لَن يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلَّآ أَذًى ۖ وَإِن يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ ٱلْأَدْبَارَ ثُمَّ لَا يُنصَرُونَ 111
Translations
They will not harm you except for [some] annoyance. And if they fight you, they will show you their backs [i.e., retreat]; then they will not be aided.
Transliteration
Lan yaḍurrūkum illā adhā wa-in yuqātilūkum yuwallūkum al-adbāra thumma lā yunṣarūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah reassures the believers that their enemies (the disbelievers of Makkah and the hypocrites) can only harm them with minor annoyance, and if they engage in battle, Allah will grant the believers victory as the enemies will turn their backs in flight and receive no divine aid. Ibn Kathir emphasizes this as a divine promise of protection and triumph for the Muslim community, while Al-Tabari notes the conditional nature—victory is assured when believers meet the enemy in righteous struggle with proper faith and preparation.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ali 'Imran (revealed in Madinah), which addresses the early Muslim community after the Battle of Uhud. It provides solace and reassurance to believers who faced trials from both external enemies and internal hypocrites, reinforcing their confidence in Allah's support despite apparent hardships.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'No disease will strike a believer except that Allah will remove his sins by it, even if it be the prick of a thorn' (Sahih Bukhari). This complements the ayah's mention of 'adhā' (annoyance/harm) as a means of purification. Additionally, numerous hadiths affirm Allah's promise to aid the believers in battle when they meet enemies sincerely.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that while enemies may attempt to cause harm, their power is ultimately limited and temporary, and that sincere faith and righteous struggle will result in divine support and victory. For modern readers, this serves as a spiritual anchor during persecution or opposition, encouraging trust in Allah's justice and the inevitable triumph of truth over falsehood.
Related Ayahs
يَـٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لِمَ تَلْبِسُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
O People of the Scripture, why do you mix [i.e., confuse] the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know [it]?
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بَعْدَ إِيمَـٰنِهِمْ ثُمَّ ٱزْدَادُوا۟ كُفْرًا لَّن تُقْبَلَ تَوْبَتُهُمْ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلضَّآلُّونَ
Indeed, those who disbelieve [i.e., reject the message] after their belief and then increase in disbelief - never will their [claimed] repentance be accepted, and they are the ones astray.
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ نَصِيبًا مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّىٰ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ
Do you not consider, [O Muḥammad], those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They are invited to the Scripture of Allāh that it should arbitrate between them; then a party of them turns away, and they are refusing.
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ ۗ وَلَوْ ءَامَنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم ۚ مِّنْهُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allāh. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.