Post by maruf on Jun 29, 2004 23:12:27 GMT -5
Surat Al-Kafiroon
By: Muhammad Mu'az
The Qur’an came to clarify religion to the people. It came to distinguish the path of truth from falsehood, the path of Islam from Kufr.
The Surat Al-Kafiroon is amongst the ‘Suwar’ that draws the borders between Islam and Disbelief, and between Jannah and Hell. It is also called Surat Al-Ikhlas because it purifies one’s faith and shows one’s sincerity and fidelity to Allah.
Surat Al-Kafiroon was revealed in Makkah and consists of six short verses. Both this Surah and Surat Al-Ikhlas are twins. They both demonstrate innocence of ‘Shirk’ and ‘Kufr’. Hence, the Prophet used to read both of them in the Sunnah prayers before Fajr and after Maghrib. Ibn Umar narrated that he heard the Prophet read these ‘Suwar’ in the above prayers twenty-four or twenty five times at different occasions.
Surat Al-Kafiroon equals a quarter of the Qur’an in reward of recitation. Jablah, the son of Haritha, who is the brother of Zeid son of Haritha, narrated that the prophet said to him: ‘when you go to bed to sleep, read Surat Al-Kafiroon until the end, for verily it shows innocence of Shirk.’
The cause of the revelation of Surat Al-Kafiroon is that the disbelieving chiefs of Quraysh (Walib Bin Al-Mughira, Al-Aass Ibn Wa’l Asahmi, Umayyah Ibn Khalaf, and Al-Aswad Ibn Al-Mutalib) came to the Prophet with an offer that suggests that they alternate in worship between Allah and their idols. They said, ‘we worship Allah with you a year and you worship our idols with us a year, this way both parties are satisfied.’ As a response, Allah sent this great Surah to demonstrate the firmness of the Islamic faith and to stand in the face of those who want the Muslims to compromise their religion to please the disbelievers at any place or time.
Say, ‘O disbelievers!’
Allah, the Al-Mighty, commands the Prophet to say to the ‘Kafiroon’ (disbelievers) what would follow in the coming verses. The word ‘Kafiroon’ in this verse encompasses all those who have disbelieved in Allah in the past, present and the future. However, it was particularly directed towards the ‘Mushrikoon’ who came to the prophet with the offer of alternating between the worship of Allah and the worship of their idols.
Notice how Allah commands the Prophet to address them in a harsh and a bold manner to make them realise that the matter they are negotiating is fatal and extremely serious. This opening verse shows that what is going to follow is going to be the final answer to the offer of the ‘Mushrikoon’.
I worship not that which you worship
This is the first thing that Allah wanted to make clear to them. I worship not the partners that you and your fathers associated with Allah whether they were statues, stars, Jinns or angels.
Every Muslim should believe this in his heart and practice it in his words and actions. This is the fundamental belief in Islam, to unify Allah in worship. A Muslim is a Muslim only when he does not associate partners with Allah in his worship. The word ‘partners’ does not only refer to the false deities that people of certain religions worship besides Allah like the Christians, the Jews and the Hindus. It also refers to anything that people may worship besides Allah, like the Graves of the pious, the Jinn through Magic or to ask someone alive or dead to help you in something that only Allah can do. A Muslim is innocent of such beliefs and actions.
Another important lesson that one learns from this verse is that a Muslim should be proud of his religion, proud of his Lord and proud of his beliefs.
The time that this Surah was revealed to the Prophet was in the early years of Dawah, when the Muslims were weak and few. They were still oppressed and persecuted, yet Allah revealed this Surah to the Prophet as a clear reply to the disbelievers giving them no hope of finding a mid way between their religion and Islam. It showed them that Muslims do not compromise their religion at any time or place or under any circumstance.
Nor do you or will you worship whom I worship
Allah the Most High commands the Prophet to tell them that they do not and will never worship truly Allah as long as they are associating partners with Him. Allah does not accept a partner with Him because He created all that exists alone, He is the only God and none is co-equal or comparable to Him.
Thus, the two verses read, ‘I do not worship besides Allah what you worship and you (in turn) do not worship Allah my Lord,’ the one who deserves all praise and worship. The Arabic word ‘??’ means ‘what’ but in this verse it means ‘who’ because it refers to Allah the Most High.
And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping.
Nor will you worship whom I worship
The difference between these verses and the ones above is that the above ones refer to the action of worship when these two refer to the acceptance of the action. In simpler words, the first two verses state that I do not worship what you worship and you do not worship whom I worship. The second two verses state I don’t even accept what you worship and how you worship it and likewise you don’t accept whom I worship and how I worship Him.
To you be your religion, and to me my religion
My religion is Islam and true Monotheism and your religion is disbelief and Shirk. I shall be rewarded what I deserve and you will meet the punishment that you deserve.
This verse proves that all the religions other than Islam are false and unacceptable. It further shows that all the false religions are the same in their essence because they all are based on the worship of other than Allah.
Therefore, this is the attitude that a Muslim should have towards the concept of Tawheed and Disbelief. There is no compromise in Aqida, any difference in Aqida is and should be a major difference that cannot be overlooked and that causes disavowal. A Muslim disavows whatever worshipped besides Allah. He believes in Allah alone always and is proud of his religion and his Lord.
By: Muhammad Mu'az
The Qur’an came to clarify religion to the people. It came to distinguish the path of truth from falsehood, the path of Islam from Kufr.
The Surat Al-Kafiroon is amongst the ‘Suwar’ that draws the borders between Islam and Disbelief, and between Jannah and Hell. It is also called Surat Al-Ikhlas because it purifies one’s faith and shows one’s sincerity and fidelity to Allah.
Surat Al-Kafiroon was revealed in Makkah and consists of six short verses. Both this Surah and Surat Al-Ikhlas are twins. They both demonstrate innocence of ‘Shirk’ and ‘Kufr’. Hence, the Prophet used to read both of them in the Sunnah prayers before Fajr and after Maghrib. Ibn Umar narrated that he heard the Prophet read these ‘Suwar’ in the above prayers twenty-four or twenty five times at different occasions.
Surat Al-Kafiroon equals a quarter of the Qur’an in reward of recitation. Jablah, the son of Haritha, who is the brother of Zeid son of Haritha, narrated that the prophet said to him: ‘when you go to bed to sleep, read Surat Al-Kafiroon until the end, for verily it shows innocence of Shirk.’
The cause of the revelation of Surat Al-Kafiroon is that the disbelieving chiefs of Quraysh (Walib Bin Al-Mughira, Al-Aass Ibn Wa’l Asahmi, Umayyah Ibn Khalaf, and Al-Aswad Ibn Al-Mutalib) came to the Prophet with an offer that suggests that they alternate in worship between Allah and their idols. They said, ‘we worship Allah with you a year and you worship our idols with us a year, this way both parties are satisfied.’ As a response, Allah sent this great Surah to demonstrate the firmness of the Islamic faith and to stand in the face of those who want the Muslims to compromise their religion to please the disbelievers at any place or time.
Say, ‘O disbelievers!’
Allah, the Al-Mighty, commands the Prophet to say to the ‘Kafiroon’ (disbelievers) what would follow in the coming verses. The word ‘Kafiroon’ in this verse encompasses all those who have disbelieved in Allah in the past, present and the future. However, it was particularly directed towards the ‘Mushrikoon’ who came to the prophet with the offer of alternating between the worship of Allah and the worship of their idols.
Notice how Allah commands the Prophet to address them in a harsh and a bold manner to make them realise that the matter they are negotiating is fatal and extremely serious. This opening verse shows that what is going to follow is going to be the final answer to the offer of the ‘Mushrikoon’.
I worship not that which you worship
This is the first thing that Allah wanted to make clear to them. I worship not the partners that you and your fathers associated with Allah whether they were statues, stars, Jinns or angels.
Every Muslim should believe this in his heart and practice it in his words and actions. This is the fundamental belief in Islam, to unify Allah in worship. A Muslim is a Muslim only when he does not associate partners with Allah in his worship. The word ‘partners’ does not only refer to the false deities that people of certain religions worship besides Allah like the Christians, the Jews and the Hindus. It also refers to anything that people may worship besides Allah, like the Graves of the pious, the Jinn through Magic or to ask someone alive or dead to help you in something that only Allah can do. A Muslim is innocent of such beliefs and actions.
Another important lesson that one learns from this verse is that a Muslim should be proud of his religion, proud of his Lord and proud of his beliefs.
The time that this Surah was revealed to the Prophet was in the early years of Dawah, when the Muslims were weak and few. They were still oppressed and persecuted, yet Allah revealed this Surah to the Prophet as a clear reply to the disbelievers giving them no hope of finding a mid way between their religion and Islam. It showed them that Muslims do not compromise their religion at any time or place or under any circumstance.
Nor do you or will you worship whom I worship
Allah the Most High commands the Prophet to tell them that they do not and will never worship truly Allah as long as they are associating partners with Him. Allah does not accept a partner with Him because He created all that exists alone, He is the only God and none is co-equal or comparable to Him.
Thus, the two verses read, ‘I do not worship besides Allah what you worship and you (in turn) do not worship Allah my Lord,’ the one who deserves all praise and worship. The Arabic word ‘??’ means ‘what’ but in this verse it means ‘who’ because it refers to Allah the Most High.
And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping.
Nor will you worship whom I worship
The difference between these verses and the ones above is that the above ones refer to the action of worship when these two refer to the acceptance of the action. In simpler words, the first two verses state that I do not worship what you worship and you do not worship whom I worship. The second two verses state I don’t even accept what you worship and how you worship it and likewise you don’t accept whom I worship and how I worship Him.
To you be your religion, and to me my religion
My religion is Islam and true Monotheism and your religion is disbelief and Shirk. I shall be rewarded what I deserve and you will meet the punishment that you deserve.
This verse proves that all the religions other than Islam are false and unacceptable. It further shows that all the false religions are the same in their essence because they all are based on the worship of other than Allah.
Therefore, this is the attitude that a Muslim should have towards the concept of Tawheed and Disbelief. There is no compromise in Aqida, any difference in Aqida is and should be a major difference that cannot be overlooked and that causes disavowal. A Muslim disavows whatever worshipped besides Allah. He believes in Allah alone always and is proud of his religion and his Lord.