Basic
Makki Events
Surah: Al-Kafirun (1)
Surah Al-Kafirun — The Polytheists' Offer of Shared Worship
قُلۡ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ لَآ أَعۡبُدُ مَا تَعۡبُدُونَ
— الكافرون الآية 1
Occasion of Revelation (Hasan — Tabarani & Ibn Abi Hatim):
Leaders of Quraysh — including Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughira, Abu Jahl, and Al-As ibn Wa'il — came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "Come, let us worship what you worship, and you worship what we worship, and we will be partners — if what you brought is better, we share in it; if ours is better, you share in it." Allah revealed a decisive refusal.
Significance:
Leaders of Quraysh — including Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughira, Abu Jahl, and Al-As ibn Wa'il — came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "Come, let us worship what you worship, and you worship what we worship, and we will be partners — if what you brought is better, we share in it; if ours is better, you share in it." Allah revealed a decisive refusal.
Significance:
- The repetition "I do not worship what you worship" (twice) — negation in the present and future
- Complete separation between monotheism and polytheism — no middle ground or compromise in creed
- "To you is your religion, and to me is mine" — disavowal of their religion, not coexistence on falsehood
Source: Tabarani, Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir; Ibn Abi Hatim — Al-Suyuti, Lubab Al-Nuqul
Test Yourself
What proposal did Quraysh leaders make to the Prophet ﷺ that caused Surah Al-Kafirun to be revealed?
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