Assalam Alaikum
A few years ago, the words ‘Kaffir/Kuffar/Kafiroon’ were often heard in Islamic talks, lectures and from there carried over to coffee table discussions. “Look at these kuffar”, “silly Kuffar”, “dirty Kuffar” were quite common and used loosely. However, more recently the use of this term has evaporated off the Da’wah scene and replaced with more moderate terms with similar meanings, non-Muslim, non-believer or even brothers in humanity.
The corruption involved here seems twofold:
1. Media, for the past few years has intensified its campaign against Islam where the use of words like Kaffir, Jihad, Caliphate and such have been portrayed as offensive and moreover associated with ‘radicals’, ‘extremists’, ‘Islamists’…. to the extent where an ordinary Muslim is forced to think twice before using these words publicly or even private gatherings.
2. The Muslim individuals, organisations, Jammahs, who are working hard to remove certain valuable terminologies from the everyday vocabulary of Muslims. On the other hand, we have Muslims who are using these terminologies in a very irresponsible way, not considering the effect or adopting the best styles and means to propagate their message in the most effective way.
Kaffir, is not really an offensive word, it is referring to non-Muslims, disbelievers and those who reject the deen al-Haqq (Islam), therefore anyone who is not a Muslim is a kaffir. This doesn’t mean we go around calling everyone Kaffir or dare to associate the term ‘infidel’ with the term kaffir… for that kind of association is part of the problem as ‘Kaffir’ is a loaded terminology and so is the word infidel, marrying the two is naturally recipe for disaster.
During the period of Prophet (saw) the terms Kaffir, Mushrik etc, were used but never in a derogatory way to offend the people, rather they were used to describe the beliefs of people and the people never took an offence upon being called a kaffir or Mushrik.
So what seems to be the problem today?
why is the west so concerned about the terminologies we use?
We have to understand that there is some level of stigma attached to ‘name calling’… I mean why do we have to call people Kaffir when they happily accept being called Non-Muslim? Tia, it’s a bit like I am revert for life, I am always reminded of the fact that I am a revert and I just have to live with this reminder!!
I really think we need to move on from these labels and stop always trying to label people, even if it is calling kaffir a kaffir.. why do we have to anyway?
Did the Prophet (saw) label anyone like this?
Hasmita, I agree that there is a problem with name calling and my parents being reverts often discuss being called ‘revert’ with their revert friends. Isn’t this quiet different to recognising someone who has rejected the call of Islam or disbelieves in it as ‘kaffir’. Unlike the word ‘revert’ the word ‘kaffir’ has Qur’anic origins and has been used by Allah (swt) in the Qur’an and Prophet (saw) himself.
For example, Abu Jahl was given this name by the Prophet (saw), prior to this in the Makkan society he was known as Abu Al-Hakkam (father of Wisdom) due to the extra ordinary intelligence he possessed. The Prophet of Islam (saw) took away this title from him due to his arrogance and rejection of Islamic faith, so he became from the father of wisdom (abu al-Hakkam) to the father of ignorance (Abu Jahl).
Another example is one of Walid ibn al-Mughira who was known as ibn al-Wahid (son of Unique) or Wahid al-Waheed (unique of the Uniques) denoting his nobility, prestige and lineage. Allah (Swt) exposed him in the Qur’an in Surah al-Qalam as the illigitimate one (dhalika Zaneem). It is reported that after hearing this verse he approached his mother who reveailed that his father was an impotant man and that he is product of her relations with a shephard.
There are many such examples which show us that certain language and terms were used to describe people as long as its factual.
My real concerns behind raising this topic is the use of Islamic terminology and key words which have always been part of Muslim’s vocabulary are being taken away.
See also:
http://bint-hawa.blogspot.com/2007/02/use-of-political-terminologies.html
“anyone who is not a Muslim is a kaffir”
I used to think so too, but that’s not true. At least not historically. The word kafir had a specific use in the Prophet’s time, and they did not refer to Jews/Christians as kuffar.
I agree it’s sad about the contemporary connotations, but I think it’s understandable. If anything, Muslims are to blame more than the media. The way some Muslims keep referring to the kuffar, it’s just disgusting and offensive.
Shukran for commenting.
you are correct in saying that Jews/Christians were known as Ahle Kitaab and there is another term for morally good people known as Ahle Fitrah.. but these are specif terms and all fall under the generic terms like Kaffir or Mushrik. It is also a bit rare to find Ahle Kitaab these days.
I agree, the irresponsible use by many Muslims is sometimes more damaging than the media onslaught.
its not just about the ‘western’ resentment is it – given, coming from a muslim background, how i know my fellow muslims think about non-muslims, i always found it offensive, given we think for the most part they will go to hell etc. because i cant see where in islam it is said to think of yourself as somehow superior to another person or group – that is just arrogance. when the term kafir is used – in my humble opinion- to emphasise that superiority – yes it is problematic.
its the same attitude people displayed in india to people who were not in the same caste. yes one could argue, it is a point in fact that one is not from the same caste as someone else. yes it is a point in fact that one is not the same race as someone else. so why did people find the term nigger problematic? for similar reasons.
its hardly so simple is it? and the biggest underlying problem is this my group vs your group which religion seems to be encouraging, rather than the other way around. What a shame that is.
Thanks Sonia for provoking some thought in my lil baby blog.
Brought up in native convert family I’ve never had any cultural baggage attatched, which no doubt has tremendous effect on how most Muslims follow Islam. The dichotemy which exists in minds of Muslims really irks me because it allows people to abuse Islam. The attitude you have described exists amongst people of all religions and races because its natural for human beings to ‘look up to’ and ‘look down at’ others, but the decision on how to satisfy these natural inclinations is a choice that will depend upon the concepts and ideas that the human being carries. This need to look down at people is found amongst people who proudly hold on to something without it being a real concept or idea. For example, Arabs looking down at non-Arabs, Pakistanis looking down at Bengladeshis, or the caste system which exists within Muslims as we often hear people are unable to marry because they belong to different castes or tribes. Similarly, if Muslims start using the term ‘Kaffir’ to look down at people, there is a problem with their attitude not the term itself.
The term ‘Kaffir’ is purely a technical term used in Islam along many others, its importance is not so much to do with describing individuals or groups of people rather the ideas and concepts people carry. The term ‘Kufr’ has the same origins as ‘kaffir’. ‘Kufr’ is used to describe the ideas, thoughts, cultures, beliefs, practices which are alien to Islam and can be deterimental to a Muslim’s beleif (Iman). There has always been and will be a conflict between Iman and Kufr, but not necessarly Muslims and Kuffar/kaffir because the cause of conflict is the ideas. My concern is really with disappearing of such key-terminology from Muslim vocabulary and NOW also how to treat the abuse of it.
Islam came to teach mankind modesty (Hayaa) forbidding everything which is the opposite of modesty such as arrogance (kibr) or showing off (riyaa) and consequently any action where such would be expressed. So, if people are looking down at others out of shere arrogance or becuase they believe they are the ’saved ones’ they are clearly committing haram whether its an Arab looking down at non-Arab or Muslim at Kaffir. Perhaps its my lack of foresight, but I can’t see anything wrong with the terms itself but problem seems to be atttiude of individuals and the thoughts they carry.
I found this interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_Kaffir_people