يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَخُونُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ وَتَخُونُوٓا۟ أَمَـٰنَـٰتِكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ 27
Translations
O you who have believed, do not betray Allāh and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know [the consequence].
Transliteration
Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu la takhunu Allaha wa al-rassula wa takhunu amanatikum wa antum ta'lamun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the believers not to betray Allah and His Messenger, and not to betray the trusts placed in them while being fully aware of what they do. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this prohibition encompasses both explicit betrayals and hidden ones, emphasizing that betraying trusts (whether of Allah's commandments, the Prophet's leadership, or interpersonal commitments) is a grave sin. The phrase 'while you know' (wa antum ta'lamun) adds moral culpability, as the sin is committed with full consciousness and deliberation.
Revelation Context
This surah was revealed in the Medinan period following the Battle of Badr. The ayah addresses the Muslim community's internal cohesion and trustworthiness during a critical time when the young Islamic state faced external threats. The context relates to maintaining loyalty and integrity within the Muslim ranks, as betrayal of trusts could undermine the community's strength and the believers' covenant with Allah and His Messenger.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks his promise; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays' (Sahih Bukhari 33). Additionally, the Prophet emphasized: 'Whoever betrays will have a flag on the Day of Judgment indicating his betrayal' (Sahih Muslim 1735).
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must maintain absolute integrity in all trusts—whether spiritual commitments to Allah, obedience to Islamic principles, or practical responsibilities to others—recognizing that betrayal with full awareness is a grave moral offense. This ayah reminds us that trustworthiness is foundational to both personal character and community stability.
Related Ayahs
إِذْ يُرِيكَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِى مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلًا ۖ وَلَوْ أَرَىٰكَهُمْ كَثِيرًا لَّفَشِلْتُمْ وَلَتَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَلَّمَ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ
[Remember, O Muḥammad], when Allāh showed them to you in your dream as few; and if He had shown them to you as many, you [believers] would have lost courage and would have disputed in the matter [of whether to fight], but Allāh saved [you from that]. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّـٰمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ
That is for what your hands have put forth [of evil] and because Allāh is not ever unjust to [His] servants."
إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ أَنِّى مُمِدُّكُم بِأَلْفٍ مِّنَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ مُرْدِفِينَ
[Remember] when you were asking help of your Lord, and He answered you, "Indeed, I will reinforce you with a thousand from the angels, following one another."
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ قُل لِّمَن فِىٓ أَيْدِيكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَسْرَىٰٓ إِن يَعْلَمِ ٱللَّهُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ خَيْرًا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًا مِّمَّآ أُخِذَ مِنكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
O Prophet, say to whoever is in your hands of the captives, "If Allāh knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful."