The Issue of Kufr and Kafir

THE ISSUE OF KUFR AND KAFIR this has probably become the most contentious issue between Muslims and non-Muslims that Muslims face today. An example will clarify this matter. Famous Urdu poet Mohammad Iqbal’s family was originally a Brahmin family. Later, they converted to Islam. Referring to this fact, Iqbal said in one of his verses: Mara ba-negar keh dar Hindustan digar nami bini Brahmanzada ramz-ashna-e-Room o Tabriz ast Do not see India only through old stereotypes. Even a Brahmin’s son can be deeply familiar with the intellectual traditions of Rome and Tabriz. In this couplet, the word brahman-zada does not sound offensive to the listener. In terms of its original, literal meaning, brahman-zada and kafir-zada are similar expressions. However, if Iqbal’s verse were changed and the word brahman-zada were replaced with kafirzada, readers would strongly object. This reaction would not be because the meaning of the verse had changed, but because the emotional and social value of the word has changed. The word brahman is generally heard as a neutral or descriptive term, whereas the word kafir, through historical and social usage, has come to be understood as insulting