Bayian: Tafsir of Surah Al-Kafirun

Friday, September 16, 2022

Tafsir of Surah Al-Kafirun

Name of the Surah

It is called surah Al-Kafirun because Allah, Exalted be, commanded Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] to address the disbelievers and tell them that he will never worship the false gods that they worship besides Allah. This surah was revealed in Makkah. It contains six ayah.

Relationship between Surah Al-Kawthar and Surah Al-Kafirun

In surah al-Kawthar, which comes before surah Al-Kafirun according to the written copy of the Quran, Allah commanded Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] to worship Him alone sincerely. Then, He, Exalted be He, commanded him in surah Al-Kafirun to disown all false gods and explicitly inform the disbelievers that he would never worship their false gods and that he would worship Allah alone.

Most Important Topics Discussed in Surah Al-Kafirun

Surah Al-Kafirun puts the clear, final, separating limit between belief in Allah’s Oneness and disbelief, and between the believers and the disbelievers. The disbelievers asked Messenger Muhammad to make a compromise by worshipping their false gods for a year and they promised him to worship his God for a year. Then, Allah revealed this surah to end their false hopes and decide the matter between the believers and the disbelievers forever.

It was narrated that Messenger Muhammad used to recite surah Al-Ikhlas and Al-Kafirun when praying the two units of prayer after completing going around al-Kaaba seven times.

English Translation of Surah Al-Kafirun

Revealed in Makkah, Contains 6 Ayah

Bism-Allah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

In the Name of Allah, the Giver of Mercy, the Most Merciful

109:1 Say, ‘O disbelievers,

109:2 I do not worship what you worship,

109:3 nor do you worship what I worship.

109:4 And I am not a worshipper of what you worship,

109:5 nor are you worshippers of what I worship.

109:6 You have your religion and I have my religion.

Tafsir

It was narrated that the disbelievers of Makkah asked Messenger Muhammad to worship their false gods for a year and they promised him to worship his God for a year. Then, Allah revealed surah Al-Kafirun.

O noble Messenger Muhammad, say to the disbelievers, ‘I do not worship your false gods now, nor do you worship my God now. And I am not going to worship your false gods in the future, nor are you going to worship my God in the future.

The address is about specific individuals whom Allah, the All-Knowing, knew that they would never believe in His Oneness. Therefore, Allah commanded His Messenger Muhammad to make them despair of his worship of their false gods. That is because they hoped that he might accept their offer to worship his God for a year and that he would worship their false gods for a year.

In surah Al-Kafirun, Allah makes the disbelievers lose hope of succeeding in their attempt to convince Messenger Muhammad to worship their false gods.

In sum, there is no common point between the false gods of the disbelievers and the true God of the believers, and there is no common point between the deviant worship of the disbelievers and the true worship of the believers. The disbelievers worship false gods while the believers worship Allah alone, the true God, who deserves sincere worship.

109:6 You have your religion and I have my religion.

O disbelievers, you have your religion that you follow, namely, disbelief in Allah’s Oneness, and I have my religion that I follow, namely, belief in Allah’s Oneness. You believe in your creed and I believe in my creed. On the Day of Judgment, you will see the result of following your religion and I will see the result of following my religion. There is no meeting point between your religion and my religion in the life of this world nor the Hereafter.

Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Kafirun

• Surah Al-Kafirun mentions that the creed of the disbelievers is different from the creed of the believers. The disbelievers deny Allah’s Oneness, while the believers believe in Allah’s Oneness.

• Surah Al-Kafirun mentions that the god of the disbelievers is different from the God of the believers. The gods of disbelievers are false gods that cannot benefit nor harm their worshippers, while the God of the believers is Allah, the only true God, who deserves sincere worship.

• The disbelievers have their religion that they follow and the believers have their religion that they follow. There will never be a meeting point between the religion of the disbelievers and the religion of the believers.