Kufr and Kuffar

Kufr and Kuffar are two Arabic terms that are used in a religious context. So what do they refer to?

Kufr in Allah is one of the most dangerous trials and heresies that one may fall into.

Allah created all creatures from living and inanimate creatures, especially humans, in order to remember Him, glorify Him, worship Him and praise Him for His bounty and blessings that are uncountable and uncountable.

Allah sent prophets and messengers to convey His message, His true message, and to bring them out of darkness into light.

Some of them believed and hurriedly followed the messages of the Messengers, and some of them become kuffar and refused to believe and continued to follow what their fathers and grandfathers worshiped.

Kufr meaning

Word kufr and Christianity

Christians throughout history have used the term kufr to refer to people who opposed Christianity.

The term became popular in English sometime in the early 16th century, when Jews and Muslims were pejoratively described as active opponents of Christianity.

Disbelievers [kuffar], in the Catholic faith, are ones who do not believe in the basic teachings of the religion at all and are, therefore a heretic, who has strayed from the correct teachings.

The term ecclesiastical has been used similarly by the Methodist Church, referring to those “without faith”.

Today, the use of the term kafir has declined; Terms such as non-Christian and non-believer (a person without religious affiliation or belief) are preferred.

Reflecting the prevailing commitment of Christian denominations to engage in dialogue with people of other faiths.

Nevertheless, some defenders of the term have stated, that it does not mean disrespect for the other, but rather is similar to using the term orthodox (fundamentalist) when talking about observant believers.

In addition, some translations of the Bible, such as the English King James Version, still in vogue today, use the term kufr, while others have replaced it with the term unbelievers. The term is found in two places:

“And what agreement of Christ with Belial? What share of the believer with the kafir?”

The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapter VI:15, King James Version.

“And if someone does not take care of his own, especially the people of his household, then he has denied the faith and is worse than the kafir”.

First Epistle to Timothy chapter 5:8, King James Version.

Kufr in Islam

What is kufr?

Although the term Kufr applies to both Muslims and non-Muslims, it is customary to use it to describe the kuffar in Allah.

Kufr is the greatest degree of disobedience that punishes those who follow it in this life and eternity in the fire of the hereafter.

in the Arabic language, Kufr Linguistically means covering and covering. Idiomatically: Kufr is what contradicts faith in words, actions, and beliefs.

Ready to start Learning with an Expert Teacher? Get a free Trial now!
Browse Our Quran Courses:

• Quran Hifz Classes
• Quran Classes For Kids
• Tajweed Quran
• Quran Memorization Ijazah
• Quran Recitation Ijazah
• Basic Arabic Course for Beginners
• Norani Qaida
• Arabic Conversation Course
• Quran Stories for Kids
• Quran Tafseer for kids

Types of kufr:

1. Major kufr

This type of kufr leads to the expulsion of the one who commits it from the religion, and it is of several types, namely:

The kufr of Ingratitude and denial:

This kufr is through denial, whether in the heart, the tongue, or the limbs, and it is by not revealing the truth, and avoiding following it in public even though it is certain of inwardly. And a group of them hides the truth while they know.”

kufr of turning away and arrogance:

This kufr is represented by Satan’s disbelief in Allah Almighty, lack of belief in Him, and arrogance and turning away from that.

Allah the Almighty’s saying: “Except for Satan, he refused and was arrogant and was among the unbelievers in standing.”

Kufr of hypocrisy:

It is the Kufr that displays faith in front of people, and inwardly disbelief.

Kufr of doubt and suspicion:

This type of Kufr is hesitant in believing in the truth.

The basis of faith is the absolute certainty of the message of our master Muhammad, PBUH, and otherwise, it falls within the scope of Kufr.

2. Minor kufr:

This type of kufr does not expel the person from the religion, because a person doing actions that anger Allah Almighty, and are in violation of the provisions contained in the Noble Qur’an and the honorable Sunnah of the Prophet.

Minor kufr refers to the sins that the Sharia called kufr, but it did not condemn their perpetrators to leave Islam.

Such as Muslim fighting his Muslim brother without right, insulting the lineages of people and their tribes, wailing for the dead by slapping the cheeks, and tearing the pockets.

This kufr also includes the child’s affiliation with someone other than his father, despite his knowledge of his father, and from this also the woman’s denial of her husband’s right and benevolence.

All of these are examples of minor kufr that do not expel the one who commits them from Islam.

Naming these sins as minor kufr does not mean that people will be negligent in committing them. Rather, what is meant is more warning and repulsion from them, as they are a greater sin than major sins, and the one who commits them must repent from them.

And with all the evils caused by minor kufr, the one who commits it remains within the circle of Islam and does not depart from it, and if he meets Allah Almighty with those sins, then he is deserving of punishment unless Allah pardons him.

Unlike major kufr, because the one who commits it is outside Islam, and if he dies on his kufr Allah entered him the fire immortal therein.

What does “kuffar” mean?

Linguistically the word kāfir is the active participle of the verb kafara, from root K-F-R.ك ف ر.

As a pre-Islamic term, it described farmers burying seeds in the ground.

Kuffar or kufar?

Because the letter fa’ is geminate, it was transferred to the English language with the doubling of the letter “F” to compensate for the gemination

Kuffar: A term used in certain religions to refer to those not believing in the basic teachings of those religions, to followers of other religions, and to non-religious people.

A kāfir is someone who directs his hostile stance against Islam or the Muslims, either with his hand or with his tongue or his pen. They are kuffar, whether they belong to any religion or not.

Or we can say Kāfir is one who covers over (hiding, detracting from) the truth. they know that it is the truth, but they do not want to admit it.

Also, “kaffar” is an excessive form of “kafir” 

The word kuffar covers:

• An atheist who does not acknowledge the existence of Allah Almighty.
• The polytheist, who acknowledges the existence of Allah but associates other gods with Him in His divinity.
• The pagan, the one who believes in the existence of a god or gods other than Allah Almighty.
• Whoever denies the Prophethood of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad PBUH or his message.
• Whoever denies the return on the Day of Resurrection.
• The jurists attached to the unbeliever those who denied a necessary – i.e. self-evident – of the necessities of the Islamic religion, such as prayer and pilgrimage, while knowing to their being necessary.

Divisions of the kuffar:

The kuffar is divided into:

• The original kafir:

  He is the one who did not claim Islam and was born in kufr.

• The apostate kafir:

  He is the one who slandered Islam and then disbelieved again after his conversion to Islam.

The apostate kuffar is divided into:

• The apostate from the natural state: He is the one who was born upon Islam and then became a kafir.
• The apostate from the religion: He is the one who was a kafir and then embraced Islam and then kafir.

Avoid these acts that lead to kufr

A Muslim does not become a kafir unless he comes with a saying, an act, or a belief, that the Qur’an and the Sunnah indicate that it is major kufr get out of the religion of Islam.

The scholars unanimously agree that it is major kufr, and that is the denial of Allah Almighty and insulting of His Messenger, may Allah’s bless and peace be upon him, and the denial of what is known from the religion by necessity.

Prostration to idols, praying for the dead and seeking their help in adversity, supporting the kuffar and helping them against the Muslims, thinking that the world is old and that Allah resides in His creatures or doubting or denying the resurrection, and other things that the jurists mention in the chapters on apostasy.

Kuffar in the Qur’an (disbelievers in Quran):

Allah says in describing the kuffar at the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah: “Indeed, those who disbelieve it is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them – they will not believe. Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their vision is a veil and for them is a great punishment.”

this means that the truth has reached them and they have seen it clear, but they are determined not to believe in it. This is the kafir in the Qur’an, who knew the truth and then denied it.

That is why the Qur’an does not use the term kuffar to a non-Muslim who did not know the truth and Islam did not reach him clearly, or his connection was distorted because he did not know Islam with the true knowledge in order to disbelieve in it. And did not find any mention of the word kufr in the Qur’an except that it is associated with knowing the truth and its denial and denial.

Who is the People of the Book on the Qur’an?

The People of the Book are mentioned by Allah in His Book, and they are the Jews and the Christians. They are called the People of the Book.

They named in the Qur’an with the word kuffar because covering over the truth.

The difference between kafir and Mushrik:

• The term kafir is used to refer to those who do not believe in matters that must be believed because they are a basic pillar and a fixed and agreed-upon foundation in Islamic sharia’. Likewise, whoever doubts the obligation of prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and zakat, and whoever denies the existence of Allah, angels, messengers, prophets, and the heavenly books is a kafir, just as denying one of the above is out of the religion.
• The term Mushrik is used to every person who believes in the existence of Allah as a deity of this universe, with the presence of a partner for him in creating the heavens, the earth, or some of the creatures. Gods like Allah.

Conclusion:

kufr which is the opposite of faith – may be a denial of the heart, so it contradicts what the heart says, i.e. its belief, and kufr may be an act of the heart, such as hating Allah Almighty or His verses, or His Messenger PBUH.

Kufr in Allah, His Messengers, His Prophets, His Books, and the unseen that He – Glory be to Him – or something of that has been reported about is the evilest and ugliest of deeds.

It is a denial of what is known, and a denial of what the evidence and proofs of its truthfulness have established. If the kafir had made his mind work and thought about what is around him of Allah’s creations and his great verses, what this vast universe contains, the greatness of creation indicates the greatness of his Creator, and his being the only one worthy of worship.

The kafir, a disruptor of his mind, a follower of others, who does not use his hearing and sight in what he should use them for.

For what is the use of these senses if they are not used in what they should be used for? Its existence in this state is like its absence.

It is an attempt to raise your children, teach them Islamic religion, and spare them from acts of disbelief and polytheism

learn basic islamic studies online with tipyaan academy