Al-Kafiroun (ٱلْكَافِرُون)

Surah Al-Kafirun (الْكَافِرُون) is the 109^th surah of the Quran. The name of the Surah is taken from its first verse. Al-Kafirun translates to “disbelievers”. The phrase Al-Kafirun refers to the non-believers of Mecca, who were denying the Message of Islam at that time. It is one of the Surahs, where the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ is directly commanded by Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ using the word “Qul”, which translates to “Say”. Through this Surah Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ commands the Prophet to clearly tell the disbelievers that their rituals of worship, which are based on polytheism, are different from the worship of the believers, which is based on Tawhid (monotheism).

Shaan e Nazool (Historical Background)

During the early stages of the spread of the Islamic message, the leaders of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca initially attempted to persuade the Prophet to compromise on the fundamental theme of Islam, monotheism. They used to come up with different suggestions, hoping to convince the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ for a bargain. On one occasion, they suggested that the Prophet should not speak ill of our gods; in turn, we are ready to make him our leader and that we shall obey him. Another such proposal was to give him immense wealth, so that he would become the wealthiest person in Mecca. Similarly, he was also offered the opportunity to name any woman, and she would be given to him in marriage.

There are many traditions that describe various such proposals offered by the disbelievers, in the hope of resolving the dispute between them and the Prophet. However, the Prophet used to reject all such suggestions and remained firm in his mission of spreading Allah's سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ message. These traditions also disclose that such attempts were repeatedly made by the disbelievers on multiple occasions, to which the Prophet did not agree.

On one such occasion, the disbelievers floated a proposal that the Prophet should worship their gods for one year, and in turn, they would worship his God for one year. At this, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ asked them to wait until he receives Allah’s سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ command in this regard. It is believed that Surah Al-Kafirun was revealed on this specific occasion, where Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, commanded the Prophet to clearly tell them that the worship of the disbelievers is different from that of the Prophet, so there would be no compromise on the concept of Tawhid. The attempt to reach an agreement was categorically rejected through the revelation of Surah Al-Kafirun.

Makki or Madni Surah

Although there is a little difference of opinion about the revelation period of Surah Al-Kafirun, the majority of the scholars and commentators agree that it was revealed during the earlier phase of the Prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ. The subject matter and the content of the Surah clearly prove that it was revealed in Mecca. Hence, the Surah is categorized as Makki.

Place in the Quran

It is the 109^th Surah of the Quran and appears in Juzz (para) 30. It falls before Surah Al-Nasr and after Surah Al-Kawthar. Per the order of revelation, it is the 18^th Surah, whereas in the sequence of recitation, it also falls at number 109. Within the 30^th Juzz, it comes at number 32.  

Number of Verses: Surah Al-Kafirun has 6 verses.

Number of Ruku (Sections): Surah Al-Kafirun consists of 1 Ruku (section).

Significance of Surah Al-Kafirun

Surah Al-Kafirun holds great significance in Islamic theology. It was revealed against the backdrop of continued attempts by disbelievers to convince the Prophet to settle and compromise with them. Their aim was to force the Prophet not to insist on the message of Islam. They proposed that the Prophet should worship their gods for one year, and they would worship Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ for one year, as well. In this context, Surah Al-Kafirun was revealed, where it was commanded by Allah, سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ that the Prophet should categorically reject this idea. Hence, the prime significance of this Surah can be summarized as under:

• It clearly rejects polytheism. By rejecting the idea of sharing their way of worship, the concept of polytheism is denied once and for all.
• Simultaneously, this surah also powerfully affirms the concept of monotheism (Tawheed). Through the verses of this surah, it is clearly and categorically established that only Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, is worth worship and that the worship cannot be shared with any other deity in the form of polytheism. By saying "I do not worship what you worship", the concept of Tawheed is made clear for all.
• It clearly rejects any compromise on the fundamental Islamic concept of the Oneness of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ. It is established once and for all that any type of compromise or settlement between Islam and Kufr (disbelief) is out of question.

Themes and Subject Matter of Surah Al-Kafirun

Surah Al-Kafirun is one of the shortest surahs of the Quran, but its theme and message are so powerful. The subject discussed in this Surah is the Oneness of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, which is more commonly referred to as Tawheed, in the Islamic teachings. To better understand the theme and subject matter mentioned in this Surah, we need to recall the circumstances under which it was revealed. In fact, this short Surah is a powerful and crystal-clear response to the attempts of the disbelievers to reach a compromise with the Prophet.

This Surah rejects any such proposals, like sharing in the worship of their gods. The theme of this Surah is based on the Oneness of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ. The message of this Surah is quite clear that there cannot be any compromise on the concept of Tawheed; hence, it is finally mentioned in the last verse of the Surah by saying “To you your way, to me my way”.  Sometimes, this verse is taken as the concept of religious tolerance, but it clearly exonerates Muslims from the false religion of the disbelievers, which was based on the worship of Idols.

Virtues and Benefits of Surah Al-Kafirun

Like any other Surah or verses of the Quran, Surah Al-Kafirun is highly virtuous and carries huge benefits. However, some specific benefits and virtues are also associated with its recitation, as reported in various traditions:

• It protects its reciter from the Shirk (Polytheism). As reported in Hadith 5055 of Sunan Abi Dawood, it protects from polytheism when recited till its end, before going to sleep.
• The Prophet often recited this Surah in the two optional rakats of Fajr, as reported in Hadith 726 of Sahih Muslim. Hence, following this Sunnah by reciting this Surah in optional rakats of Fajr prayer is highly beneficial and holds great virtues.
• The Prophet also used to recite this Surah in the Maghrib prayers.
• Some traditions also mention that rewards for recitation of this Surah are equal to recitation of a quarter of the Quran.
• Another tradition reports that reciting this Surah along with Surah Iklhas, Surah Al-Falaq, and Surah An-Nas (the four surahs that start with the word “Qul") before going to sleep is highly virtuous.

Listen to the Recitation of Surah Al-Kafirun by Renowned Qaris

Reading the Quran correctly is extremely important. Even a slight deviation from the actual pronunciation of a word will entirely change its meaning. While reciting the Quran, it becomes crucial to read it exactly as it was revealed, for these are the words of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ. Any wrong pronunciation may lead to an entirely different meaning, which would not be a correct practice.

It becomes even more difficult for non-Arabic speakers to correctly pronounce the Quranic verses, whereas reading the Quran with Tajweed is essential. Listening to the recitation of an authentic Qari might help us read it correctly, with Tajweed. On the other hand, sometimes, one may like to just listen to the Quran, instead of reading. At MuslimandQuran, we have uploaded recitations of the Quran by various renowned reciters (Qaris). You can find and select a Qari per your preference to listen to and learn the correct recitation of the Quran. You just need to download the Mobile Application of MuslimandQuran to listen to any Surah of the Quran, including Surah Al-Kafirun.

The MuslimandQuran mobile application is available for both Android and iOS, accessible on Google Play and the App Store, respectively. You can download the application by clicking the links given here:

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Surah Al-Kafirun PDF

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