تعاونوا على البر والتقوى ولا تعاونوا على الإثم والعدوان
Taʿāwanū ʿalā al-birri wa al-taqwā wa lā taʿāwanū ʿalā al-ithmi wa al-ʿudwān
Cooperate in goodness and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and aggression: a Quranic command (5:2) used as a rule for joint action.
What it means
These words are part of Quran 5:2: “Cooperate in righteousness and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and aggression.” The first half commands help toward birr, which means goodness and dutiful kindness, and taqwā, awareness of God that guards a person from wrong. The second half forbids joining in ithm, sin, and ʿudwān, transgression against others. Muslims quote the verse as a guide for working with others, whether in a charity, in business or in public life. The test is the purpose of the act and not the identity of the partner. Faruqi lists it among the Quranic expressions that serve as a standing rule for the community.
Often misunderstood as
The verse is sometimes read as limiting cooperation to Muslims, whereas it sets a moral test on the aim of the joint work.
What the sources say
Commentators, including al-Tabari, took the verse to command mutual help in all that pleases God and to forbid helping a wrongdoer. A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari has the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) say that one should help a brother, whether he is the wrongdoer or the wronged, and he explained that helping the wrongdoer means restraining him.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 63, listed as TA‘ĀWANŪ ‘ALĀ AL BIRRI WA AL TAQWĀ WA LĀ TA‘ĀWANŪ ‘ALĀ AL ITHMI WA'L ‘UDWĀN.. The definition is restated here.