Quran Universe
11:113

وَلَا تَرۡكَنُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ فَتَمَسَّكُمُ ٱلنَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِنۡ أَوۡلِيَآءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ

Wala tarkanoo ila allatheena thalamoo fatamassakumu alnnaru wama lakum min dooni Allahi min awliyaa thumma la tunsaroona

And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest you be touched by the Fire, and you would not have other than Allah any protectors; then you would not be helped.

Word by word
  1. وَلَاAnd (do) not
  2. تَرۡكَنُوٓاْincline
  3. إِلَىto
  4. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  5. ظَلَمُواْdo wrong
  6. فَتَمَسَّكُمُlest touches you
  7. ٱلنَّارُthe Fire
  8. وَمَاand not
  9. لَكُم(is) for you
  10. مِّنbesides Allah
  11. دُونِbesides Allah
  12. ٱللَّهِbesides Allah
  13. مِنۡany
  14. أَوۡلِيَآءَprotectors
  15. ثُمَّthen
  16. لَاnot
  17. تُنصَرُونَyou will be helped
Hud · 11:113Makkah

Do not lean toward those who do wrong.

Small compromises with wrong add up

The slow slide
youtrying to stand firm
leaning on
the wrongdoerssiding, compromising
brings
no protectorbesides Allah
What leaning means
just being friendlyit is harmless
condoning the wrongby relying on it

Ibn Abbas explained the verse: do not compromise with them, do not side with those who do wrong. Ibn Kathir adds: do not seek their help, as if approving their evil. Otherwise you will have no protector besides Allah and no one to help you.

Your friend is running a dodgy scheme and asks you to just "vouch for him." Your boss wants your quiet support for something unfair. Leaning starts small. You can be kind to people and still refuse to prop up what they are doing wrong.

As long as I am not the one doing wrong, supporting it a little is fine.

Leaning on wrongdoing, even quietly, pulls me toward it; Allah is my only real protector.

Try this

Decline one request today that would mean quietly backing something you know is wrong.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 11:112)

So stand (ask Allah to make) you firm and straight as you are commanded and those who turn in repentance with you, and transgress not. Verily, He is All-Seer of what you do (112)And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you, and you have no protectors other than Allah, nor would you then be helped (113)

The Command to Stand Firm and Straight

Allah, the Exalted, commands His Messenger and His believing servants to be firm and to always be upright. This is of the greatest aid for gaining victory over the enemy and confronting the opposition. Allah also forbids transgression, which is to exceed the bounds (of what is allowed). Verily, transgression causes destruction to its practitioner, even if the transgression was directed against a polytheist. Then, Allah informs that He is All-Seer of the actions of His servants. He is not unaware of anything and nothing is hidden from Him. Concerning Allah's statement,

وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا

(And incline not toward those who do wrong,) 'Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn 'Abbas said, "Do not compromise with them." Ibn Jarir said that Ibn 'Abbas said, "Do not side with those who do wrong." This is a good statement. This means, "Do not seek assistance from wrongdoers, because it will be as if you are condoning their actions (of evil)."

فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ

(lest the Fire should touch you, and you have no protectors other than Allah, nor you would then be helped.) This means that you will not have besides Allah any friend who can save you, nor any helper who can remove you from His torment.