Surah Kafirron (Disbelievers)
Say, "O disbelievers,
I do not worship what you worship.
Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.
Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship.
Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion."
History of revelation of these verses
Ibn Khatir quotes in his tafsir It has been said that in their ignorance the Quraish invited the Messenger of Allah to worship their idols for a year and they would (in turn) worship his God for a year. Therefore, Allah revealed this Surah and in it
Said bin Mina (the freed slave of Abul Bakhtari) has related that Walid bin Mughirah, As bin Wail, Aswad bin al-Muttalib and Umayyah bin Khalaf met the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and said to him: "O Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings), let us agree that we would worship your God and you would worship our gods, and we would make you a partner in all our works. If what you have brought was better than what we possess, we would be partners in it with you, and have our share in it, and if what we possess is better than what you have brought, you would be partner in it with us and have your share of it."At this Allah sent down: Qul ya-ayyuhal-kafirun such was mentioned by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Hisham in their Sirah.
“Say: "Oh, you who disbelieve!"I do not worship that which you worship,”Say O you who disbelieve is referring to all the disbelievers around the world although it was directed to the Quraysh of Mecca. The next ayat “I do not worship that which you worship” this statement is referred to Prophet PBUH served as an answer to the statement of Quraysh when they invited the Messenger of Allah to worship their idols for a year and they would (in turn) worship his God for a year.
They follow nothing but their own opinions and the (vain) desires of themselves, and Guidance has already come to them from their Lord." [Al-Qur'an 53:23]
“Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.”
These ayahs are continuation of the previous ayah refuting the request of Quraysh they made to Prophet in their arrogance. It also forbids them and other disbelievers to take Islam for granted and to practice it for a so and so time. In wider detail these ayahs also forbids Muslims to please the disbelievers by celebrating their events or taking part in their religious occasion in order to make them feel happy and loved or with the intention to convert them to Islam as a person cannot do this but it is Allah who changes the heart, we only convey the message.
“For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”
The polytheists worship deities besides Allah in a way not permitted by Allah and so He told the Prophet PBUH to say to them: "To you your religion and to me mine", as in His Words:
"And if they reject you, then say: 'To me my deeds and to you your deeds and you are innocent of my accounts and I am innocent of yours,' " [Al-Qur'an10:41] and, "For us our deeds and for you your deeds." [Al-Qur'an 28:55]
According to Al-Bukhari your religion means kufr (disbelief) and my religion means Islam. Abu 'Abdillah ash-Shafi'i says that the verse shows that the disbelievers are one people because disbelief in all its many manifestations has one thing in common that is, falsity.
Virtues of this Surah :
Surah Kafiroon equals a fourth of the Qur'an It has been reported by Tirmidhi with weak chain of transmitters that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever recites Idha Zulzilat, it equals half of the Qur'an for him. Whoever recites: Qul Ya Ayyuhal-Kafirun it equals a fourth of the Qur'an for him. And whoever recites: Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad it equals a third of the Qur'an for him."
[Book 45, Hadith 3138 reported on authority Narrated Anas bin Malik and similar was reported on authority Ibn 'Abbas]
Prophet PBUH use to recite this Surah in Fajr
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited: "Say: O you disbelievers" and "Say: He is Allah, (the) One" in the two rak'ahs of Fajr.
[Sunan Nasai Book 11, Hadith 70]
Prophet PBUH recited this Surah in Tawaf, Maghrib and Witr prayer
Jabir bin Abdullah narrated: During the two Rak'ah of Tawaf, the Messenger of Allah recited the two Surat of Ikhlas, "Say: O you disbelievers!" and: "Say: He is Allah, (the) One."
[Jami Tirmidhi Book 9, Hadith 62]
It was narrated that Ibn Umar said:
"I watched the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)- twenty times- reciting in the two rak'ahs after maghrib 'Say: O you disbelievers' and 'Say: He is Allah, (the) One.'"
[Sunan Nasai Book 11, Hadith 117]
Khalid said: "Shu'bah narrated to us, he said: Salamah and Zubaid informed me, from Dharr, from Ibn 'Abdur-Rahman bn Abza from Abdur-Rahman, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite in Witr: "Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High;" and "Say: O you disbelievers!;' and 'Say: He is Allah, (the) One.' And when he said the taslim, he would say: Subhanal-Malikil-Quddus (Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy) three times, raising his voice with Subhanal-Malikil-Quddus the third time."
[Sunan Nasai Book 20, Hadith 136]
Say, "O disbelievers,
I do not worship what you worship.
Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.
Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship.
Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion."
History of revelation of these verses
Ibn Khatir quotes in his tafsir It has been said that in their ignorance the Quraish invited the Messenger of Allah to worship their idols for a year and they would (in turn) worship his God for a year. Therefore, Allah revealed this Surah and in it
Said bin Mina (the freed slave of Abul Bakhtari) has related that Walid bin Mughirah, As bin Wail, Aswad bin al-Muttalib and Umayyah bin Khalaf met the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and said to him: "O Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings), let us agree that we would worship your God and you would worship our gods, and we would make you a partner in all our works. If what you have brought was better than what we possess, we would be partners in it with you, and have our share in it, and if what we possess is better than what you have brought, you would be partner in it with us and have your share of it."At this Allah sent down: Qul ya-ayyuhal-kafirun such was mentioned by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Hisham in their Sirah.
“Say: "Oh, you who disbelieve!"I do not worship that which you worship,”Say O you who disbelieve is referring to all the disbelievers around the world although it was directed to the Quraysh of Mecca. The next ayat “I do not worship that which you worship” this statement is referred to Prophet PBUH served as an answer to the statement of Quraysh when they invited the Messenger of Allah to worship their idols for a year and they would (in turn) worship his God for a year.
They follow nothing but their own opinions and the (vain) desires of themselves, and Guidance has already come to them from their Lord." [Al-Qur'an 53:23]
“Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.”
These ayahs are continuation of the previous ayah refuting the request of Quraysh they made to Prophet in their arrogance. It also forbids them and other disbelievers to take Islam for granted and to practice it for a so and so time. In wider detail these ayahs also forbids Muslims to please the disbelievers by celebrating their events or taking part in their religious occasion in order to make them feel happy and loved or with the intention to convert them to Islam as a person cannot do this but it is Allah who changes the heart, we only convey the message.
“For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”
The polytheists worship deities besides Allah in a way not permitted by Allah and so He told the Prophet PBUH to say to them: "To you your religion and to me mine", as in His Words:
"And if they reject you, then say: 'To me my deeds and to you your deeds and you are innocent of my accounts and I am innocent of yours,' " [Al-Qur'an10:41] and, "For us our deeds and for you your deeds." [Al-Qur'an 28:55]
According to Al-Bukhari your religion means kufr (disbelief) and my religion means Islam. Abu 'Abdillah ash-Shafi'i says that the verse shows that the disbelievers are one people because disbelief in all its many manifestations has one thing in common that is, falsity.
Virtues of this Surah :
Surah Kafiroon equals a fourth of the Qur'an It has been reported by Tirmidhi with weak chain of transmitters that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever recites Idha Zulzilat, it equals half of the Qur'an for him. Whoever recites: Qul Ya Ayyuhal-Kafirun it equals a fourth of the Qur'an for him. And whoever recites: Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad it equals a third of the Qur'an for him."
[Book 45, Hadith 3138 reported on authority Narrated Anas bin Malik and similar was reported on authority Ibn 'Abbas]
Prophet PBUH use to recite this Surah in Fajr
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited: "Say: O you disbelievers" and "Say: He is Allah, (the) One" in the two rak'ahs of Fajr.
[Sunan Nasai Book 11, Hadith 70]
Prophet PBUH recited this Surah in Tawaf, Maghrib and Witr prayer
Jabir bin Abdullah narrated: During the two Rak'ah of Tawaf, the Messenger of Allah recited the two Surat of Ikhlas, "Say: O you disbelievers!" and: "Say: He is Allah, (the) One."
[Jami Tirmidhi Book 9, Hadith 62]
It was narrated that Ibn Umar said:
"I watched the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)- twenty times- reciting in the two rak'ahs after maghrib 'Say: O you disbelievers' and 'Say: He is Allah, (the) One.'"
[Sunan Nasai Book 11, Hadith 117]
Khalid said: "Shu'bah narrated to us, he said: Salamah and Zubaid informed me, from Dharr, from Ibn 'Abdur-Rahman bn Abza from Abdur-Rahman, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite in Witr: "Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High;" and "Say: O you disbelievers!;' and 'Say: He is Allah, (the) One.' And when he said the taslim, he would say: Subhanal-Malikil-Quddus (Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy) three times, raising his voice with Subhanal-Malikil-Quddus the third time."
[Sunan Nasai Book 20, Hadith 136]
