S 109 Ayat 1 to 6

قوله تعالى:

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ قُلْ يٰا أَيُّهَا الْكٰافِرُونَ -إلى قوله تعالى- لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَ لِيَ دِينِ [1-6]

His saying, the Exalted: In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. “Say: O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship, Nor do you worship Him Whom I worship: Nor am I going to worship that which you worship, Nor are you going to worship Him Whom I worship: You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.” [Qur’an 109:1–6]

99-/11963 _1- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي،عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ،قَالَ: سَأَلَ أَبُو شَاكِرٍ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ الْأَحْوَلِ،عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ: قُلْ يٰا أَيُّهَا الْكٰافِرُونَ* لاٰ أَعْبُدُ مٰا تَعْبُدُونَ* وَ لاٰ أَنْتُمْ عٰابِدُونَ مٰا أَعْبُدُ* وَ لاٰ أَنٰا عٰابِدٌ مٰا عَبَدْتُّمْ* وَ لاٰ أَنْتُمْ عٰابِدُونَ مٰا أَعْبُدُ فَهَلْ يَتَكَلَّمُ الْحَكِيمُ بِمِثْلِ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ وَ يُكَرِّرُهُ مَرَّةً بَعْدَ مَرَّةٍ؟فَلَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْأَحْوَلِ فِي ذَلِكَ جَوَابٌ،فَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ

99-/11963 _1- ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm said: My father narrated to me from Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿUmayr, who said:

Abū Shākir asked Abā Jaʿfar al-Aḥwal about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic:

“Say: O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship, Nor do you worship Him Whom I worship, Nor am I going to worship that which you worship, Nor are you going to worship Him Whom I worship” [Qur’an 109:1–5]

He asked, “Would a wise person speak in this manner, repeating the same statement again and again?”

Abū Jaʿfar al-Aḥwal had no answer to give regarding that—so he went to al-Madīnah.

،فَسَأَلَ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)عَنْ ذَلِكَ،فَقَالَ:«كَانَ سَبَبُ نُزُولِهَا وَ تَكْرَارِهَا أَنَّ قُرَيْشاً قَالَتْ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ(صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ):تَعْبُدُ آلِهَتَنَا سَنَةً،وَ نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ سَنَةً،وَ تَعْبُدُ آلِهَتَنَا سَنَةً، وَ نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ سَنَةً،فَأَجَابَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِمِثْلِ مَا قَالُوا،فَقَالَ فِيمَا قَالُوا:تَعْبُدُ آلِهَتَنَا سَنَةً: قُلْ يٰا أَيُّهَا الْكٰافِرُونَ* لاٰ أَعْبُدُ مٰا تَعْبُدُونَ ،وَ فِيمَا قَالُوا:نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ سَنَةً: وَ لاٰ أَنْتُمْ عٰابِدُونَ مٰا أَعْبُدُ وَ فِيمَا قَالُوا:تَعْبُدُ آلِهَتَنَا سَنَةً: وَ لاٰ أَنٰا عٰابِدٌ مٰا عَبَدْتُّمْ وَ فِيمَا قَالُوا:نَعْبُدْكَ إِلَهَكَ سَنَةً: وَ لاٰ أَنْتُمْ عٰابِدُونَ مٰا أَعْبُدُ* لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَ لِيَ دِينِ ».قَالَ:فَرَجَعَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ الْأَحْوَلُ إِلَى أَبِي شَاكِرٍ فَأَخْبَرَهُ بِذَلِكَ،فَقَالَ أَبُو شَاكِرٍ:هَذَا حَمَلَتْهُ الْإِبِلُ مِنَ الْحِجَازِ،وَ كَانَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ) إِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ قِرَاءَتِهَا يَقُولُ:«دِينِيَ الْإِسْلاَمُ»ثَلاَثاً.

So Abū Jaʿfar al-Aḥwal asked Abū ʿAbdillāh (peace be upon him) about that, and he said:

“The reason for its revelation and its repetition was that Quraysh said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): ‘Worship our gods for one year, and we will worship your God for one year. You worship our gods for one year, and we will worship your God for one year.’

So Allah answered them with words matching what they had said. Regarding their statement: ‘Worship our gods for one year’, Allah said: ‘Say: O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship.’

And regarding their statement: ‘We will worship your God for one year’, He said: ‘Nor do you worship Him Whom I worship.’

And again, in response to: ‘Worship our gods for one year’, He said: ‘Nor am I going to worship that which you worship.’

And again, in response to: ‘We will worship your God for one year’, He said: ‘Nor are you going to worship Him Whom I worship. To you your religion, and to me my religion.’”

So Abū Jaʿfar al-Aḥwal returned to Abū Shākir and informed him of that, and Abū Shākir said: “This is something the camels have carried from the Ḥijāz.”

And Abū ʿAbdillāh (peace be upon him), when he finished reciting this surah, used to say: “My religion is Islam” three times.

_1) -تفسير القمّيّ 2:445.

Page 781 in Arabic