The Example of Quraysh

THE ISSUE OF KUFR AND KAFIR thirteen years, saying: O people of Quraysh! O human beings! O my people! Throughout this entire period of peaceful missionary activity, he never used the term “kafir.” Although all kinds of excesses were committed by the opposing side, his sense of goodwill toward them never diminished. Enduring their persecution with one-sided patience, he continued his peaceful missionary struggle. Finally, after thirteen years, Chapter 109 was revealed in the Quran. In it, for the first time, a declaration was made by God in these words: Qul ya ayyuha al-kafirun (109:1)—that is, “Say: O deniers.” From this, it becomes clear that the word kafir (disbeliever) denotes a quality, not a community. Had disbeliever referred to a community, the Quran would have used the expression li-ilafi al-kuffar (for making the disbelievers familiar) instead of li-ilafi Quraysh (for making Quraysh familiar) in Chapter 106, verse 1. This distinction shows that the term kafir signifies the quality of denial rather than a communal or tribal identity. Furthermore, determining whether this quality of denial exists in a person cannot be based on assumption; it must be grounded in actual experience. That experience is defined at the prophetic level: a missionary effort of the highest standard must continue for a sustained period—at least thirteen