Quran Universe
9:11

فَإِن تَابُواْ وَأَقَامُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُاْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَإِخۡوَٰنُكُمۡ فِي ٱلدِّينِۗ وَنُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمٖ يَعۡلَمُونَ

Fain taboo waaqamoo alssalata waatawoo alzzakata faikhwanukum fee alddeeni wanufassilu alayati liqawmin yaAAlamoona

But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion; and We detail the verses for a people who know.

Word by word
  1. فَإِنBut if
  2. تَابُواْthey repent
  3. وَأَقَامُواْand establish
  4. ٱلصَّلَوٰةَthe prayer
  5. وَءَاتَوُاْand give
  6. ٱلزَّكَوٰةَthe zakah
  7. فَإِخۡوَٰنُكُمۡthen (they are) your brothers
  8. فِيin
  9. ٱلدِّينِۗ[the] religion
  10. وَنُفَصِّلُAnd We explain in detail
  11. ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِthe Verses
  12. لِقَوۡمٖfor a people
  13. يَعۡلَمُونَ(who) know
At-Tawbah · 9:11Madinah

Yesterday's opponents can become today's brothers.

Repentance turns enemies into family

What changes everything
former opponentswho fought the believers
repent, pray, give
your brothersin the religion
How to see them after
never forget what they did
brothers nowthe past is closed

Right after describing those who broke every bond, the verse opens the widest door: if they repent, pray and give zakah, they are your brothers in religion. Ibn Kathir mentions men of Makkah who once fought and later became excellent believers.

Someone who hurt you, or mocked your faith, turns around and changes. They show up at the masjid, or apologize. The verse asks you to call them brother, not to keep a file on them.

People who once opposed me will always be suspect.

When someone truly turns back to Allah, they become my family.

Try this

Greet warmly someone whose past you know. Let it stay in the past.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 9:9)

They have purchased with the Ayat of Allah a little gain, and they hindered men from His way; evil indeed is that which they used to do (9)With regard to a believer, they respect not the ties, either of kinship or of covenant! It is they who are the transgressors (10)But if they repent, perform the Salah and give the Zakah, then they are your brethren in religion. (In this way) We explain the Ayat in detail for a people who know (11)

Allah admonishes the idolators and encourages the believers to fight against them because,

اشْتَرَوْا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا

(They have purchased with the Ayat of Allah a little gain,) idolators exchanged following the Ayat of Allah with the lower affairs of life that they indulged in,

فَصَدُّوا عَن سَبِيلِهِ

(and they hindered men from His way), trying to prevent the believers from following the truth,

إِنَّهُمْ سَاءَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ - لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِي مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً

(evil indeed is that which they used to do. With regard to a believer, they respect not the ties, either of kinship or of covenant!)[9:9-10].

We explained these meanings before, as well as, the meaning of,

فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ

(But if they repent, perform the Salah...)