Sura al-Kafirun: Difference between revisions

'''Sura al-Kafirun''' is 109th [[sura]] of the [[Qur'an]]. It is a [[Makki sura]] located in [[juz']] 30. This sura is called al-Kafirun because it speaks about faithless ones. In this sura, [[God]] ordered the [[Prophet (s)]] to explicitly declare his renouncement of [[idol-worshiping]] and to say that he (s) would never turn to their [[religion]] and would not be in [[peace]] with them. It is said that this sura was [[revelation|revealed]] when a group of [[disbeliever]]s suggested that they would follow the religion of the Prophet (s) for a while and then the Prophet (s) should follow their religion for a while.

In sura al-Kafirun, God orders His messenger (s) to explicitly declares his renouncement of idol-worshiping and announces that faithless ones too reject his religion, so they neither accept the [[Islam|religion of Prophet Muhammad (s)]], nor does their religion attract the Prophet (s); so, neither faithless ones worship what the Prophet (s) worships, and nor would the Prophet (s) ever worship what they worship. Thus, faithless ones should be disappointed of the Prophet (s) making [[peace]] with them.

* Content: the difference between the opinion and religion of the Prophet (a) with the creed of faithless ones

a.  Introduction: the Prophet’s (a) mission for renouncement of faithless ones

b. First issue: the difference between the worshipped ones of the Prophet (a) and faithless people

1. First point: the worshipped ones of the Prophet (a) and disbelievers would never be the same

2. Second: in the past too, the worshipped ones of the Prophet (a) and faithless people were never the same

c. Second issue: the difference between the Prophet’s (a) religion and religion of the faithless ones

2. Second: the Prophet (a) follows divine religion

About the context of revelation of this sura, exegetes (including Tabari, Tusi, Meybudi, Zamakhshari, Tabrisi and Abu al-Futuh) wrote that some great chiefs of Quraysh who were leaders of ignorance and deviation including Walid b. Mughayra, ‘As b. Wa’il, Umayya b. Khalf, Aswad b. ‘Abd al-Muttalib and Harith b. Qeys went to the Prophet (a) and suggested a two-sided peace and told the Prophet (a), “you follow our religion for a while (one year) and worship our idols and for a while (one year) we will follow your religion and worship your God”. The Prophet (a) adamantly rejected their suggestion and this sura was revealed.

In his commentary on verse six of this sura which says, “To you your religion, and to me my religion.’”, ‘Allama Tabataba’i wrote that, here, someone may think that this verse allows people to choose religion freely and says that anyone can choose polytheism if he wishes, or that someone thinks that the verse orders the Prophet (a) that he (a) should not mind about their religion. However, these interpretations are wrong. On the contrary, the verse is telling the Prophet (a) that he (a) would never turn to their religion and they would never accept the invitation of the Truth.

Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i continues that to reject this wrong interpretation, some exegetes said that the word “din” [“religion”] in this verse means “reward” and the verse means that the reward for my religion is mine and the reward for your religion is yours. ‘Allama Tabataba’i did not accept this and considered it a quite implausible interpretation.  

About the merits of recitation of sura al-Kafirun, it is narrated that a person told the noble Prophet (a), “teach me something to say when I am about to sleep.” The Prophet (a) advised him that, “whenever you want to sleep, recite sura al-Kafirun and you will be safe from polytheism.” Also, it is transmitted from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that the reward for recitation of this sura equals the reward for recitation of one fourth of the Qur’an. Whoever recites sura al-Kafirun and al-Ikhlas in his obligatory prayers, God will forgive him, his parents and his children. It is transmitted from him too, that “in the two rak’as of fajr prayer, recite every sura you like, but I like to recite sura al-Ikhlas and sura al-Kafirun.” Also, some benefits are narrated from sura al-Kafirun, including that Satan will go away from its reciter; that whoever recites it ten times upon sunrise, his supplication will be fulfilled and that if someone recites it 100 times in the night of Friday, he will meet the Prophet (a) in his dream.

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