Sūrat al-Kāfirūn is chapter 109 of the Quran, and according to most commentators this surah was revealed in Mecca, as can be understood from the contents of the surah as well as the narrations that discuss the occasion of revelation. However, it has been attributed to ʿAbd-Allāh ibn al-Zubayr and Qatādah that they have reported the surah to have been revealed in Medina.
In trying to situate the exact timing of the revelation of this surah, some have opined that the wordings of the verses indicate that it was revealed at a time when Muslims were in a minority and the disbelievers were pressuring the Muslims to join their ranks, to which the Prophet is commanded to show firm determination and to absolutely reject any form of compromise between Islam and polytheism. Many commentators have mentioned the following incident, albeit with slight variations. A group of disbelievers including al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah, ʿĀṣ ibn Wāʾil, Aswad ibn ʿAbd Yaghūth al-Zuharī, Aswad ibn Muṭṭalib ibn Asad, Ḥārith ibn Qays al-Sahmī, and Umayyah ibn Khalaf approached the Prophet, offering him to join their religion for one year and they would then join Islam for one year. They claimed that if Islam was indeed the better religion, then by joining for a year they would manage to acquire the benefits of such a religion, and by joining their religion, the Prophet would have gotten his share, should their religion be better. In reply, the Prophet said: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from ascribing any partners to Him.’ They then said that the bare minimum the Prophet could do was to touch their idols and gain blessings from them after which they would be willing to accept the Prophet’s message. The Prophet replied that he would wait for his Lord’s message, after which this chapter was revealed. The Prophet came to the mosque and openly recited this chapter in front of them which made them totally despair from any sort of compromise by the Prophet, and thus they further bolstered their efforts in tormenting the Muslims. Ibn Abbas adds that verse 64 of Sūrat al-Zumar was also revealed about this group.
The name of this surah has been taken from the word kāfirūn mentioned in the first verse, or the fact that the whole chapter is a direct address to the disbelievers.
Alternative names of this surah include:
- Al-Juhd, which means to reject whilst knowing, perhaps alluding to the rejection that appears in the later verses.
- Al-Muqashqishah; some have called both this and Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ together as al-Muqashqishatān. Qashqasha means to be alleviated from a disease, and the chapter is given this name because of its alleviation and rejection (barāʾah) of polytheism.
- Al-ʿIbādah.
Most of the exegetes in the past have emphasised that the theme of the chapter is rejection of disbelief and distancing oneself from the disbelievers. The Muslims are to make clear that we do not accept any other religion and nor do we incline towards it. Belief and disbelief can never mix. Faḍl-Allāh emphasises that those involved in teaching children should incorporate this chapter in their classes so that the coming generation may memorise this chapter, understand it, and incorporate its teachings in their thoughts and practices, and that the main principle that is being highlighted is an emphasis on remaining steadfast on the path of monotheism and not allowing any inclination towards polytheism.
However, in recent years, some exegetes have seemed to lean towards the view that the chapter is about freedom of religious belief and is concerned with religious pluralism, that everyone is free to follow their own choices in matters of religious belief, because there is no compulsion for anyone to believe in someone else’s religion.
JURISPRUDENTIAL DISCUSSION
According to many jurists, when one begins reciting the second surah in prayer, it is permissible to change one’s intention and start reciting a different surah if one has not reached the halfway mark. However, the famous opinion is that there are two chapters that if one were to even recite only the first verse, it is impermissible to change one’s intention and recite a different chapter; these two chapters are al-Kāfirūn and al-Ikhlāṣ. This is the famous opinion, though an exception is made for the Friday prayers, or noon prayers on Friday, whereby one may switch to Sūrat al-Jumuʿah instead.
This ruling is based on narrations such as:
- ʿAmr ibn Abū Naṣr says: ‘I once said to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) that a man stands up for prayer, wants to read a chapter, and he reads the chapter of Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad and Qul Yā Ayyuhā al-Kāfirūn. [The Imam] said: “He can discontinue reading any chapter except Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad and Qul Yā Ayyuhā al-Kāfirūn.”’
- It is narrated from Ḥalabī, who said: ‘I once said to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): “A person recites the chapter Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad in the morning prayer. He (a) said: ‘There is no problem. And whoever starts reciting a chapter and then has the intention to recite a different chapter then there is no problem except if [the chapter is] Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad; he cannot change from it to a different chapter. And similarly, Qul Yā Ayyuhā al-Kāfirūn.’”’
- Ali ibn Jaʿfar reports from his brother, Imam al-Kāẓim (a): ‘I asked him (a) about a man who intends a chapter but recites a different one [mistakenly]. Is it okay for him to recite half of the chapter and then return to the chapter he originally intended? He (a) said: “Yes, so long as it was not Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad or Qul Yā Ayyuhā al-Kāfirūn.”’
[1] Tabrisi, 10/839. [2] Amthal, 20/505. [3] Tabrisi, 10/840; Zamakhshari, 4/808. [4] Najafī, al-Kawthar fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, 10/317. [5] Nasr, 2837. [6] Subḥānī, Munyat al-Ṭālibīn fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Mubīn, 30/682. [7] Zamakhshari, 4/808; Alusi, 15/484. [8] Alusi, 15/484. [9] Fadlallah, 24/459. [10] See for example Ibn Idrīs, al-Sarāʾir, 1/222; Faqih, 1/102. [11] Kafi, 3/317, h. 25. [12] Wasail, 6/99, h. 2. [13] Wasail, 6/100, h. 3.