Qul Ya Ayyuhal Kafirun Surah In English, Arabic, & Transliteration

The 109th chapter of the Holy Quran is known as Surah kafirun or Qul ya ayyuhal kafirun surah. It comprises only six verses and is one of the shortest surahs.

Qul Ya Ayyuhal Kafirun Translation In English

1. Say, “O disbelievers.
2. I do not worship what you worship.
3. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.
4. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship.
5. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.
6. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.

Qul Ya Ayyuhal Kafirun Surah Transliteration

• Qul ya ayyuhal kafirun
• Laa a’abudu maa ta’a budun
• Wa laa antum a biduna maa a’abudu
• Wa laa ana aabidun ma abadtum
• Wa laa antum a biduna maa a’abudu
• Lakum diynukum waliyaddiyn

Surah Qul Ya Ayyuhal Kafirun In Arabic Text

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

• قُلۡ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ (١)
• لَآ أَعۡبُدُ مَا تَعۡبُدُون (٢)
• وَلَآ أَنتُمۡ عَٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعۡبُدُ (٣)
• وَلَآ أَنَا۠ عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّمۡ (٤)
• وَلَآ أَنتُمۡ عَٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعۡبُدُ (٥)
• لَكُمۡ دِينُكُمۡ وَلِىَ دِينِ (٦)

Summary Of Surah Al Kafirun

Classification	Mecca
Number of verses	6
Position	30 juz
Order	109
Before Surah	Saura Kausar
Names	The Unbelievers

Why was surah kafirun revealed?

This surah was revealed to tell Quraysh’s and disbelievers that Islam and kufr (unbelief) are not and can never be compatible, and to eliminate any possibility of their being combined.

The word of Islam had sparked opposition inside Makkah’s pagan society at the time of its revelation, but the chiefs had not yet given up hope of reaching an agreement with the Messenger.

So they would come to him with various suggestions from time to time, hoping that if he accepted one of them, the conflict between them would be resolved.

Hadith Related To Qul Ya Ayyuhal Kafirun In English.

Abdullahi Bin Abbas reported that the leaders of Quraysh said to the messenger of Allah:

We will provide you with enough wealth to make you the wealthiest man in Makkah. We will marry you to any woman you like.

We are willing to follow and obey you as our leader, but only if you promise not to criticise our gods.

They also promised him a year of worshipping their gods, al-Lat and al-Uzza, in exchange for a year of worshipping Allah alone.

The Prophet said he would wait for his Lord’s response.

By this time, it was evident that the pagans had to be given a decisive reply.

As a result, this surah Kafirun was revealed, and there was no longer any room for compromise.

According to Sahih Muslim, the Messenger of Allah SAW recited Surah al-Kafirun and Surah al-Ikhlas in the two rakahs of the sunnah prayer of fajr and the two rakahs following tawaf.

Ahmad narrated that The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, recited these two surahs in the two rakahs of the sunnah prayer after maghrib.

Abdullahi Ibn Umar said:

“I observed the Prophet Muhammad for a month, and he would recite Qul ya ayyuhal kafirun and Qul huwallahu ahad in the two rakahs before the morning prayer and those after the sunset prayer.

Prophet Muhammad SAW said,

Qul ya ayyuhal kafirun is equal to a fourth of the Quran.

He also said:

Recite Qul ya ayyuhal kafirun, for it is certainly disassociation from shirk.

Kafirun Qul Ya Ayyuhal Surah al-Kafirun is one of the five surahs that starts with the command “Say,” commanding the Prophet Muhammad to speak the words that follow.

This word (Qul) was never omitted from his recitation because he was entrusted to relay the message exactly as Allah had sent it to him, and the same is true for believers.

It also confirms that the Prophet had no influence over the substance, timing, or location of revelation, and that he was merely a messenger who said what he was told.

What is kafirun in English?

Kafirun is the plural form of kafir, which literally means “one who hides or conceals.” It could refer to a planter who sows his seeds and then covers them with earth.

It can also refer to the night or darkness that covers the earth.

Covering (kufr) in its broadest definition refers to concealing the truth or suppressing one’s fitrah, or natural desire to believe in and worship one’s Creator.

It is understood in this context to mean firm nonbelief or disbelief (i.e., wrong belief) and persistence in it, whether out of arrogance, distrust, or a preference for one’s own inclinations and customs.

It can also mean ingratitude, or the hiding of a kindness. The kafir rejects and hides the greatest blessing bestowed on mankind: Allah’s guidance.

After years of dawah by Allah’s Messenger SAW in his people’s language, the first ayah was revealed.

The Quraysh of Makkah were recognised for their verbal eloquence and proficiency, and they could never claim ignorance or unawareness because they grasped everything well.

They even admitted that the Qur’an was unparalleled in terms of eloquence, impact, and clarity.

The Arabs well knew that worshipping Allah alone meant complete obedience to His laws, therefore those in positions of power would have to give up some authority and social privileges.

As a result, they flatly refused and rejected it.

They turned on the Prophet Muhammad SAW, labelling him a liar and insulting, tormenting, and assaulting him in every way possible, despite their traditional bonds and kinship ties.

As a result, their Lord addressed them as kafirun.

According to Ibn Katheer,

“Allah’s statement:

Qul ya ayyuhal kafirun encompasses all disbelievers on the face of the earth, although it was specifically meant at Quraysh’s disbelievers.

Their chiefs had invited Allah’s Messenger to worship their idols for a year in exchange for a year of worshipping his God.

Allah then revealed this surah, in which He instructed His Messenger to completely separate himself from their religion.”

Although these verses were originally directed to the doubting Quraysh in response to their compromise ideas, they are not limited to them.

Muslims have been given a clear instructions by Allah to remove themselves from the ideology of disbelief (kufr) in whatever form it may take.

And to declare that there can be no aqeedah negotiations with disbelievers.

The first and the following verses command a complete disavowal of that.

Throughout these verses, the verb abada (to worship) appears in numerous forms.

Ibadah, a broad phrase that encompasses worship, servitude, obedience, slavery, and anything else done freely for the acceptance and approval of the one worshipped, is derived from it.

Worship in Islam refers to Allah’s obedience as well as any good deeds, intentions, or attitudes given to Him out of devotion and confidence.

Non-Muslims cannot be accurately called kafirun unless Islam has been presented to them in properly manner and they have declined it.

Allah addresses individuals who purposefully reject their Lord’s final message after understanding it in this surah. Forms that are used internally.

Ibn Taymiyyah defined it as everything that Allah loves and approves of words and deeds, both apparent and unapparent.

Enslavement to Allah is an honour for man because it frees him from all other forms of service.

It necessitates submission and obedience to Him based on a combination of hope, love, and fear.

The slave loves his Lord, fears His displeasure and punishment and hopes for His mercy and reward.

The disbelievers of the Prophet’s time accepted Allah’s existence and lordship, but they refused to dedicate devotion to Him alone, therefore they remained in a condition of unbelief.

The Quraysh, enslaved by their pagan beliefs and material ambitions, worshipped idols – statues of stone, wood, or even items fashioned out of dates.

The term “dissociation from kufr” refers to the act of ceasing and avoiding excessive veneration of any creation.

All kinds of worship, whether in the heart (reverence, thanks, love, fear, trust, etc.) or in the form of speech and acts, should be directed to Allah.

There is nothing other than Him worthy of worship..

Abidun is the plural form of abid, which means worshipper.

The Prophet Muhammad SAW was to tell the polytheists that they are not and never have been worshippers of the One whom he worships alone, without associates or partners.

Although they acknowledged Allah as the Creator and Lord on the surface, they had never been servitude to Him; otherwise, they would not be bowing to their idols.

Rather, they had invented a religion based on the urgings of their own souls.

They were simply subservient to their own worldly interests in actuality, and their objects of worship were numerous.

The use of the phrases ma abud (what I worship) rather than man abud (whom I worship) stresses the exclusiveness of Allah, the Exalted.

He is unlike anyone else. He bears no resemblance to any of His creatures. His qualities are limitless, absolute, complete, and flawless.

They are befitting to Him alone, as He has said:

There is nothing like unto Him.

Even if the kafirun have persuaded themselves to believe in gods other than Allah, the fact remains the same: He is the only God of the universe.

Another ayah instructs the Prophet to say,

I will never worship what you are worshipping and I will not be subjugated or enslaved to it.

Allah commanded His Messenger to say in a similar ayah,

Is it other than Allah that you order me to worship, O ignorant ones? And it was already revealed to you and to those before you that if you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among the losers. Rather, worship [only] Allah and be among the grateful.

Quran

The repeat in two verses, according to commentators, is for emphasis.

This is clearly true, but while ayah 2 said: I do not worship what you worship, there is additional force in saying:

I am not a worshipper of what you worship, for it indicates:

It’s so inappropriate that I couldn’t possibly think of doing it.

Most scholars have also deduced that ayahs 2 and 3 belong to the past or present, whilst ayahs 4 and 5 refer to the future and rule out any chance of compromise in the future.

The prohibition against associating anything with Allah in His right to be worshipped is directed to all mankind.

“Nor will I be a worshipper as you worship,” the Arabic phrase can alternatively imply “I will not worship Allah unless in the manner that He accepts and approves.”

Others may perform certain rituals, but they are not worshipping Him alone or in accordance with His instructions via conscientious obedience.

While the words of verse 5 are identical to those of ayah 3, they can both be understood in the context of what comes before them.

It is being told to the Prophet (SAW) that the disbelievers who were so viciously opposing him would never become real worshippers of Allah; it was not to be.

He couldn’t expect them to change in the future because of their stubborn reluctance to worship Allah alone and to abandon idol worship.

According to the ayah, those disbelievers would be in a condition of kufr till they died.

What is the main theme of surah kafiroon?

The words of this surah were revealed just before Allah’s Messenger’s hijrah left Makkah.

Despite the trials of persecution, he had remained there for the sake of dawah.

But now Allah was telling him that there was no reason for him to keep travelling because the Quraysh disbelievers were not going to change their ways.

Imam Al Bukhari explained that,

Because “your religion” is disbelieve and “my religion” is Islam, my religion is completely separate and distinct from yours.

Because I am unable to worship your gods and you are unwilling to worship my God, you and I will never be able to walk the same road.

There is no proof that this ayah authorises the acceptance of other religions, contrary to what some secularists claimed.

Rather, the Prophet (SAW) was instructed to separate himself from the disbelievers as long as they refused to worship their Creator alone.

This is similar to Allah’s statement in Surah Yunus to His Messenger And if they deny you then say,

For me are my deeds, and for you are your deeds. You are disassociated from what I do, and I am disassociated from what you do.

Surah Yunus

Then, in the same surah, He gave the following instruction:

Say, “O people, if you are in doubt as to my religion then I do not worship those which you worship besides Allah; but I worship Allah, who causes your death…”

Allah, Most High, commanded the pronouncement after demonstrating the futility of idolatry and superstition with clear logic in the Qur’an.

It states unequivocally and conclusively that the Messenger and his followers could never come to terms with unbelievers on the matter of religion.

Believers are now expected to be completely apart from them in their beliefs and actions.

Deen can also imply “compensation” or “recompense” in addition to “religion.”

It has something to do with the word dayn, which means loan or debt.

As a result, Yawm ad-Deen refers to the day when every soul will be fully reimbursed for all that it has earned throughout its earthly life and will be required to repay whatever it owes to others.

As a result, this ayah implies that both believers and nonbelievers will receive exactly what they deserve as a result of their efforts and aspirations.