Meaning: the disbelievers · Also translated as: disbelievers, disbeliever, a disbeliever, disbelieving
Forms in the Quran
ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ×52
لِلْكَٰفِرِينَ×23
ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ×17
كَٰفِرُونَ×15
ٱلْكُفَّارَ×12
كَٰفِرِينَ×8
وَلِلْكَٰفِرِينَ×5
كُفَّارٌ×4
Its root in the classical dictionaries
الكفر في اللغة: ستر الشيء، ووصف الليل بالكافر لستره الأشخاص، والزراع لستره البذر في الأرض، وليس ذلك باسم لهما كما قال بعض أهل اللغة لما سمع:387-ألقت ذكاء يمينها في كافر
قوله تعالى: ﴿إن الذين كفروا﴾ [آل عمران: 4]. الكفر أصله التغطية والستر. وسمي الكافر الشرعي كافرا لأنه ستر الحق وغطى عليه. وسمي الليل كافرا لستره الأشياء بظلامه. وأنشد لثعلبة: [من الكامل]
Or (another similitude)
Is that of a rain-laden cloud
From the sky: in it are zones
Of darkness, and thunder and lightning:
They press their fingers in their ears
To keep out the stunning thunder-clap,
The while they are in terror of death.
But God is ever round
The rejecters of Faith!
And behold, We said to the angels:
"Bow down to Adam: "and they bowed down:
Not so Iblīs: he refused and was haughty:
He was of those who reject Faith.
And believe in what I reveal,
Confirming the revelation
Which is with you,
And be not the first to reject
Faith therein, nor sell My Signs
For a small price; and fear Me,
And Me alone.
And when there comes to them
A Book from God, confirming
What is with them,—although
From of old they had prayed
For victory against those
Without Faith,—when there comes.
To them that which they
(Should) have recognized,
They refuse to believe in it
But the curse of God
Is on those without Faith.
Miserable is the price
For which they have sold
Their souls, in that they
Deny (the revelation)
Which God has sent down,
In insolent envy that God
Of His Grace should send it
To any of His servants He pleases:
Thus have they drawn
On themselves Wrath upon Wrath.
And humiliating is the punishment
Of those who reject Faith.
ye of Faith!
Say not (to the Apostle)
Words of ambiguous import,
But words of respect;
And hearken (to him):
To those without Faith
Is a grievous punishment.
Quite a number of the People
Of the Book wish they could
Turn you (people) back
To infidelity after ye have believed,
From selfish envy,
After the Truth hath become
Manifest unto them:
But forgive and overlook,
Till God accomplish
His purpose; for God
Hath power over all things.'
And slay them
Wherever ye catch them,
And turn them out
From where they have
Turned you out;
For tumult and oppression
Are worse than slaughter;
But fight them not
At the Sacred Mosque,
Unless they (first)
Fight you there;
But if they fight you,
Slay them.
Such is the reward
Of those who suppress faith.
They ask thee
Concerning fighting
In the Prohibited Month.
Say: "Fighting therein
Is a grave (offence);
But graver is it
In the sight of God
To prevent access
To the path of God,
To deny Him,
To prevent access
To the Sacred Mosque,
And drive out its members.
Tumult and oppression
Are worse than slaughter.
Nor will they cease
Fighting you until
They turn you back
From your faith
If they can.
And if any of you
Turn back from their faith
And die in unbelief,
Their works will bear no fruit
In this life
And in the Hereafter;
They will be
Companions of the Fire
And will abide therein.
When they advanced
To meet Goliath and his forces,
They prayed: "Our Lord
Pour out constancy on us
And make our steps firm:
Help us against those
That reject faith."
O ye who believe!
Spend out of (the bounties)
We have provided for you,
Before the Day comes
When no bargaining
(Will avail), nor friendship
Nor intercession.
Those who reject Faith—they
Are the wrong-doers.
O ye who believe!
Cancel not your charity
By reminders of your generosity
Or by injury,—like those
Who spend their substance
To be seen of men,
But believe neither
In God nor in the Last Day.
They are in Parable like a hard,
Barren rock, on which
Is a little soil: on it
Falls heavy rain,
Which leaves it
(Just) a bare stone.
They will be able to do nothing
With aught they have earned.
And God guideth not
Those who reject faith.
On no soul doth God
Place a burden greater
Than it can bear.
It gets every good that it earns,
And it suffers every ill that it earns.
(Pray:) "Our Lord!
Condemn us not
If we forget or fall
Into error; our Lord!
Lay not on us a burden
Like that which Thou
Didst lay on those before us;
Our Lord! lay not on us
A burden greater than we
Have strength to bear.
Blot out our sins,
And grant us forgiveness,
Have mercy on us.
Thou art our Protector;
Help us against those
Who stand against Faith"
let not the Believers
Take for friends or helpers
Unbelievers rather than
Believers: if any do that,
In nothing will there be help
From God: except by way
Of precaution, that ye may
Guard yourselves from them,
But God cautions you
(To remember) Himself;
For the final goal
Is to God.
As to those who reject
Faith, and die rejecting,—
Never would be accepted
From any such as much
Gold as the earth contains,
Though they should offer it
For ransom. For such
Is (in store) a penalty grievous,
And they will find no helpers.