'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Tafsir of Surah Al-Kafirun

And it is agreed that it is Meccan.

His saying, exalted is He:

﴿Say, O you who disbelieve﴾ ﴿I do not worship what you worship﴾ ﴿And you are not worshippers of what I worship﴾ ﴿And I am not a worshipper of what you have worshipped﴾ ﴿And you are not worshippers of what I worship﴾ ﴿For you is your religion, and for me is my religion﴾

Ubayy ibn Ka'b and Ibn Mas'ud read: "Say to those who disbelieved."

It has been narrated regarding the reason for the revelation of this surah from Ibn Abbas and others that a group of the arrogant Quraysh and their notable men said to the Prophet ﷺ: Leave what you are upon, and we will support you and marry you to whomever you wish from our noble women, and we will make you a leader over us. If you do not do this, then let us worship your god and we will worship your god until we share together. Wherever there is good, we will all attain it. This is the meaning of their words and their expression, but the narrators have additions and omissions. It has been narrated that this mentioned group includes: Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughira, Al-As ibn Wa'il, Al-Aswad ibn Al-Muttalib, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, Ubayy ibn Khalaf, Abu Jahl, and the sons of Al-Hajjaj and their like from those who had not yet converted to Islam. And for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with them in these meanings are positions in which the surah was revealed due to their saying: Let us share in the worship of your god and our gods. It has been narrated that they said: Worship our god for a year and we will worship your god for a year. So he informed them of His command, exalted is He, that he does not worship what they worship, and that they are not worshippers of what he worships. When his saying, "I do not worship" is possible to mean "now" and the one who is beginning remains waiting for what will be in his worship, the clarification came with his saying: ﴿And I am not a worshipper of what you have worshipped﴾, meaning ever and as long as I live. Then came his saying: ﴿And you are not worshippers of what I worship﴾, it is certain upon them that they will never believe in him, just as it was said to Noah, peace be upon him: ﴿Indeed, no one will believe from your people except﴾ [Hud: 36]. This is in two meanings, and the people of Noah were encompassed by that. This is the meaning of the repetition that is in the surah, which is eloquent and is not merely repetition, but rather it contains what I have mentioned along with emphasis and conveying, and it increased the matter in clarity and disavowal from them with his saying: ﴿For you is your religion, and for me is my religion﴾. In this meaning that the Quraysh presented, it was also revealed: ﴿Say, is it other than Allah that you order me to worship, O you ignorant ones﴾ [Az-Zumar: 64].

And Abu 'Umar read: "And for me is my religion" with the ya of "li" being silent, while the others pronounced it with a fatha, differing from each one of them. Both readings are good. Some inclined to pronounce "worshipper" and "worshippers" with a kasra, while others opened it. Both are also good. The seven did not differ in omitting the ya from "religion", and Sallam and Ya'qub affirmed it in connection and pause. Some scholars said: In these words is a truce, and it is abrogated by the verse of fighting.

The tafsir of Surah [Al-Kafirun] is complete, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.