NOTE: The first part of the title of this research is verse 109:6 of the Qur’ān (Sūrat al-Kāfirūn; The Disbelievers). For those interested, here is some Qur’ān tafāsīr (exegesis) from classical mufassirūn (exegetes) on this particular verse:
Asbāb al-Nuzūl (Occasions of Revelation) al-Wāhidī:
(Say: O disbelievers! …) [109:1-6]. These verses was revealed about a group of people from the Quraysh who said to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace: “Come follow our religion and we will follow yours. You worship our idols for a year and we worship you Allah the following year. In this way, if what you have brought us is better than what we have, we would partake of it and take our share of goodness from it; and if what we have is better than what you have brought, you would partake of it and take your share of goodness from it”. He said: “Allah forbid that I associate anything with Him”, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Say: O disbelievers!) up to the end of the Surah. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then went to the Sacred Sanctuary, which was full of people, and recited to them the Surah. It was at that point that they despaired of him.
Tafsīr al-Tustarī:
(You have your religion and I have a religion). You have your choice (ikhtiyār) for your religion and I have my choice for a religion. Then [this verse] was abrogated by the verse of the sword [9:5]. His words, Exalted is He.
Tafsīr al-Jalālayn:
You have your religion, idolatry, and I have a religion’, Islam: this was [revealed] before he was commanded to wage war [against the idolaters] (all seven Qur’ānic readers omit the yā’ of the genitive possessive construction [in wa-liya dīni] whether with a pause or without; Ya‘qūb, however, retains it in both cases).
Tanwīr al-Miqbās min Tafsīr Ibn ‘Abbās:
(Unto you your religion) of disbelief and ascribing partners to Allah, (and unto me my religion) Islam and faith in Allah. The verses of fighting then abrogated this and the Prophet (pbuh) did fight them.’
Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr:
(To you be your religion.) means disbelief. (and to me my religion.) means, Islam. This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Qul ya Ayyuhal-Kafirun.
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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Abū Sa’d al ‘Āmilī — “For You Is Your Religion, And For Me Is My Religion- Neo-Islamists and Democracy”
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al-Ma’sadat Media Foundation presents new research from Abū Sa'd al 'Āmilī: "For You Is Your Religion, And For Me Is My Religion: Neo-Islamists and Democracy"
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