Translation of the meanings Ayah 23 Surah At-Tawbah - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 23

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓاْ ءَابَآءَكُمۡ وَإِخۡوَٰنَكُمۡ أَوۡلِيَآءَ إِنِ ٱسۡتَحَبُّواْ ٱلۡكُفۡرَ عَلَى ٱلۡإِيمَٰنِۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُم مِّنكُمۡ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

(23) ^[2053]You who Believe, do not hold your fathers and brothers as allies should they prefer Denial over Belief. Whoever of you takes them as allies, then these are the ˹real˺ wrongdoers.

[2053] al-Rāzī opines that this aya comes in response to another point raised about disowning the Deniers. Many of the Believers had Associators among their closest relatives and severance of such blood relations was argued as unworkable, and hence carrying out the Divine command, was thought, in turn, unfeasible; therefore, this categorical reply. The aya following it further drives the message home and rouses by means of a threat, since not all people are predisposed equally (cf. al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar).