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O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy, namely, the disbelievers of Mecca, for friends. You offer, you communicate to, them, the Prophet's plan "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" to attack them, which he had confided to you, and had kept secret, at Hunayn, [communicating this to them out of], affection, between you and them. Hātib b. Abī Balta'a sent them a letter to that effect, on account of his having children and close relatives, idolaters, among them. The Prophet "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" intercepted it from the person to whom he [Hātib] had given it to deliver, after Allahu ta’ālā apprised him of this. Hātib's excuse for this [conduct of his] was accepted [by the Prophet]; when verily they have disbelieved in the truth that has come to you, that is, [in] the religion of Islam and the Qur'ān, expelling the Messenger (rasūl) and you, from Mecca, by oppressing you, because you believe in Allahu ta’ālā, your Rabb. If you have gone forth to struggle in My way and to seek My pleasure … (the response to the conditional is indicated by what preceded, that is to say, [understand it as being] 'then do not take them as friends'). You secretly harbour affection for them, when I know well what you hide and what you proclaim. And whoever among you does that, that is, to secretly communicate the Prophet's news to them, has verily strayed from the right way, he has missed the path of guidance (originally, al-sawā' means 'the middle [way]').