109- AL-KAFIRUN
THE DISBELIEVERS
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Say, “O disbelievers! # I worship not what you worship; # nor are you worshippers of what I worship; # nor am I a worshipper of what you worship; # nor are you worshippers of what I worship. # Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.”
Commentary
Say, “O disbelievers!
1 Though the circumstances of revelation indicate that disbelievers refers specifically to the leaders of the Quraysh (see the introduction to the sūrah), it can also be understood as applying to all disbelievers.
# I worship not what you worship;
# nor are you worshippers of what I worship;
# nor am I a worshipper of what you worship;
# nor are you worshippers of what I worship.
2–5 According to some, the repetition in these verses is for emphasis. Others say that the repetition serves to negate the repeated propositions from the leaders of the Quraysh that the Prophet mix his religion with theirs. Another opinion is that the different statements refer to the present and the future, as if to say, “I do not now worship what you worship; nor are you now worshippers of what I worship; nor will I ever be a worshipper of what you worship; nor will you ever be worshippers of what I worship” Still others say, Nor am I a worshipper of what you worship negates the past (Q), meaning, “Nor have I ever worshipped what you worship.”
# Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.”
6 This verse is similar to 28:55, which says of the believers, And when they hear idle talk, they turn away therefrom and say, “Unto us our deeds, and unto you your deeds. Peace be upon you! We do not seek out the ignorant”. On the one hand, this verse is a criticism, but on the other, it implies that believers should not argue with disbelievers, but simply leave them to their own devices, for God will deal with them accordingly. Thus in 68:44–45 God commands the believers: So leave Me with those who deny this discourse. We shall lead them on little by little, whence they know not. And I shall grant them respite; truly My scheme is firm; and in 86:17: So be gentle with the disbelievers; grant them respite for a while.
According to some this verse was abrogated by the Sword Verse (Q), which commands, Slay the idolaters whosesoever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayer and give the alms, then let them go their way (9:5). Others say the entire sūrah was abrogated. Still others say that the verse is not abrogated, because it is only a report (khabar), not a command (Q), and according to most scholars abrogation only applies to commands. But the two verses are not necessarily contradictory: the Sword Verse may be considered to deal with a political question, whereas this sūrah addresses a theological question.
Religion can be taken either to mean the religion of Islam with all of its rites and creeds or to imply, “You shall have the reward of your religion, and I shall have the reward of my religion”, indicating that the end of each will not be the same. Insofar as dīn, here translated religion, can also mean “judgment,” this verse can also indicate, “You will have your judgment, and I shall have mine.”
(Source: The study Quran, by Sayyed Hossein Nasr and 4 others)
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