Quran Universe
8:73

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بَعۡضُهُمۡ أَوۡلِيَآءُ بَعۡضٍۚ إِلَّا تَفۡعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتۡنَةٞ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَفَسَادٞ كَبِيرٞ

Waallatheena kafaroo baAAduhum awliyao baAAdin illa tafAAaloohu takun fitnatun fee alardi wafasadun kabeerun

And those who disbelieved are allies of one another. If you do not do so, there will be fitnah on earth and great corruption.

Word by word
  1. وَٱلَّذِينَAnd those who
  2. كَفَرُواْdisbelieve
  3. بَعۡضُهُمۡsome of them
  4. أَوۡلِيَآءُ(are) allies
  5. بَعۡضٍۚ(to) another
  6. إِلَّاIf not
  7. تَفۡعَلُوهُyou do it
  8. تَكُن(there) will be
  9. فِتۡنَةٞoppression
  10. فِيin
  11. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  12. وَفَسَادٞand corruption
  13. كَبِيرٞgreat
Al-Anfal · 8:73Madinah

If you do not stand by one another, corruption spreads.

What happens when the good stop supporting each other

The warning
the other sidesupports its own
if you don't
fitnahtrial on the earth
great corruptionspreading among people
Where loyalty goes
everyone for himselfI mind my business
stand by the goodsupport those doing right

After describing the bond among believers, the verse notes that those who opposed them supported one another. Ibn Kathir explains that if the believers did not stay loyal to each other, confusion and widespread trial would follow. The concern was the community holding together in that early time.

The honest colleague who gets isolated while the cliquey ones protect each other. The friend trying to stay sober who gets no backup. People doing wrong often stick together. People doing right often leave each other alone. Be the support.

As long as I'm doing good myself, that's enough.

Good people need to stand by each other, or wrong fills the gap.

Try this

Message one person who is trying to do the right thing and tell them you're with them.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And those who disbelieve are allies of one another, (and) if you (Muslims) do not do so (protect one another), there will be Fitnah on the earth, and great corruption (73)

The Disbelievers are Allies of Each Other; the Muslims are not their Allies

After Allah mentioned that the believers are the supporters of one another, He severed all ties of support between them and the disbelievers. In his Mustadrak, Al-Hakim recorded that Usamah said that the Prophet ﷺ said,

لَا يَتَوَارَثُ أَهْلُ مِلَّتَيْنِ، وَلَا يَرِثُ مُسْلِمٌ كَافِرًا، وَلَا كَافِرٌ مُسْلِمًا

(No followers of two religions inherit from each other. Therefore, neither a Muslim inherits from a disbeliever nor a disbeliever from a Muslim.)

The Prophet ﷺ recited this Ayah,

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتْنَةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ

(And those who disbelieve are supporters of one another, (and) if you (Muslims) do not do so (protect one another), there will be Fitnah on the earth, and great corruption.) Al-Hakim said, "Its chain is Sahih, and they did not record it." However, the following, from Usamah bin Zayd, is in the Two Sahihs; the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

لَا يَرِثُ الْمُسْلِمُ الْكَافِرَ وَلَا الْكَافِرُ الْمُسْلِمَ

(Neither a Muslim inherits from a disbeliever nor a disbeliever inherits from a Muslim.)

Allah said next,

إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتْنَةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ

(If you do not do so, there will be Fitnah and oppression on the earth, and a great corruption), meaning, if you do not shun the idolators and offer your loyalty to the believers, Fitnah will overcome the people. Then confusion [polytheism and corruption] will be rampant, for the believers will be mixed with disbelievers, resulting in tremendous, widespread trials [corruption and mischief] between people.