وَلَآ أَنَا۠ عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّمْ 4
Translations
Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship.
Transliteration
Wa lā anā ʿābidun mā ʿabadtum
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is Allah's declaration through His Prophet that he will never worship what the disbelievers worship, establishing a complete rejection of idolatry and false gods. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this verse emphasizes the Prophet's unwavering monotheism and his categorical refusal to compromise on the fundamental principle of Tawhid, regardless of pressure from the Meccan polytheists. The statement is absolute and final, leaving no room for negotiation or concession on matters of faith.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Kafirun was revealed in Mecca during a period when the Quraysh attempted to negotiate with the Prophet Muhammad, seeking compromises where he would worship their gods for a period if they worshipped his God. This surah, particularly this ayah, was revealed as a definitive rejection of any such compromise, affirming that true faith cannot be diluted or shared with polytheism.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah' (Sahih Bukhari 25). Related thematically: The incident of the Quraysh's delegation attempting to negotiate with the Prophet, which prompted the revelation of this surah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that fundamental religious principles cannot be compromised or negotiated, regardless of social, economic, or political pressure. Modern readers should draw strength from the Prophet's uncompromising stance on faith, recognizing that true conviction in Allah requires categorical rejection of false beliefs and practices that contradict Islamic monotheism.
Related Ayahs
وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن دُونِى وَكِيلًا
And We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel that you not take other than Me as Disposer of affairs,
أَمَّنْ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى يَرْزُقُكُمْ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ رِزْقَهُۥ ۚ بَل لَّجُّوا۟ فِى عُتُوٍّ وَنُفُورٍ
Or who is it that could provide for you if He withheld His provision? But they have persisted in insolence and aversion.
ءَأَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً إِن يُرِدْنِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ بِضُرٍّ لَّا تُغْنِ عَنِّى شَفَـٰعَتُهُمْ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يُنقِذُونِ
Should I take other than Him [false] deities [while], if the Most Merciful intends for me some adversity, their intercession will not avail me at all, nor can they save me?
أَمَّن يَهْدِيكُمْ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتِ ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَمَن يُرْسِلُ ٱلرِّيَـٰحَ بُشْرًۢا بَيْنَ يَدَىْ رَحْمَتِهِۦٓ ۗ أَءِلَـٰهٌ مَّعَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ تَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
Is He [not best] who guides you through the darknesses of the land and sea and who sends the winds as good tidings before His mercy? Is there a deity with Allāh? High is Allāh above whatever they associate with Him.