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Surah Al-Kafiroon

(DISBELIEVERS)

Surah #109 Consisting of 6 Ayahs

 Listen to Surah Al-Kafiroon

 

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In Allah's Name, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

    

Say: O you disbelievers!

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ

I worship not what you worship,

لا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونََ

nor do you worship what I worship,

وَلا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ

And I will not worship what you have worshipped,

وَلا أَنَا عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّمْ

neither will you worship what I worship.

وَلا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ

You have your religion, and I will have mine.

لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ

         

                                                                             

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ

Say: O you disbelievers!   go to top of page

     Surah Kafiroon is directed to the disbelievers.  Allah tells Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and all the Muslims to declare the uncompromising difference between those who worship Allah and those who don't.

     The disbelievers were people who lived at the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and who worshipped idols.  They used to pray to stones and offer sacrifices to them as if they were their gods! They followed what their parents and previous generations used to believe in.  What they used to worship doesn't make sense to us and it seems absurd.  That is because we have learned about the truth through Islam.

     The disbelievers were extremely cruel to Prophet Muhammad and the early Muslims.  They used to abuse and even torture early Muslims, and repeatedly so.  They used to ridicule Muslims and make fun of Islam.  They were the true enemies of Islam and they tried to destroy it, but they failed in their effort.  They failed because Allah (swt) wanted to see Islam successful and victorious.

     The disbelievers tried to bribe Prophet Muhammad and they failed.  They threatened him with his life and they failed.  They tried to convince him to join them to worship their idols and that they would accept Islam in return, and in this they also failed.  This is why this Surah was revealed. 

 

  لا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ

I worship not what you worship,   go to top of page

     Allah (swt) was ordering Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Muslims to declare to the disbelievers that they would never worship the silly idols, no matter what.  Worshiping anything other than Allah makes no sense.  Some people pay all their effort to making money; and this means they worshiped money.  Other people will pay all their attention to their jobs as if the job has become their God! The same is true of those who worship stones made into idols, or persons made into deities (gods).  These efforts are all alike, and ultimately they mean worshiping deities other than God.

     People of such practices are disbelievers (Kaafir), whether at the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or at the present time.  Kaafirs (disbelievers) existed before, they exit now and will exist in the future.

     This Ayah says that we are to insist on worshiping Allah (swt) in the Islamic way, since it is the only way for our salva­tion. 

 

وَلا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ

nor do you worship what I worship,   go to top of page

     A good many people were and are too blind to see the truth and too deaf to hear it.  The disbelievers were set in their ways.  They didn't change nor did they want to change, even if it so happened that their beliefs made no sense and may have sounded absurd.  Is there anything sillier than worshiping stones?! Yet, there used to be so many who used to worship the stones and fight against Islam mercilessly.

     In this Ayah, Allah knew what was in the heart of the disbelievers and that is why the Ayah said, "Nor do you worship that which I worship."

 

وَلا أَنَا عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّم

And I will not worship what you have worshipped,   go to top of page

     This Ayah came to emphasize for the second time that we will never go in the way of the disbelievers.  Their way is obviously wrong while our way is the way of Allah (God) and it is the Absolute Truth.

 

 وَلا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُد

neither will you worship what I worship.   go to top of page

     This Ayah emphasizes that the disbelievers do not want to accept the powers of Allah.  They reject the Truth of Islam.  There is a clear and strong difference between the Muslims' belief in Allah and the Kaafirs denial of His religion.

 

لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ

You have your religion, and I will have mine.    go to top of page

     Considering all the above points, there will be no compro­mise.  The disbelievers will continue in their way of belief and will end up being losers in the Hereafter in Hell.  The Prophet (pbuh) and the Muslims will continue to worship Allah and to follow Islam. 

 

THROUGH SURAH AL-KAFIROON ALLAH WANTS US TO:   go to top of page

 1.     reject all false beliefs;

 2.     reject all forms of false worship such as:

                   a.  worship of idols,

                   b.  worship of money,

                   c.  worship of power, prestige or influence, and

                   d.  worship of anything other than God Himself.

 3.     insist that there is no compromise in our way of worship;

 4.     insist that Islam, the religion of God, is the best and the only way;

 5.     know that most people get set in their ways and they will:

                   a.  follow the example of their parents,

                   b.  worship what their parents do even if it is absurd,

                   c.  reject Truth even when they see it.

 6.     know that it takes a great deal of courage for a person to see the way of the Truth and to follow it.  It is not easy, but it does happen now as it happened before.

 

This Ayah tells people to never lose courage or compromise in their understanding of the Truth.

QUESTIONS   go to top of page

  1. What is meant by:    وَلا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُد

  2. Who are the     الْكَافِرُونَ?

  3. What do the disbelievers worship?

  4. Why do disbelievers insist on their way of worship?

  5. What is the meaning of:  قُلْ?

  6. What is meant by:   يَا أَيُّهَا ?

  7. Whose way of worship is the correct way?

  8. What is the meaning of:     وَلا أَنَا عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّم?

  9. What is meant by:       لا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ?

  10. What do you learn from Surah Al-Kafiroon?

  11. Who are the disbelievers today?

  12. What did the disbelievers do to the Muslims in the early days of Islam?

  13. Why don't the disbelievers follow Islam?

  14. What is meant by the word Kaafir?

  15. Is it easy to change belief?

  16. Recite the second Ayah of Surah Al-Kafiroon.

  17. Recite the last Ayah of Surah Al-Kafiroon.

  18. Recite the third Ayah of Surah Al-Kafiroon.

  19. What is the meaning of the last Ayah of Surah Al-Kafiroon?

  20. What is the meaning of the second Ayah of Surah Al-Kafiroon?

 

 

 

MEANING OF WORDS    go to top of page

In the name of

بِسْمِ

Allah

اللهِ

The Gracious

الرَّحْمنِ

The  Merciful

الرَّحِيمِِ

Say قُلْ   O you يَا أَيُّهَا.
Disbelievers الْكَافِرُونَ

I worship not

 لا أَعْبُدُ

  What مَا
You Worship تَعْبُدُونَ

Nor do you

وَلا أَنتُمْ

  Worship عَابِدُونَ
What مَا

I worship أَعْبُدُ And not وَلا
I أَنَا

Worship عَابِدٌ   What مَّا
You have worshipped عَبَدتُّمْ

Neither will you وَلا أَنتُمْ   Worship عَابِدُونَ
What مَا

I worship

أَعْبُدُ

 

You have

لَكُمْ

Your religion دِينُكُمْ And I will have وَلِيَ   Mine (My religion) دِينِ