سُورَةُ الكَافِرُونَ
Surah 109 - Al-Kaafiroon
The Disbelievers
- 6 verses
- Juz 30
- Page 603 of the Mushaf
Al-Kaafiroon runs to six verses and holds one idea. The first verse gives the order to speak and names those the words are addressed to. The four that follow set out the same separation four times, moving from one side to the other: what the speaker worships, what the listeners worship. Verses 3 and 5 are word for word the same; verses 2 and 4 say the same thing, one with a verb, the other with a noun. In Arabic the root of worship returns eight times in four lines. The sixth verse closes by assigning to each side its own religion.
The main parts
The text of the surah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ قُلْ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ
Say, "O disbelievers,
لَآ أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
I do not worship what you worship.
وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ
Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.
وَلَآ أَنَا۠ عَابِدٌۭ مَّا عَبَدتُّمْ
Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship.
وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ
Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.
لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِىَ دِينِ
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion."
Key verses of the surah
The closing verse: after four negations it stops denying and assigns to each side its own religion.
لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِىَ دِينِ
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion."
What is surah Al-Kaafiroon about?
About a separation between two forms of worship. The text has the speaker state that his worship and that of his listeners do not meet, then leaves each side its religion. No other subject is raised, and nothing is asked for afterwards.
How is surah Al-Kaafiroon built?
In three moves: one verse of address, four verses of negation, one verse of close. In the middle the text repeats itself: the third and fifth verses use exactly the same words, while the second and fourth say the same thing in another form.
What does surah Al-Kaafiroon say about the religion of others?
The text does not discuss its content. It states that the worship of one side and that of the other do not coincide, repeats it four times, then assigns to each its own religion. Nothing follows: no argument, no call to join.
How does surah Al-Kaafiroon end?
With its sixth verse. After four negative statements the surah stops denying and divides: on one side the religion of those addressed, on the other that of the speaker. Nothing is added after it.
Why is surah Al-Kaafiroon called that?
“Al-Kaafiroon” is rendered as “the Disbelievers”, those who refuse to believe. The name is taken from the first verse (109:1), which addresses them directly. The surah is therefore named after the people it speaks to, not after its subject.
How many verses does surah Al-Kaafiroon have?
Surah Al-Kaafiroon has 6 verses. It stands at number 109 in the order of the Mushaf, which holds 114.
The Arabic text is that of the Mushaf. The summary, the outline and the answers on this page describe the text and how it is built: they are not religious commentary.