Surah 109
Al-Kāfirūn
الكافرون
6 verses · Meccan
Key structural observations
- Qul and the address in the first verse place speech under Allah’s command, answering the proposal to mix forms of worship.
- Subjects alternate between I and you through four negations; the root ʿ-b-d unites verbs and nouns for worshippers (2–5).
- Lā aʿbudu becomes wa-lā anā ʿābidun; mā taʿbudūn becomes mā ʿabadtum. These changes of form support disavowal without imposing a single temporal distribution (2, 4).
- Verses 3 and 5 are entirely identical. Repetition keeps the listener with the separation of worship.
- Lakum and liya each precede the dīn attached to them. This conclusion states separation with restraint, in a faithfulness compatible with justice towards others (6).