For this reason the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said about the verse, “Say, O disbelievers” ⦗al-Kāfirūn 109:1⦘: “It is a declaration of disavowal from idolatry.” Nothing in this surah indicates that he was pleased with the religion of the polytheists or the People of the Book, as some atheists imagine, nor that he forbade fighting them, as some mistaken people thought, for which reason they labelled it abrogated. On the contrary, it affirms his dissociation from their religion and their dissociation from his, and that their deeds cannot harm him, while his deeds will neither be rewarded to them nor benefit them.

This is a definitive ruling, unsusceptible to abrogation. Never for the blink of an eye did the Messenger approve of the religion of the polytheists or of the People of the Book. Whoever claims that he accepted the religion of the disbelievers and cites as proof the Almighty’s words:

“Say, O disbelievers (1)
I do not worship what you worship (2)
Nor do you worship what I worship (3)
And I will never be a worshipper of what you worship (4)
Nor will you ever be worshippers of what I worship (5)
To you your religion, and to me mine.” (6) ⦗al-Kāfirūn 109:1-6⦘—

this atheist imagines that the phrase “To you your religion, and to me mine” ⦗109:6⦘ means