated in it" (S4 V97) It is incumbent to migrate from a place of helplessness It is for thisreasonthat the Holy Prophet did not take evasive measures to stay in Makkah but migrated from there to Madina. It should be remembered that although this outward treatment is permissible, if it is not carried out and if a person is martyred, it is better for him. Hazrat Imam Hussain (on whom be peace) did not take any evasive action but gave his precious life. However, it is proven by this verse that during time of need it is permissible to seek assistance from the non-believers.
64. It should be remembered that to conceal falsehood and reveal truth is hypocrisy and double-dealing, and to conceal truth under trying circumstances is religious evasion, while to conceal truth to reveal falsehood for the purpose of deceiving is a treacherous trickery. Here, a second type of evasion is being mentioned for that reason Allah Almighty is instilling fear of His wrath i.e. if you try any other trick you will be punished, not cautioned.

Ibn-Kathir

28. Let not the believers take the disbelievers as friends instead of the believers, and whoever does that, will never be helped by Allah in any way, unless you indeed fear a danger from them. And Allah warns you against Himself, and to Allah is the final return.


The Prohibition of Supporting the Disbelievers

Allah prohibited His believing servants from becoming supporters of the disbelievers, or to take them as comrades with whom they develop friendships, rather than the believers. Allah warned against such behavior when He said,

﴿وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَىْءٍ﴾

(And whoever does that, will never be helped by Allah in any way) meaning, whoever commits this act that Allah has prohibited, then Allah will discard him. Similarly, Allah said,

﴿يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ عَدُوِّى وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالْمَوَدَّةِ﴾

(O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies as friends, showing affection towards them), until,

﴿وَمَن يَفْعَلْهُ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ السَّبِيلِ﴾

(And whosoever of you does that, then indeed he has gone astray from the straight path.) ﴿60:1﴾. Allah said,

﴿يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ الْكَـفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَتُرِيدُونَ أَن تَجْعَلُواْ للَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَاناً مُّبِيناً ﴾

(O you who believe! Take not for friends disbelievers instead of believers. Do you wish to offer Allah a manifest proof against yourselves) ﴿4:144﴾, and,

﴿يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَـرَى أَوْلِيَآءَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِّنكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ﴾

(O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as friends, they are but friends of each other. And whoever befriends them, then surely, he is one of them.) ﴿5:51﴾.

Allah said, after mentioning the fact that the faithful believers gave their support to the faithful believers among the Muhajirin, Ansar and Bedouins,

﴿وَالَّذينَ كَفَرُواْ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ إِلاَّ تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُنْ فِتْنَةٌ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ ﴾

(And those who disbelieve are allies of one another, (and) if you do not behave the same, there will be Fitnah and oppression on the earth, and a great mischief and corruption.) ﴿8:73﴾.

Allah said next,

﴿إِلاَ أَن تَتَّقُواْ مِنْهُمْ تُقَـةً﴾

(unless you indeed fear a danger from them) meaning, except those believers who in some areas or times fear for their safety from the disbelievers. In this case, such believers are allowed to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly. For instance, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Ad-Darda’ said, “We smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them.” Al-Bukhari said that Al-Hasan said, “The Tuqyah is allowed until the Day of Resurrection.” Allah said,

﴿وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ﴾

(And Allah warns you against Himself.) meaning, He warns you against His anger and the severe torment He prepared for those who give their support to His enemies, and those who have enmity with His friends,

﴿وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ﴾

(And to Allah is the final return) meaning, the return is to Him and He will reward or punish each person according to their deeds.

(3:28) The believers may not take the unbelievers for their allies in preference to those who believe. Whoever does this has nothing to do with Allah unless he does so in order to protect himself from their wrong-doing.[25] Allah warns you to beware of Him for it is to Allah that you will return.[26]

Ala-Maududi

(3:28) The believers may not take the unbelievers for their allies in preference to those who believe. Whoever does this has nothing to do with Allah unless he does so in order to protect himself from their wrong-doing.[25] Allah warns you to beware of Him for it is to Allah that you will return.[26]


25. This means that it is lawful for a believer, helpless in the grip of the enemies of Islam and in imminent danger of severe wrong and persecution, to keep his faith concealed and to behave in such a manner as to create the impression that he is on the same side as his enemies. A person whose Muslim identity is discovered is permitted to adopt a friendly attitude owards the unbelievers in order to save his life. If he considers himself incapable of enduring the excesses to which he may be subjected, he may even state that he is not a believer.

26. One should not be overwhelmed by the fear of other human beings to the extent of losing the fear of God. Human beings can harm a man but the most they can do is to ruin his transient, earthly life. God, on the other hand, can subject him to everlasting torment. If one is constrained in extraordinary circumstances to resort to a prudent concealment of faith (taqiyah) in order to save one’s life, this concealment should remain within reasonable limits. The most one is permitted to do is to protect one’s life and property without jeopardizing either the interests of Islam or of the Muslim community as a whole, and without causing loss of life and property to other Muslims. One must never allow saving one’s own life to lead to the propagation of unbelief at the expense of Islam and to the dominance of unbelievers over Muslims. Here the believers are warned that, no matter how dangerous the circumstances surrounding them, they cannot escape God’s reproach if they give substantial aid to those rebelling against Him, and cause any harm to God’s chosen religion, to the community of believers or to any individual believer. For, it is to God that one will ultimately return for reckoning.

(28) Let not believers take disbelievers as allies [i.e., supporters or protectors] rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has nothing [i.e., no association] with Allāh, except when taking precaution against them in prudence.[122] And Allāh warns you of Himself, and to Allāh is the [final] destination.

[122]- When fearing harm from an enemy, the believer may pretend as long as his heart and intention are not affected.

Sign up for Newsletter