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Arabic root

ك-ف-ر

Kaf-Fa-Ra

2 words from this root family

About this root

Kaf-Fa-Ra (ك-ف-ر) has 2 words in the Fahm dictionary: kafara (he disbelieved / he denied), kāfir (disbeliever / denier).

In the Quran, words built on this root occur 525 times in 465 verses, across 77 of the 114 suras. The first is in 2:6. The form كَفَرَ (he disbelieved / he denied) accounts for 289 of them.

Themes: Quranic

Words from this root

WordMeaningTypeIn the QuranTaught in
كَفَرَ
kafara
he disbelieved / he deniedverb, A2289×Faith and Belief
كَافِرٌ
kāfir
disbeliever / deniernoun, A2156×Guidance and Knowledge

“In the Quran” counts every occurrence of that dictionary form, in any of its senses.

In the Quran

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

As for the Disbelievers, Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it is all one for them; they believe not.

Quran 2:6
أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَـٰتٌ وَرَعْدٌ وَبَرْقٌ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَـٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِم مِّنَ ٱلصَّوَٰعِقِ حَذَرَ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ مُحِيطٌۢ بِٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ

Or like a rainstorm from the sky, wherein is darkness, thunder and the flash of lightning. They thrust their fingers in their ears by reason of the thunder-claps, for fear of death, Allah encompasseth the disbelievers (in His guidance, His omniscience and His omnipotence).

Quran 2:19
وَقَالُوا۟ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌۢ ۚ بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلًا مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ

And they say: Our hearts are hardened. Nay, but Allah hath cursed them for their unbelief. Little is that which they believe.

Quran 2:88

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Uthmani 1.1), CC BY 3.0, tanzil.net. English: Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain, via Project Gutenberg. Counts and verse choice: Quranic Arabic Corpus morphology data (corpus.quran.com).

Word cards with examples

A2verb
كَفَرَ
kafara

he disbelieved / he denied

Example
وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ
wa-man yakfur billāhi wa-malāʾikatihī wa-kutubihī wa-rusulihī wal-yawmi al-ākhiri faqad ḍall
Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has gone far astray (4:136)
Grammar

Form I verb. Past: كَفَرَ, Present: يَكْفُرُ. Related: كُفْرٌ (disbelief), كَافِرٌ (disbeliever, pl. كُفَّارٌ). Original meaning: 'to cover/conceal' (covering the truth).

Culture

This verse outlines the six articles of Islamic faith. Kufr literally means 'covering,' implying that disbelief covers or conceals the innate human recognition of God.

A2noun
كَافِرٌ
kāfir

disbeliever / denier

Example
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
qul yā ayyuhā al-kāfirūna lā aʿbudu mā taʿbudūn
Say: O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship (109:1-2)
Grammar

Active participle of كَفَرَ (Form I). Plural: كَافِرُونَ (kāfirūn) or كُفَّارٌ (kuffār). Literally means 'one who covers (the truth).' Also used for a farmer who covers seeds with soil.

Culture

Surah Al-Kāfirūn (109) establishes a clear declaration of religious distinction while maintaining coexistence: 'For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.'

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