4:139

Salaam all,

This is 4:139
الَّذِينَ يَتَّخِذُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاء مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَيَبْتَغُونَ عِندَهُمُ الْعِزَّةَ فَإِنَّ العِزَّةَ لِلّهِ جَمِيعًا
Allatheena yattakhithoona alkafireena awliyaa min dooni almumineena ayabtaghoona AAindahumu alAAizzata fainna alAAizzata lillahi jameeAAan

The Aya says:
Those who take the rejecters as guardians/directors short of the ones who make themselves safe (in Allah and the message). Do they seek at their presence the dominant strength?! Then indeed, the dominant strength belongs to Allah, all of it.

My personal note:
This Aya talks about the specific group, within the wide category of Munafiqeen that were mentioned in the previous aya, who are promised with painful suffering. It designates them as those who take the rejecters as guardians or directors.

The term AWLIYA has been translated in many places to means friend or ally. Both terms are correct but within the main concept that is carried with that word. This concept is following direction while accepting protection. So, the AWLIYA that is condemned here is accepting the guardianship of the unbelievers including following their direction away from the direction of Allah and His messenger. It can be extended to the other category of putting oneself at the mercy of someone who can dictate upon you conditions that you cannot reject, including contrary to the message of Allah.

This message does not apply to friendship that does not include this sacrifice. It also does not apply to receiving help and aid without having to follow their direction against Allah’s direction. Same thing applies for collaboration for the common good. All those are with the condition that one should remain following God’s message with no compromise and aim to seek aid and guardianship from the fellow believer. The proofs are that the prophet (pbuh) received the aid of his uncle who was an unbeliever. He also had his guide to Medina, in his historic migration, also an unbeliever and he also continued to received advice and help from an Arab tribe, Khuzaia including their believers and unbelievers (majmoo Fatawa of ibn Taimiyyah “the school of Salaf in belief and the school of the later ones”).

Translation of the transliterated words:
Allatheena: those who
Yattakhithoona: take to themselves
Note: the root is Hamza-KH-TH and it means to take. YATTAKHITHOONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of taking the object (ALKAFIREENA= the rejecters) for oneself is being made to happen or will be made to happen by the subject (third person plural).
Alkafireena: the rejecters/ the discarders of truth
Note: the root is K-F-R and it means cover or bury in the ground, as in put the seed in the ground and cover it. This is then used conceptually for many purposes as in discarding and rejecting as well as burying. ALKAFIREENA are the ones who reject the truth or discard it.
Awliyaa: protégés/ allies/guardians/directors
Note: the root is W-L-Y and it means direction or following direction with some guarantee. It comes close to guardianship. AWLIYAA is either the one who is a guardian or the one who receives guardianship of another or both. In this context, they are the ones who receive guardianship and or protection from Alakafireen. Therefore I used protégés or allies oguardians.
Min: from
Dooni: short of/ below of
Note: The root is D-W-N and it means short of someone or something. It can also mean lower than at times depending on the plane of thought of the sentence. DOONI means short of or below of.
Almumineena: the ones who made themselves safe
Note: the root Hamza-M-N and it means safety. ALMUMINEENA means ones who make themselves safe.
Ayabtaghoona: Do they seek?!/ do they desire?!
Note: the root is B-GHain-Y or B-ghain-w and it means the young unripe fruit and the young animal. This is some of the concrete meaning. It does attain the meaning of something desirable or desire as well as something bad. Both may share that youth is desirable and youth is associated with immaturity and foolish actions. AYABTAGHOONA is a question with some criticism in it. It means: Do they seek/ desire?!
AAindahumu: At them/ at their presence
Note: AAiNDA means at, but carries the meaning of at, or at presence of or at possession of according to the situation. AAiNDA here means at presence of or at in general. HUMU means them.
alAAizzata: the dominant strength/ the dominance
Note: the root is Ain-Z-Z and it means the hard earth that will not yield under the rain and therefore, will make the rain water flow rather than seep. It is used for entities that are strong and defeat pressure, basically the combination of strength and dominance. ALIZZATA is the dominance with strength or the strength with dominance.
Fainna: then indeed
alAAizzata: the dominant strength/ the dominance
Note: the root is Ain-Z-Z and it means the hard earth that will not yield under the rain and therefore, will make the rain water flow rather than seep. It is used for entities that are strong and defeat pressure, basically the combination of strength and dominance. ALIZZATA is the dominance with strength or the strength with dominance.
Lillahi: belongs to Allah
jameeAAan: all of it
Note: the root is J-M-Ain and it means gather the different parts together or putting things together. JAMeeAAaN means together or all. The context suggests all of it.

Salaam all and have a great day.


Hussein