لَّا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ يُوَآدُّونَ مَنْ حَآدَّ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَلَوْ كَانُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ كَتَبَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلْإِيمَـٰنَ وَأَيَّدَهُم بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ ۖ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ رَضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حِزْبُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أَلَآ إِنَّ حِزْبَ ٱللَّهِ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ 22
Translations
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.
Transliteration
Lā tajidu qawman yu'minūna billāhi wa-al-yawmi al-ākhiri yuwāddūna man ḥādda allāha wa-rasūlahu wa-law kānū ābāʾahum aw abnāʾahum aw ikhwānahu aw ʿashīratahu. Ulāʾika kataba fī qulūbihimu al-īmānu wa-ayyadadahum bi-rūḥin minhu wa-yudkhiluhum jannātin tajrī min taḥtihā al-anhāru khālidīna fīhā. Raḍiya allāhu ʿanhum wa-raḍū ʿanhu. Ulāʾika ḥizbu allāh. Alā inna ḥizba allāh humu al-muflihūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that true believers will never befriend or show affection to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, regardless of kinship ties—even if they are parents, children, siblings, or tribe members. Those who uphold this principle have faith written upon their hearts by Allah, are strengthened with a spirit from Him, and shall enter Paradise. Ibn Kathir emphasizes that this reflects the reality that genuine faith necessitates loyalty to Allah's cause above all worldly relationships, while Al-Qurtubi notes this represents the highest degree of monotheistic commitment.
Revelation Context
This surah was revealed in Medina and addresses the balance between mercy and firm principles in faith. The ayah likely reflects the early Islamic community's struggles when accepting Islam meant severing ties with pagan relatives who opposed the faith. It establishes that religious loyalty supersedes familial bonds.
Related Hadiths
1) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: 'The strongest bond of faith is to love for the sake of Allah and to hate for the sake of Allah' (Sunan An-Nasa'i). 2) 'None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself' (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)—highlighting the complementary principle of loyalty within faith.
Themes
Key Lesson
True faith requires prioritizing our allegiance to Allah and His guidance above all personal relationships and family ties, not through cruelty but through principled boundaries. This ayah challenges modern believers to examine whether their pursuit of worldly relationships compromises their commitment to Islamic principles, reminding us that such sacrifice is rewarded with divine love, spiritual strength, and eternal Paradise.