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
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَنتَهُوا۟ يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا قَدْ سَلَفَ وَإِن يَعُودُوا۟ فَقَدْ مَضَتْ سُنَّتُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them. But if they return [to hostility] - then the precedent of the former [rebellious] peoples has already taken place.
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ سَبَقُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ لَا يُعْجِزُونَ
And let not those who disbelieve think they will escape. Indeed, they will not cause failure [to Allāh].
وَإِذْ يُرِيكُمُوهُمْ إِذِ ٱلْتَقَيْتُمْ فِىٓ أَعْيُنِكُمْ قَلِيلًا وَيُقَلِّلُكُمْ فِىٓ أَعْيُنِهِمْ لِيَقْضِىَ ٱللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا ۗ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ ٱلْأُمُورُ
And [remember] when He showed them to you, when you met, as few in your eyes, and He made you [appear] as few in their eyes so that Allāh might accomplish a matter already destined. And to Allāh are [all] matters returned.
كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ ۙ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them. They disbelieved in the signs of Allāh, so Allāh seized them for their sins. Indeed, Allāh is Powerful and severe in penalty.