Surah al-Kāfirūn (The Disbelievers)

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

[Surah al-Kāfirūn (109): verses 3–6]

“Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. (3) Nor am I a worshipper of what you worship. (4) Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. (5) For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.” (6)

The word mā (“what”) retains its usual sense here, since it refers without qualification to the One whom the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) worshipped. Their refusal to worship Allah was not on account of who He is; rather, they imagined that they worshipped Allah, but were ignorant of Him. Thus, His words, “Nor are you worshippers of what I worship,” mean: “You do not worship the One I worship.” The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) knew the One he worshipped, whereas they were ignorant of Him. This is the answer given by some.

Others have said that mā here is a nominalizing particle, not a relative pronoun, so the meaning is: “You do not worship as I do.” Declaring their dissociation from his worship necessarily entails declaring their dissociation from the One worshipped, since worship is directed towards Him. But this argument is unsound. The intended meaning is his disavowal of their objects of worship and his informing them that they are dissociated from the One he worships, exalted is He. Thus, the point concerns the One worshipped, not the worship itself.

It has also been said that they deliberately opposed him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) out of envy of him and disdain for following him. They therefore did not worship the One he worshipped, not out of aversion to the One worshipped Himself, but out of aversion to following him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace),