Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/561)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Surah al-Kafirun is Meccan (1).

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

“Say, ‘O disbelievers! (1) I do not worship what you worship, (2) nor do you worship what I worship.’ (3)”

“Say, ‘O disbelievers!’” to the end of the surah.

It was revealed concerning a group of Quraysh, among them al-Harith ibn Qays al-Sahmi, al-As ibn Wa'il, al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, al-Aswad (2) ibn Abd Yaghuth, al-Aswad ibn al-Muttalib ibn Asad, ⦗202/b⦘ and Umayyah ibn Khalaf. They said, “O Muhammad, come, follow (3) our religion and we shall follow your religion, and we will make you a partner in all our affairs. You worship our gods for one year, and we shall worship your God for one year. If what you have brought is better, then we will have shared it with you and received our portion of it; and if what we possess is better, then you will have shared with us in our affair and received your portion of it.”

He said, “Allah forbid that I should ascribe any partner to Him.” They said, “Then touch some of our gods, and we will affirm your truth and worship your God.” He replied, “Until I see what comes to me from my Lord.” Then Allah, mighty and exalted is He, revealed: “Say, ‘O disbelievers!’” to the end of the surah.

The following morning, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, went to the Sacred Mosque, where the chiefs of Quraysh were gathered. He stood before them and recited it to them until he had completed the surah. At that point, they despaired of winning him over and persecuted him and his Companions (4).

The meaning of the verse is: “I do not worship what you worship” at present, and “nor do you worship what I worship” at present,

(1) Ibn Mardawayh narrated from Ibn Abbas that Surat al-Kafirun (Say: O disbelievers) was revealed in Mecca. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 8:654. (2) Manuscript A reads: “the lion”; the reading adopted here is correct. (3) Manuscript A reads: “Will you follow?” (4) Recorded by Ibn Ishaq in Sirat Ibn Hisham, 1:362. See also al-Tabari, 30:331; Ibn Kathir, 4:561; and al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 543. Al-Hafiz said in Fath al-Bari, 8:333: “Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ibn Abbas that Quraysh said to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: ‘Stop speaking ill of our gods. If you do not, then worship our gods for a year, and we will worship your God for a year.’ Thereupon it was revealed.” Its chain includes Abu Khalaf Abdullah ibn Isa, who is weak.

سُورَةُ الْكَافِرُونَ مَكِّيَّةٌ (١) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ (١) لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ (٢) وَلَا أَنْتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ (٣) ﴾ ﴿قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ إِلَى آخَرِ السُّورَةِ. نَزَلَتْ فِي رَهْطٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ مِنْهُمُ: الْحَارِثُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ السَّهْمِيُّ، وَالْعَاصُ بْنُ وَائِلٍ، وَالْوَلِيدُ بْنُ الْمُغِيرَةِ، [وَالْأَسْوَدُ] (٢) بْنُ عَبْدِ يَغُوثَ، وَالْأَسْوَدُ بْنُ الْمَطْلَبِ بن أسد، ٢٠٢/ب وَأُمِّيَّةُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ، قَالُوا: يَا مُحَمَّدُ [هَلُمَّ فَاتَّبِعْ] (٣) دِينَنَا وَنَتَّبِعُ دِينَكَ وَنُشْرِكُكَ فِي أَمْرِنَا كُلِّهِ، تَعْبُدُ آلِهَتَنَا سَنَةً وَنَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ سَنَةً، فَإِنْ كَانَ الَّذِي جِئْتَ بِهِ خَيْرًا كُنَّا قَدْ شَرَكْنَاكَ فِيهِ وَأَخَذْنَا حَظَّنَا مِنْهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الَّذِي بِأَيْدِينَا خَيْرًا كُنْتَ قَدْ شَرَكْتَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا وَأَخَذْتَ بِحَظِّكَ مِنْهُ، فَقَالَ: مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِهِ غَيْرَهُ، قَالُوا: فَاسْتَلِمْ بَعْضَ آلِهَتِنَا نُصَدِّقُكَ وَنَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ، فَقَالَ: حَتَّى أَنْظُرَ مَا يَأْتِي مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّي، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷿: "قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ" إِلَى آخَرِ السُّورَةِ، فَغَدَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الحرام وفيه الملاء مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، فَقَامَ عَلَى رُءُوسِهِمْ ثُمَّ قَرَأَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ حَتَّى فَرَغَ مِنَ السُّورَةِ، فَأَيِسُوا مِنْهُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ وَآذَوْهُ وَأَصْحَابَهُ (٤) . وَمَعْنَى الْآيَةِ: ﴿لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ﴾ فِي الْحَالِ ﴿وَلَا أَنْتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ﴾ فِي الْحَالِ،

(١) أخرج ابن مردويه عن ابن عباس ﵄ قال: نزلت سورة (قل يا أيها الكافرون) بمكة. انظر: الدر المنثور: ٨ / ٦٥٤. (٢) في "أ" الأسد، والصحيح ما أثبت. (٣) في "أ" هل تتبع. (٤) أخرجه ابن إسحاق، سيرة ابن هشام: ١ / ٣٦٢. وانظر الطبري: ٣٠ / ٣٣١، ابن كثير: ٤ / ٥٦١، أسباب النزول للواحدي صفحة (٥٤٣) . قال الحافظ في الفتح: ٨ / ٣٣٣ وقد أخرج ابن أبي حاتم من حديث ابن عباس قال: قالت قريش للنبي ﷺ: كف عن آلهتنا فلا تذكرها بسوء، فإن لم تفعل فاعبد آلهتنا سنة ونعبد إلهك سنة، فنزلت. وفي إسناده أبو خلف عبد الله بن عيسى، وهو ضعيف.