contradiction in the Qur’an regarding the belief and disbelief of some infidels

 

Content of the doubt: Some skeptics imagine that there is some contradiction between the words of God Almighty: “Nor do you worship that which I worship (3)” (Al-Kafirun), and His words Almighty: “And among these are those who believe in him” (Al-Ankabut: 47). They ask: How does God state in the first verse on the tongue of His Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - that the disbelievers do not worship God, and will never worship Him forever, while the second verse states that among the disbelievers are those who believe in God after their disbelief?! They aim behind that to attack the Holy Quran. Two ways to refute the doubt: 1) The address in the first verse is to the entire disbeliever community and not to specific individuals. 2) The verse described the disbelievers with a nominal sentence that indicates stability, and it was said that the word “you worship” with what precedes it is a source that can be estimated as “your worship.” Detail: First: The address in the first verse is to the disbelievers, not to specific individuals. The Almighty’s statement: “Nor do you worship that which I worship (3)” (al-Kafirun) appears to indicate that the disbelievers addressed by it will never worship Allah, although the one who ponders the verse will find that it is addressed to the disbelievers, and if they convert to Islam later, it is addressed to them as long as they are disbelievers. If they convert to Islam, it does not include them, because then they are believers and not disbelievers. Even if they are hypocrites, they are disbelievers inwardly, so the address includes them. Some scholars believe that the verse is a general, specific verse, so the address is specifically to the wretched, whom Allah knew would die in disbelief, and they are the ones referred to in His statement, the Almighty: “Indeed, those upon whom the word of your Lord has come into effect will not believe (96)” (Yunus)[1]. The ruling does not apply to all those addressed, but rather to a specific group of disbelievers. Those who will not worship God in the future are the ones upon whom God’s judgment and decree are due. They will continue in disbelief and die in it. Faith will not occur to them under any circumstances, for God has already known that about them. As for the rest of the disbelievers, the possibility of their faith is valid. Second: The verse described the disbelievers with a nominal sentence that indicates the constancy of their attributes: The Qur’an, through the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - in the first sentence, said, “I do not worship what you worship (2)” (Al-Kafirun), with the present tense verb - in each of the two verbs - indicating the state, meaning: I do not worship what you worship in action, then he said: “Nor will I worship what you worship (4) nor will you worship what I worship (5)” (Al-Kafirun), so he described them with the nominal sentence, and himself with the verbal sentence, meaning: Nor are you described by worshipping what I worship, and after that he said: “To you be your religion, and to me mine (6)” (Al-Kafirun), so he described him as not being described by worshipping what they worship, nor are they worshipping what he worships, so his description - may God bless him and grant him peace - in the two sentences was with two different descriptions; sometimes with the verbal sentence, and sometimes with the nominal sentence, so one of them was to negate the fixed description, and the other to negate its occurrence later. As for them, they were only described in the verse with a nominal sentence that by its nature indicates steadfastness and stability, i.e. the steadfastness of the state of the disbelievers. And in what they were described with, there was no verbal sentence whose characteristics are renewal and occurrence, so there was nothing in it that addresses the future[2]. With this explanation, it became clear to us that what the verse is addressing is the disbeliever who is steadfast in his disbelief until the Day of Judgment, not the disbelievers in general. It was said: “You worship” with what precedes it is a source, meaning that “what” is a source meaning: I do not worship your false worship, and you do not worship my true worship. The evidence for that from the surah is the Almighty’s saying: “To you be your religion, and to me be my religion (6)” (Al-Kafirun), so He referred them to their worship, and did not refer them to their deity. From what has been shown, it becomes clear to us that what is meant by His saying: “You worship” is your false worship, and not in the sense of the present tense verb, one of the characteristics of which is renewal and continuity. Conclusion: There is no contradiction between the verses of the Holy Qur’an, as in the first place the address addresses the disbelievers in general, and not specific individuals, and this place may be from the general specific, as the address is specifically to the wretched ones whom God knew would die in disbelief, while others’ faith is expected in the future. · The description of the infidels did not include a verbal sentence that was characterized by renewal and occurrence, but rather they were addressed with a nominal sentence that describes the present and does not address the future. It was said that the word “you worship” with what preceded it is a source, meaning: “your worship.” ____________________   [1] Al-Bayan fi Daf’ al-Ta’rub al-Muthu’at bayn al-Qur’an verses, Dr. Muhammad Abu al-Nur al-Hadidi, Al-Amanah Library, Cairo, 1401 AH/1981 AD, p. 69, with some modifications. Al-Bayan fi Daf’ al-Ta’rub al-Muthu’at bayn al-Qur’an verses, Dr. Atef al-Maliji, Iqra Library, Cairo, 1st ed., 2004 AD, p. 94. [2] Adwa’ al-Bayan, al-Shanqeeti, Ibn Taymiyyah Library, Cairo, 1992 AD, vol. 9, pp. 582, 583.