#Islam

Structural Cohesion In The Quran [A Series]: Surah Al Kafirun

Published

June 30, 2023

This is a continuation of a series on the structure and organization of the Quran. The goal is to help the reader appreciate the amazing coherence of Allah’s word and dismantle the myth of the “random” and “unorganized” Quran.

سُورَة الكَافِرُونَ

Sūrat al-Kāfirūn

Sūrat al-Kāfirūn (The Disbelievers) is a sūrah that the Messenger ﷺ would recite quite regularly. He was known to recite it during the two units of sunnah prayer before Fajr, during witr, and during the two units of prayer done after going around the Kaʿbah.

It is said that the sūrah was revealed in Makkah during a time when the opposing Quraysh were attempting to coax the Messenger ﷺ into a compromise. They wanted to water down the message of Islam in exchange for their support. Sūrat al-Kāfirūn was revealed to emphatically rebut them.

Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.

What is beautiful about this sūrah is that it appears to be in a mirror structure, with a couple of smaller structures comprising the internals.

A – Say: “Disbelievers! (1)

B – I don’t worship what you all worship (2) Nor are you all worshipers of what I worship (3)

B’ – Nor am I a worshiper of what you all worshiped (4) Nor are you all worshiping what I worship (5)

A’ – You have your religion, and I have mine” (6)

Connections

[A]/[A’] – The sūrah begins with an address to “disbelievers”, and it ends with the summarized conclusion of that address; “you have your religion, and I have mine.”

[B]/[B’] – The center has two declarations, each of which begins with the Messenger ﷺ saying something about himself, followed by him saying something about the disbelievers.

The central section, [B] and [B’], can be further broken up into its own mini-mirror structure.

B1 – I don’t worship

B2 – what you all worship (2)

B2’ – Nor are you all worshipers

B1’ – of what I worship (3)

B3 – Nor am I a worshiper

B4 – of what you all worshiped (4)

B4’ – Nor are you all worshiping

B3’ – what I worship (5)

In both of these mini-mirrors, the position of the Messenger ﷺ (“I…”) sandwiches the position of the disbelievers (“you all…”).

It also appears that the sūrah is set up in a parallel structure when one considers the alternation between the negating and affirming segments of the āyāt.

Negation	B1 – I don’t worship
Affirmation	B2 – what you all worship (2)
Negation	B1’ – Nor are you all worshipers
Affirmation	B2’ – of what I worship (3)
Negation	B3 – Nor am I a worshiper
Affirmation	B4 – of what you all worshiped (4)
Negation	B3’ – Nor are you all worshiping
Affirmation	B4’ – what I worship (5)

Each statement begins with a negation (lā) and concludes with an affirmation. And this repeats across the four declarations in the center mirrors.

And Allah ﷻ knows best.

[If the study of the Quran’s structure interests you, please check out Heavenly Order for many more examples of the Quran’s amazing organization and coherence.]

– Structural Cohesion In The Quran [A Series]: Surah Al Fatihah – MuslimMatters.org

0 Shares

Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

Related Topics:Arabic Studies Featured featured islam Islam islamic studies Muslim Quran quran studies sunnah surah kafirun

Up Next

The Theologies Of The Mental Health Industry, Counsellors, And Psychotherapists

Don't Miss

[Podcast] Man2Man: Afghanistan Beyond the Headlines | Abdullah Zikria

Munir Eltal

Munir Eltal has a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an Arabic Certificate from Bayyinah Institute. He is currently a Project Manager for a medical device company in Southern California. He studies at Institute of Knowledge (IOK) in Diamond Bar, CA through their full-time seminary program. He also teaches Arabic at IOK for their part-time seminary program. He runs the weekly blog, Heavenly Order, where he researches the organization, structure, and cohesion of the ayahs and surahs of the Quran.