اقرأ ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ ثم نم على خاتمتها فإنها براءة من الشرك
Recite “Say: O disbelievers”, then sleep upon its ending, for it is a disavowal of associating partners with Allah.
Virtues and benefits of Surah Al-Kafirun
Surah Al-Kafirun is a disavowal of associating partners with Allah: hearing a man recite it, the Prophet ﷺ said “This one has freed himself from shirk”, and he told Nawfal al-Ashja’i to recite it before sleeping. It is equal to a quarter of the Qur’an, and the Prophet ﷺ recited it with Al-Ikhlas in the two rak’ahs before Fajr and after Maghrib, and in Witr after Al-A’la.
Its virtues at a glance
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A disavowal of shirk
The Prophet ﷺ heard a man recite it to the end and said: “This one has freed himself from shirk.” It disavows the practices of the polytheists and commands worship of Allah alone.
Authentic (sahih)An-Nasa’i (As-Sunan al-Kubra, 8028), Ad-Darimi (3426) and Ahmad
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Recited before sleeping
The Prophet ﷺ told Nawfal al-Ashja’i to recite it before sleeping and then sleep upon its ending, saying: “for it is a disavowal of shirk”.
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Equal to a quarter of the Qur’an
It is reported that it equals a quarter of the Qur’an, a hadith that is good through its combined routes. This is explained as follows: the Qur’an covers divine oneness, prophethood, this world and the Hereafter, and this surah is devoted to oneness, since it disavows shirk.
Good (hasan)At-Tabarani (Al-Mu’jam al-Awsat, 186, and Al-Mu’jam al-Kabir)
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In the voluntary prayers of Fajr and Maghrib
The Prophet ﷺ recited it with Al-Ikhlas in the two rak’ahs before Fajr and the two rak’ahs after Maghrib, and said: “How excellent these two surahs are!”
Authentic (sahih)Muslim (726), Abu Dawud (1256) and Ibn Majah (1148) Good (hasan)Ibn Majah (1150), Ahmad and Ibn Khuzaymah (1114) Good (hasan)At-Tirmidhi (417), Ibn Majah (1149) and Ahmad
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In the Witr prayer
The Prophet ﷺ recited in Witr Al-A’la, then Al-Kafirun, then Al-Ikhlas.
Authentic (sahih)Abu Dawud (1423), An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah (1171)
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A surah of the Mufassal
It belongs to the Mufassal, the last part of the Qur’an by which the Prophet ﷺ was favoured over the other prophets, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “… and I was favoured with the Mufassal.”
When to recite it
- Before sleeping: recite it and then sleep upon its ending, as the Prophet ﷺ told Nawfal al-Ashja’i
- In the two voluntary rak’ahs before Fajr, with Al-Ikhlas
- In the two rak’ahs after Maghrib, with Al-Ikhlas
- In Witr, after Al-A’la and before Al-Ikhlas
Hadiths on its virtues
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
كنت أسير مع النبي ﷺ فسمع رجلًا يقرأ: ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ حتى ختمها. قال: قد برئ هذا من الشرك ثم سرنا، فسمع آخر يقرأ: ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ فقال: أما هذا فقد غفر له
I was travelling with the Prophet ﷺ when he heard a man recite “Say: O disbelievers” to the end. He said: “This one has freed himself from associating partners with Allah.” We went on, and he heard another recite “Say: He is Allah, One”, and he said: “As for this one, he has been forgiven.”
﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ تعدل ثلث القرآن، و ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ تعدل ربع القرآن
“Say: He is Allah, One” is equal to a third of the Qur’an, and “Say: O disbelievers” is equal to a quarter of the Qur’an.
أن رسول الله ﷺ قرأ في ركعتي الفجر ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited in the two rak’ahs of Fajr (before the obligatory prayer) “Say: O disbelievers” and “Say: He is Allah, One”.
كان رسول الله ﷺ يصلي ركعتين قبل الفجر، وكان يقول: نعم السورتان هما، يقرأ بهما في ركعتي الفجر: ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray two rak’ahs before Fajr and say: “How excellent these two surahs are!” He recited them in the two rak’ahs of Fajr: “Say: He is Allah, One” and “Say: O disbelievers”.
أن رسول الله ﷺ قرأ في الركعتين قبل الفجر، والركعتين بعد المغرب بضعا وعشرين مرة أو بضع عشرة مرة ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited, in the two rak’ahs before Fajr and the two rak’ahs after Maghrib, twenty-odd or ten-odd times: “Say: O disbelievers” and “Say: He is Allah, One”.
كان رسول الله ﷺ يقرأ في الوتر بـ ﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى﴾ و ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite in the Witr “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High”, “Say: O disbelievers” and “Say: He is Allah, One”.
What the surah is about
- The command to the Prophet ﷺ to declare his disavowal of the disbelievers
- His refusal to worship their false deities
- The statement that they do not worship the true God whom he worships
- Disavowal of their religion: to them their religion, to him his
- The command to devote worship to Allah alone
Main purpose: Disavowal of disbelief and of its people.
About Surah Al-Kafirun
Al-Kafirun is Meccan according to the majority; it has also been said to be Medinan. It has six verses and was revealed after Al-Ma’un and before Al-Fil. It is also called “al-Muqashqishah” (the one that frees from shirk), “al-’Ibadah” and “ad-Din”. Ibn Ishaq reported from Ibn Abbas that polytheist leaders offered the Prophet ﷺ to worship their gods for a time while they worshipped his God for a time, and this surah was revealed.
Tafsir of Surah Al-Kafirun Listen to Al-Kafirun by other reciters
Detailed study in Arabic
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
- التعريف بسورة الكافرون
- فضائل سورة الكافرون
- موضوعات سورة الكافرون
- سبب نزول سورة الكافرون
- الأحاديث الواردة في الفضل ودرجتها
Virtues of other surahs
All 114 surahs- Virtues of Surah Al-Kahf A light between two Fridays and protection from the Dajjal
- Virtues of Surah Al-Mulk Intercedes for its reciter and protects from the grave’s punishment
- Virtues of Surah Ya-Sin Whoever recites it at night seeking Allah’s Face is forgiven
- Virtues of Surah Al-Baqarah Satan flees the house where it is recited; it is the peak of the Qur’an
- Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah The greatest surah of the Qur’an, without which there is no prayer
- Virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas It equals a third of the Qur’an; loving it earns Allah’s love
- Virtues of Surah Al-Waqi’ah One of the surahs that greyed the Prophet ﷺ; he recited it at Fajr
- Virtues of Surah Ar-Rahman Recited by the Prophet ﷺ to the jinn, who responded better than people
- Ayat al-Kursi The greatest verse in the Book of Allah, a guard against Satan