وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ 71
Translations
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakāh and obey Allāh and His Messenger. Those - Allāh will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.
Transliteration
Wal-mu'minūna wal-mu'minātu ba'ḍuhum awliyā'u ba'ḍin. Ya'murūna bil-ma'rūfi wa-yanhawna 'anil-munkari wa-yuqīmūnas-salāta wa-yu'tūnaz-zakāta wa-yuṭī'ūnallāha wa-rasūlahu. Ulā'ika sayarḥamuhumulLāh. Innallāha 'azīzun ḥakīm.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the mutual responsibility and support system among believers (both men and women), emphasizing their collective duty to enjoin good and forbid evil while maintaining the pillars of faith (prayer and zakat). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that this verse elevates women to an equal spiritual status with men in religious obligation and social accountability, establishing a comprehensive framework for Islamic society. The verse concludes with the assurance that those who fulfill these conditions will receive Allah's mercy, as He is Mighty and Wise in His judgment.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah At-Tawbah, a Medinan surah focused on repentance, governance, and community obligations. It comes in a section addressing the qualities of believing communities during the development of the Islamic state in Medina, where social structures and mutual responsibilities were being established.
Related Hadiths
1) The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are like one body; when one limb suffers, the whole body responds with wakefulness and fever.' (Sahih Bukhari 6011, Sahih Muslim 2586). 2) 'Whoever sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; if he cannot, then with his heart—and that is the weakest level of faith.' (Sahih Muslim 49)
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims are called to form a cohesive, mutually supportive community where both men and women actively promote virtue and prevent vice, recognizing that faith is not merely a personal matter but a collective responsibility. By fulfilling these communal and spiritual duties with integrity, believers secure Allah's mercy and demonstrate the transformative power of Islamic teachings in creating a righteous society.
Related Ayahs
ثُمَّ يَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Then Allāh will accept repentance after that for whom He wills; and Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقُونَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَقْبِضُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ ۚ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَنَسِيَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right and close their hands. They have forgotten Allāh, so He has forgotten them [accordingly]. Indeed, the hypocrites - it is they who are the defiantly disobedient.
مَا كَانَ لِأَهْلِ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَعْرَابِ أَن يَتَخَلَّفُوا۟ عَن رَّسُولِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَرْغَبُوا۟ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُصِيبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌ وَلَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا مَخْمَصَةٌ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَطَـُٔونَ مَوْطِئًا يَغِيظُ ٱلْكُفَّارَ وَلَا يَنَالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ نَّيْلًا إِلَّا كُتِبَ لَهُم بِهِۦ عَمَلٌ صَـٰلِحٌ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
It was not [proper] for the people of Madīnah and those surrounding them of the bedouins that they remain behind after [the departure of] the Messenger of Allāh or that they prefer themselves over his self. That is because they are not afflicted by thirst or fatigue or hunger in the cause of Allāh, nor do they tread on any ground that enrages the disbelievers, nor do they inflict upon an enemy any infliction but that it is registered for them as a righteous deed. Indeed, Allāh does not allow to be lost the reward of the doers of good.
وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُضِلَّ قَوْمًۢا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَىٰهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يُبَيِّنَ لَهُم مَّا يَتَّقُونَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
And Allāh would not let a people stray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them what they should avoid. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing of all things.