Chapter Kafirun – Part 2
Chapter Deniers
Say: O you who are deniers of the truth!
I do not worship what you worship,
you are not worshipers of what I worship
and I am not a worshiper of what you worshiped,
neither are you worshipers of what I worship,
For you your religion, and for me my religion! Quran 109: 1-6
What is the difference between unbelief and denial? There are some translations that make use of both deniers and unbelievers.
- Denying – aware of what the truth is and consciously denying it.
- Unbelief – not knowing of something, thus, not accepting it.
“Kufur” is to cover up the truth. This is done knowingly that the truth is there but covers it and claims that it is not truth. Kafir is the attitude of a deliberate denying of the truth. One does not want to submit or admit the truthfulness of something.
If I am told something and I am not denying it, then I can say that I don’t see it as true because I do not know it. That is, I may not have enough evidence that the claim is true or false. So, we should understand that not everyone who doesn’t accept the truth, Islam, the Quran or Oneness of God is a denier (Kafir). We don’t know the reality of a person who may know and doesn’t want to submit which makes him/her a denier or who may not know which makes him/her an unbeliever. We use the phrase “No, I don’t believe that” meaning that I don’t have enough evidence to the claim so I will deny for the moment till I get more evidence. This may be the case.
- We don’t know if one is denying or unbelieving.
The usage of “kafiroon” (not kafaroo or yakfiroon) in the language of the Quran means that the person is aware of the truth and deliberately denies it, then pretends it is not the truth, this person’s denial is a constant one, i.e. as if it is his/her profession to deny. Whereas, in the language of the Qur’an “kafaroo” means someone denied the truth once at that moment, next time this person may change his/her attitude. “Yakfiroon,” means denies and may continue denying without assuming a permanent attitude.
Certain professions that want to promote some ideas and are on a mission, e.g. Politicians, find faults in what is heard in order to reject: “How can I propagate some idea and oppose the other no matter what?”
Previous propaganda may prevent one to confirm the truth, here one is not a denier but misinformed.
Knowledge is not belief. Knowing the truth has nothing to do with belief or unbelief. When you reject something knowing it’s true, then you are not admitting the truth. Knowing that an idea is true and deciding to submit to it, then it becomes “belief.”
We must be careful with certain interpretations where a simple word can change the meaning of things. Unbelief can become deniers. For example in the usage of the following:
Darul Harb (land of battlefield)
Darul Islam (land where peace is prevalent)
The usage of “land as a battlefield” where the whole land is not a battlefield is misleading.
Another example, not everyone that says “I believe” may be a genuine believer. I may tell a lie, I may be weak in my convictions/implementing belief and making mistakes, but I am not denying the fundamentals of belief i.e. not denying God. Those who commit sins are not deniers. With a mistake, one can ask for forgiveness.
- Asking for forgiveness, removes the sin, gets deleted as we hear from the guidance.
- For a denier, no such option to ask for forgiveness unless s/he changes her/his mind and stops denying.
Verses with “say”, who is going to “say”?
Quran by definition is the eternal speech of my Creator; the Quran is a speech delivered to me right now. So, I will be the one saying, what should I say? “say” (qul in Arabic) doesn’t mean saying something like a parrot, rather it means to study it, think about it, and come to a conclusion.
There are a lot of verses with “say” (or qul in Arabic). Use this language to utter but it must be your language coming from your personal conclusion. Just as in our practical lives, when someone tells us to say something, we think about it before saying it.
Quran reminds us that: “Everyone is appointed as an addressee, a missionary, a caliph, an ambassador on earth, deputy of the universe to receive the mission to deliver my message to others”. “I created you with the ability to get to know all my secrets”. One verse says, “man is appointed to represent the Creator of everything and pass judgement with justice on earth” (Qur’an, 38: 26.) Another verse says, “I have taught you all the qualities with the spirit that I breathed in you” (Qur’an, 15: 29.)
- We are ambassadors to the truth; how valuable we are but at the same time it is a big responsibility!
- First, accept what the truth is and digest it and be braced to accept the truth and work for it.
Some literature describe human beings as a treasure box. Let’s not waste it and throw it away.
For example in the story of David, Talood and Goliath; Talood is described to carry the chest of treasury in the Torah, teachings of Moses. Chest (Tabut) contains the fragments of Divine revelation and peace in it (sakina), calmness and tranquility. As a result, everything becomes a friend, family, and the chest is carried by angels (i.e. I understand the purpose for what the things are created for and being compatible with the meaning in the creation of the universe). Everything is as I want!
This human being now becomes the addressee when “say” (qul in Arabic) is used by the Quran. As I read the Quran, I am appointed with this mission. How important we are: “O human being with all these qualities, declare them after becoming aware”. When the Quran says, “O deniers”, it is described as the attitude that can be taken. It is never a certain group of people but the attitude that we take towards the truth. Wherever we see evil, Quran tells us to destroy/kill the idea, not the person. What does one gain by killing the body? The idea still remains prevalent.
Then word of “kafir” denotes that the denial must be a continuous attitude, therefore must become a profession for the person, not once it happens in his/her life. The Quran symbolizes this attitude with a name “Abu Lahab”. With values such as honor and status in society out there, Islam teaches that we are all equal, created beings. When one does not accept that h/she is created and if it becomes his habit in his/her purpose in his/her existence, then that attitude is that of a denier. We should bear in mind that the person who brought the message, never looked to gain any superior position but just delivered the message as being part of everyone else, inclusive of the recipient of the message.
- Look and search for the purpose in one’s creation.
Is there anyone in this universe who has the desire not to have eternal happiness? Isn’t eternal happiness what we all desire, regardless of faith? Some say that there must be such a thing and I must search for this eternal happiness. Others may think of eternal happiness as wishful thinking, it is made up and thus deny it. The desire for Eternal Happiness (EH) is there in our “nature” but accepting or denying it is another matter.
Am I using my superiority over another creature? If yes, then I become worst of the worst (asfala safileen). If you use your skills as they ought to, then you fulfill their purpose in existence, otherwise we become worst people. Paradise and Hell are prepared for human beings in this life and also in the next type of creation.
- I should not see anything as contradicting each other, everything is my brother/friend belonging to the same family/source.
- We are carrying in our existence a very precious treasure and we may gain what this treasure is worth. Don’t throw the treasure box (do not waste your bodily existence)! We can realize that this worldly existence reflects the Absolute Qualities of its Source. When we attribute our bodily existence to this Absolute Being then we find the “treasure.” Otherwise, we will be lost in the treasure box itself and get no pleasure from it i.e. what the treasure box/chest contains in it.
Finally, treasure is carried by angels, who in their nature, never disobey the will of their Creator. It is misnamed as “natural laws.” We should not misinterpret anything created other than what it is created for. Our angelic side (the treasure) is compatible 100 percent with creation. Everything is functioning and fulfilling their mission perfectly. Try to utilize your human qualities to discover the message in the beings and within your own self. This message will introduce you to the Absolute Source of existence in this universe to whom human beings all belong.
Comment: I recognize that I have this need of Eternal Happiness, but occasionally I choose not to accept it, and I do not know why?
We do not reflect on it 24/7. Most of the time we do not practice it and are negligent of it. Also, we, may have hidden bias agenda about our expectations and so we shun away from reading this need for Eternal Happiness.
Is that desire influenced by outside society? Is the desire not real? When I reflect on it, I realize that this desire for eternal happiness is within me.
Everyone has the potentiality to fall into the contradiction of our reality. For example, feeling superior to others is something one can fall into. Quran describes that every quality of beings that exists has its shadow i.e. a real object and a shadow. We face two options and free will is given to follow any of them, either the real object or the shadow.
Tags: Al-Kafirun, Full Satisfaction, Kafirun Series, Needy, Orphan, Security, Source of Existence