Tafsir of Al-Kafiroun 109:2

Al-Kafirun (The Disbelievers): Verse 2

Regarding His saying, the Exalted, ${ \text{Lā a‘budu mā ta‘budoona * Wa lā antum ‘ābidūna mā a‘budu * Wa lā anā ‘ābidun mā ‘abadtum * Wa lā antum ‘ābidūna mā a‘budu} } (I do not worship what you worship, nor are you worshippers of what I worship, nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship, nor will you be worshippers of what I worship), there are several issues concerning it:

There are two main opinions on this:

The First Opinion: There is no repetition. This is supported by several approaches:

1. Distinction between Future and Present Tense:
   • The first part ({ \text{Lā a‘budu mā ta‘budoona} }) refers to the future. The particle Lā (لا) when preceding a present tense verb often implies the future, similar to Lan (لن).
   • Thus, the meaning is: "In the future, I will not do what you ask of me—worshipping your gods."
   • Similarly, the second part ({ \text{Wa lā antum ‘ābidūna mā a‘budu} }) refers to the present state (using the nominal sentence structure).
   • The sequence is: "In the future, I will not worship your gods, nor are you worshippers of my God now."
   • Then, the next pair ({ \text{Wa lā anā ‘ābidun mā ‘abadtum} }) refers to the present state of the Prophet, and the final part refers to the future state of the disbelievers.
   • Alternatively (Reversing the Tenses): Some argue the first pair refers to the present, and the second to the future. The proof for the second part ({ \text{Wa lā anā ‘ābidun mā ‘abadtum} }) being future is that the nominal sentence structure often implies the future (e.g., "I am a killer of Zayd" implies future action).

2. Distinction by Specification (Avoiding Repetition):
   • Both clauses are capable of referring to the present or the future. To avoid repetition, one is specified for the present and the other for the future.
   • If the first is the present and the second the future, it follows a logical order. If the first is the future, it is prioritized because that is what they were calling the Prophet to do, making it the most important point to address first.
   • Objection: Why mention the present state when it was already known that the Prophet never worshipped idols?
   • Answer: For the Prophet's own statement: to prevent the ignorant from suspecting he worshipped them secretly out of fear or desire. As for denying their worship of God, the disbelievers' actions are not considered true worship at all.

3. Distinction by Scope (General vs. Specific Intent):
   • The first pair negates the specific reason or consideration (اعتبار) they proposed (e.g., "I will not worship your gods in order to appease you").
   • The second pair negates the action in an absolute, general sense (نفي عام), covering all aspects and intentions.
   • Example: If someone invites another to commit injustice for the sake of pleasure, the response might be: "I will not commit injustice for the sake of pleasure (specific negation), but rather, I will not commit injustice at all (general negation), not for this reason nor for any other."

4. Distinction based on Mā (What/That which):
   • Abu Muslim's view: In the first pair, mā means "that which is worshipped" (the object). "I do not worship the idols, and you do not worship God."
   • In the second pair, mā is interpreted as a verbal noun (مصدرية), meaning "the act of worshipping." "I am not a worshipper of your act of worship (which is built on polytheism), nor are you worshippers of my act of worship (which is built on certainty)." If they claim to worship God, their action is invalid because worship is an commanded act, and what they do is forbidden.

The Second Opinion: Repetition does occur, but there are justifications for it:

1. Emphasis (Tawkīd): Repetition serves to reinforce the message. This situation demanded the utmost emphasis because the disbelievers repeatedly pressed the Prophet on this matter. When the Prophet remained silent, they suspected he might have inclined toward their religion. Therefore, repetition was necessary to emphatically negate this.

2. Context of Revelation: The Quran was revealed piecemeal in response to specific inquiries. The polytheists would say: "Let us worship your God for a month, and you worship our gods for a month." God responded with the full negation. Later, they might propose a different duration, prompting the repetition of the same decisive answer.

3. Retort (Sukhriyyah/Mockery): The disbelievers repeated their proposal (e.g., "Worship our gods for a year, and we will worship your God for a year"). The response repeated the negation in kind, which serves as a form of rebuke and contempt for their repeated, flawed proposal.

Question: The relative pronoun Mā (ما) is typically used for things whose nature is not fully known. Since the object of the Prophet's worship (Allah) is the Most Knowing of all things, why is Mā used instead of Man (who)?

Answers:

1. It refers to the Attribute: It means "I do not worship falsehood, and you do not worship the Truth."
2. It is Verbal Noun (Masdar): It refers to the act of worship itself, as mentioned above (I do not worship your act, and you do not worship my act). This applies to both the present and future contexts.
3. It means Alladhī (That Which): In this case, the usage is correct.
4. It follows the Precedent: Since the first clause used Mā for their idols, the second clause follows suit for linguistic consistency, similar to the verse: { \text{Wa jazā’u sayyi’atin sayyi’atun mithluhā} } (The recompense for a bad deed is a bad deed like it).

The Jabriyyah (those who believe in absolute predestination) use this verse as proof: God informed them twice ({ \text{Wa lā antum ‘ābidūna mā a‘budu} }) that they would not worship Him. A truthful report about the non-existence of an action contradicts the existence of a command (Taklīf) to perform that action. Therefore, commanding them to achieve worship while truthfully reporting its impossibility is commanding the conjunction of two opposites.

Question 1: Why the repetition instead of stating the reason why worshipping others is ugly?

Answer: Emphasis and repetition can sometimes be more effective than presenting an argument, either because the audience is dull-witted and benefits from exaggeration, or because the point of contention is so obvious that debate is unnecessary. A person worshipping an idol is either insane (and should be restrained) or a stubborn rational person (and should be fought or severely rebuked, as done here through emphatic negation).

Question 2: The beginning of the Surah involves severe admonition (calling them disbelievers and repetition), while the end is gentle ({ \text{Lakum dīnukum wa liya dīn} } - To you is your religion, and to me is my religion). How are these reconciled?

Answer: The structure implies: "I have exerted the utmost effort in warning you against this ugly act, and I have not fallen short. If you still refuse to accept my word, then leave me be, and we are equal."

Question 3: Since the repetition is for emphasis, why did He not use Lan (لن) for the future negation, as it is stronger than Lā (لا)? (As the Companions of the Cave used Lan when emphasizing their resolve: { \text{Lan nad‘uwa min doonihi ilāhan} } - We will never call upon any deity other than Him.)

Answer: Emphasis is needed where there is suspicion. Everyone knew that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not worship idols before the revelation. How could he possibly worship them after the revelation became clear? This contrasts with the Companions of the Cave, where there was a prior history of potential deviation that required stronger emphasis.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted, { \text{Lakum dīnukum wa liya dīn} }$ (To you is your religion, and to me is my religion)...