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Kafir in Islam: Misinterpretations and meanings

The Arabic word Kāfir (Kafir – كافر) means “unbeliever” and is one of the most misused words in Islam. Surprisingly, the original meaning is quite different.

Last updated: 2 weeks

The word “kafir” in Arabic and especially in Islam is a very strong word, but it is often misunderstood.

So let’s take a look at what the root word k-f-r (ك-ف-ر) means.

Sura 109 is named The Disbelievers – in Arabic: al-Kafirun (سُورة الْكافِرُون). The so-called “disbelievers” (unbelievers) are the enemies of the Muslims, and they will be punished heavily by Allah. (You may find additional information in this article.)

Sadly enough, some Muslims think that they are obliged to carry out Allah’s work in this life. Most victims are Christians living in Islamic countries, minorities like the Yazīdi people in Iraq and Syria, but also Shia Muslims living in Sunni-dominated countries.

They are all denounced as unbelievers.

The Arabic root k-f-r (كَفَرَ) is tricky

It helps us to get closer to the Islamic concept of disbe­lieve. Of this root, 17 forms occur 510 (!) times in the Qur’an. The root has several meanings, and most of them have to do with: to veil or to cover. It is an old Semitic root that is found in Hebrew as well, some say also in Nabataean.

Let us take a look at some examples of how the root is used:

He covered the sown seed with earth.كَفَرَ الْبَذْرَ الْمَبْذُورَ
The clouds covered the sky.كَفَرَ السُّحابُ السَّماءَ
A dark night. (“lail kafir” is a classical Arabic term.)كافِر
Mukaffar is the passive participle of كَفَّرَ and used to describe a bird covered with feathers.مُكَفَّر

Since its original meaning is to cover, the term Kāfir (كافِر), in pre-Is­lamic times, was also used to denote a sower or a tiller of the ground – because he covers the seed with earth.

This is important when Muslims want to fully understand the Qur’an. Sadly enough, many Muslims, also native Arabic speakers, think that the word Kāfir only means unbeliever, and therefore could misinterpret several verses in the Qur’an.

Let’s take a look at a verse of sura 57 The Iron – in Arabic: al-Hadīd (سُورة الْحَدِيد) – in which Kāfir does not mean unbeliever, but tiller/, sower – verse 57:20.

Bear in mind that the present life is just a game, a diversion, an attraction, a cause of boasting among you, of rivalry in wealth and children. It is like plants that spring up after the rain: their growth at first delights the sowers, but then you see them wither away, turn yellow, and become stubble. There is terrible punishment in the next life as well as forgiveness and approval from God; the life of this world is only an illusory pleasure.اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ.
Sura 57:20

The root can also express to be ungrateful, that someone is ungrate­ful for the benefits which he received. This too is found in the Qur’an. Let’s look at Sura 16 – in Arabic: al-Nahl (سُورة النَّحْل) – verse 16:72.

And it is God who has given you spouses from among yourselves and through them He has given you and grandchildren and provided you with good things. How can they believe in falsehood and deny God’s blessings?وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَزْوَاجِكُم بَنِينَ وَحَفَدَةً وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَتِ اللَّهِ هُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ
Sura 16:72

Forever “Kafir”

It seems the Arabic language has found its way onto an unlikely canvas: the arm of former Fox News host and current US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth decided to permanently ink himself with a bold Arabic inscription that reads (“Kafir”), which translates to unbeliever or infidel. He himself posted the images with the Arabic script on his official X account on 25th March 2025. Hegseth, as users pointed out, also appears to have the tattoo in another Instagram photo posted in July 2024.

A military personnel with short, curly hair raises both hands while wearing a tactical vest. He has visible tattoos on his arms, including text and designs. The image is set indoors with a yellow fabric ceiling overhead.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showing his “Kafir” tattoo.
Source: X account of Pete Hegseth

How can “to cover” mean “to disbelieve”?

The sentence he disbelieved in Allah (كَفَرَ بِاللّهِ) can be inter­preted as follows: Someone disbelieves because he conceals or covers the truth of Allah. Even in the Qur’an, a metaphorical meaning of to cover in the sense of to disbelieve is found.

It is a verse in sura 5 The Feast/The Table Spread – in Arabic: al-Mā’ida (سُورة الْمائِدة) – which talks about the Christians. Christians belong to the People of the Book – in Arabic: ‘Ahl al-Kitāb (أَهْل الْكِتاب). Muslims use this term for Jews and Christi­ans. From an Islamic perspective, Christians literally cover the knowledge that a prophet (= Muhammad) will come after .

Let’s look at the verse (Sura 5:17).

Those who say, ‘God is the Messiah, the son of ‘, are defying the truth (= have disbe­lieved).لَّقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ
Sura 5:17

Other meanings of kafr and kafir

  • The Arabic word Kafr (كَفْر) can also mean village. It is a Syr­ian word and mostly used in Syria and Egypt.
  • The English word Kaffir has Arabic roots. Kaffir (Kaffer in Afrikaans) is an insulting term for a black African used in South Africa. The history of this word most probably goes back to the Islamic conquest of East Africa.
  • Some native peoples there believed in several gods, and therefore the Muslims called them Kāfir. Eng­lish missionaries picked it up to denounce the Bantu people in South Africa. This happened possibly in the middle of the 18th century. Later, the expression was generally used in English and Dutch (Afrikaans) for South African blacks. It is a racist term.

A lone figure in a red jacket stands facing away from the viewer, surrounded by a crowd of indistinct people in dark clothing, shrouded in mist, creating a somber and eerie atmosphere.

What is the plural of كافِر?

There are many options to form the plural of kafir (كافر) which is unbeliever in Islam. The most common are Kuffār and Kāfirūn. Do they mean the same?

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Rob
Rob
1 year ago

Thanks Gerald for the information on K-f-r.

What about Takfir / Takfiri? How does this relate to the root, and is its usage modern or can it also be traced back to earlier texts?

Thanks!

ElJama
ElJama
5 years ago

The history of this word most probably goes back to the Islamic conquest of East Africa

As an East African, the lack of proof for this is offensive.

Oh and also, terrorism has no place in Islam whatsoever.

Have a nice day.

N. Schist
N. Schist
7 years ago

It is all well and nice to discuss the linguistic/etymological implications of Arabic, but please don’t forget that when it occurs in Islam, Arabic words come with legal/jurisprudential meanings and connotations that are NOT equivalent to their linguistic uses.

Kaafir means “unbeliever”/”disbeliever”, i.e. non-Muslim, in clear-cut Islamic legal terms. Whether it’s insulting/oppressive depends on the situation/culture/etc. Though, it’s usually used to speak in general terms, not at a particular person or people. You’ll find that most Muslims don’t generally call non-Muslims “kaafir”/kuffaar” unless it’s someone they hate for good reason (like Trump lol)

Extremists bombing innocent people while calling them kuffaar is another problem altogether. It’s not a problem of the word or its usage in Islamic jurisprudence. It’s them interpreting our sacred texts wrong, to their own whims, reading only half of the texts (the Qur’an DOES repeatedly call for fighting against “unbelievers” but it also reiterates not transgressing the limits AND commands us to deal justly and with kindness with non-Muslims who don’t oppress us; funny how extremists don’t read these verses and ignore Prophetic instructions NOT TO HARM non-combatants), and cherrypicking which scholars’ words they’ll use to justify their atrocities.

عبد الله يونس الدنماركي
عبد الله يونس الدنماركي
7 years ago
Reply to  N. Schist

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته.
thank you for this additional information about how “kafir” is understood islamically and liguistically. Despite my great love for language and particularly Arabic, then their is no doubt – as you clarified – that Islamic law is what is important. Linguistics fades away in importance compared to the greatness of Islamic law because it is the injunctions set by Allah whereas language is just a tool.
الله أعلم

Pablo Tornielli
Pablo Tornielli
7 years ago

In Spanish we also have the term “cafre”. According to the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language:

“cafre.- From Portuguese “cáfer” and this one from classical Arabic “kāfir” = Pagan.
1. Inhabitant of “Cafrería”, an old English colony in South Africa.
2. Relative to Cafrería or its inhabitants.
3. Barbarian and cruel.
4. Silly and primitive.”

Yusuf Rowland
Yusuf Rowland
8 years ago

I have heard that kufr has the meaning of covering over the truth. I was wondering how that squares with the following ayat:

(لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ ۖ قَدْ تَبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ ۚ فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انْفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ)
[Surat Al-Baqarah 256]

via @QuranAndroid

abu zahraa
abu zahraa
7 years ago
Reply to  Yusuf Rowland

Whoever rejected/disobeyed Thaghut they believe in Allah….it is used in a linguistic meaning of kafir.

For me the lowest meaning of kafir is “lain syakartum laazidannakum, walain kafartum inna azabi lasyadidi”

The highest meaning of kafir is “aba was tak bar waka na minal kafirin”.

Al syirk/associatisnism is one of the form’s of being Kafir.

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