Page 110 - Seekers Guide Book

Islam and the Quran
the contemporaries of the Prophet as kuffar that is, the
deniers. The use of the word kafir for anyone other than
the contemporaries of the Prophet is not permissible.

The most important point to be grasped on this subject
is that the word kafir denotes an individual rather than
a certain race or community. It is in no way a group
appellation. However, the generally held view is that one
who is not a Muslim is kafir. This is an entirely baseless
supposition. The word kafir is not synonymous with
non-Muslim or a non-Muslim community.

Being a kafir is a matter of the heart, which God alone
knows and therefore no person has any right to accuse
a fellow human as being kafir. Kafir was a term of
reference, restricted in place and time, and which is no
longer relevant today. Now all are equally human beings
and they have to be dealt with as human beings.

There is a relevant story in the life of the Prophet of Islam
that aptly illustrates this principle. The Prophet of Islam
migrated from Makkah to Madinah in 622 AD at which
time there were some Jewish tribes living in Madinah.
One day it happened that the Prophet of Islam, seated
at that time, saw a funeral procession passing through a
street in Madinah. On seeing the funeral, he stood up in
deference.

One of his Companions said, ‘O Prophet!
That was the funeral of a Jew, not a Muslim.’
The Prophet replied: ‘Was he not a human
being?’ (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 1312,
1313)

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