Once there came a group of idol worshippers
to Prophet Muhammad (s) and they said to him, Follow our
belief and we will follow yours and we will let you enjoy all our privileges.
For one year you should worship our gods and the next year we will worship your God. If
your belief is better we will join with you, and if our belief is better you will join with us.
The Prophet (s) replied. A‘uudhu billah- I seek protection from Allah
They said: "You can touch some of our gods, at least, and take a good omen from them. If you do
this, we will confirm you and worship your God". Then Surat al Kafirun was revealed
Bismillāhir Raḥmānir Raḥīm بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ
قُل يا أَيُّهَا الكافِرونَ qul yā ayyuhal-kāfirūn
Say : O disbelievers! The word kafir originally means when you cover
something, when a farmer sows seeds, he covers them soil. The farmer is called a kafir because he
covered the seed. These idol worshippers are also called kafir because they are covering the truth.
They knew that the prophet (s) never told a lie, they knew he always told the truth. But
they denied it and covered the truth. Therefore they are kaffirs.
The next verse says: لا أَعبُدُ ما تَعبُدونَ
lā aʿbudu mā taʿbudūn I do not worship what you worship
These disbelievers were worshipping many idols and statues that they made themselves. The prophet
here is telling them I will not worship what you worship. Question? The holy Quran says that if
you ask them who created the skies and the earth? They would surely say Allah. (31:25)
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ
So if these idol worshippers believe in Allah, why is the prophet saying I do not worship what
you worship? The difference here is that the idol worshippers believed that Allah is the Creator
but did not worship Him. The Prophet also believes Allah is the Creator but also worships Him.
The next verse says: وَلا أَنتُم عابِدونَ ما أَعبُدُ
walā antum ʿābidūna mā aʿbud Nor do you worship who I worship
Some of these idol worshippers actually believed they are worshipping Allah but the prophet is
telling them they don’t worship what he worships. The prophet worships Allah who is free from any
imperfections or faults and he does not associated partners with Allah. They worshipped idols made
from wood and stone with all imperfections and they associated them as partners to Allah.
The next verse says وَلا أَنا عابِدٌ ما عَبَدتُم
walā anā ʿābidun mā ʿabattum Nor will I (ever) worship what you worship The prophet emphasises that he will never
worship what they worship, not even in the future Then the next verse says وَلا أَنتُم عابِدونَ ما أَعبُدُ
walā antum ʿābidūna mā aʿbud Nor will you (ever) worship who I worship Why is this verse repeated again here? Some have
said this could be emphasising that these specific idol worshippers will never - ever worship who the
Prophet worships, not now and not in the future. Some have also said that because of their
stubbornness they asked the Prophet twice to worship their god for a year and they will
worship his god for a year, so this verse is repeated twice to reject both times.
The next verse says لَكُم دينُكُم وَلِيَ دينِ
lakum dīnukum waliya dīn To you (belongs) your religion
and to me is my religion. The word deen comes from the
word dayn which means a loan. Something that is owed to you or something that
you owe someone is called dayn, like an exchange. When we do righteous deeds we await
a reward and exchange from Allah So the verse indicates, Let your idols reward you
for the exchange of your deeds. And let my God reward me in exchange for my deeds.
So this surah is telling us that the Holy Prophet did not accept idol
worship or any type of polytheism at all. And never will he accept it at all in the
future. It also shows that these idol worshippers will also not accept the Religion of Allah.
This could be because they covered the truth and were blinded with desires hence why they
were called al kafirun – the coverers of the truth. It shows that the Prophet had a firm
stance without compromising even a little by worshipping the one God and that monotheism
is totally separate and distinct from polytheism. What we can learn from this surah is
that there cannot be any compromise in the matters of faith and worship. Truth
and falsehood cannot be mixed together. When we reject idol worship, this doesn’t only
mean physical idols, it also indicates to reject worshipping ourselves or our desires as idols.
Just as the Quran says (45:23). Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire….
أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ These desires of lust, envy, lying, cheating,
stealing that you have, became your own god even though you knew they are wrong. No you covered
the truth, you have entered the state of kufr; so Allah continues in the verse and
says and Allah has sent him astray, knowing him as such, and has set a
seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide
him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded? وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ
عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن
بَعْدِ اللَّهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُون