First we shall take the word Kufr, the root of it is ("K-F-R" pronounced as KAFARA). It basically means to deny something, disobey someone, to hide or reject the truth. The words like Kufr, Iman, Islam, Shirk signify the attitude, ideas, approach, style, action, reaction or the state of mind and certainly not the caste, creed, gender, color or race of a person. It follows then that even a Muslim will be acting as a Kafir if he does contrary to what ALLAH has commanded. Thus many of the verses in the Holy Book warn the Muslims not to behave like Kafirs. Even some verses describe that a Muslim may at times become a Kafir if he does not act according to the orders of ALLAH and HIS Messenger.

So the Qur’an decrees in the end of the Verse 5/5: “……….. and whoever will disobey orders (Yakfur) side by side he is in faith (Bil-Eimane), in vain will be all his deeds, for in the life to come he shall be among the lost.” And furthermore in the end of the Verse 3/167: also contains the same rationale:”….. on that day they were closure to Kufr rather than to Eimaan …” The same argument continues in another verse: “…. Have you done Kufr after your Eimaan?...” (Chapter 3 verse 106) There are many more such statements in the Qur’an. We have referred here only a few.

These verses make it amply clear that the Deen (religion) of Allah is not the exclusive property of any caste, tribe, nation or race; it is a universal religion. Any one can enter it any time. And for every Muslim there is always an imminent danger that he may get out of the fold even without ever realizing it. So let it be known to all human beings, including Muslims that Kufr is a state of disobedience that even a Muslim can be in. We are quoting the verse in full to make it clear to the Muslims. It is Chapter 3 Verse 106:

"On the Day of Judgment, when some faces will shine with happiness and some faces will be dark with grief. As for those with faces darkened, they will be asked: ‘Did you do Kufr (disobedience) after your Eimaan (faith) ? So taste this suffering of your disobedience."

(From Holy Qur'an 3/106)

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It is evident from these references that even a person who regards himself as Muslim may be in a state of Kufr. Kufr is the state of mind, style, approach, attitude etc. The Muslims out of ignorance call the non-Muslims as Kafirs (disbelievers) and regard themselves as Momin (believer). Bur their Lord declares that in spite of being born in a Muslim family, one can be a Kafir by his ignoble acts and deeds, unless he accepts the universal truths and upholds noble human values in his day-to-day life. One has to prove the strength of his Eimaan (faith) by a complete submission to the will of his LORD. The Qur’an does not approve the concept of religion by birth. A man who is born in this world is first a human being. It is unfair to declare a child, a Muslim or non-Muslim by birth. It is against the spirit of the Qur’an as well as the teachings of Prophet Mohammed. There are only three religions in the world that believe in religion-by-birth. They are Hinduism, Zionism and Zoroastrianism. Islam keeps its door open for all every time. And it has exit points also. It is a conscious submission to the Divine Law and living a life of high moral standards in accordance with the commandments and the practice of the Prophet. It is also evident in the history of Muslim rulers that they many times misused these terms for their political gains.

Let us finally conclude that in the Holy Qur’an, terms like Kufr or Kafir do not necessarily refer to the Hindus or any non-Muslim group. Nor the word Kufr has anything to do with the caste, color, language, nation, tribe and religion of a person or group of persons.

Q.1-C. The Qur’an at several places provokes the Muslims to fight against the infidel and polytheist and shed their blood. Doesn’t such provocation become more destructive when the word ‘infidel’ (Kafir) becomes a synonym for the word ‘Hindu’? Is it not a theoretical and practical onslaught upon peace and order?

Analysis 1-C: This is the first question in which it is alleged that the Qur’an repeatedly provokes upon killing Kafirs. The objection is categorical but without any reference to any Chapter or Verse! We do not discharge the question on this basis and assume that the Qur’anic war-time injunctions to the soldiers or the commanders of the armies are misunderstood as injunctions to general citizens. Now let us consider the following points here.

We are well aware that battles or war never take place without a strong motivating cause. And when there is a war, it involves armies from both the sides. The vehemence with which the Qur’an heavily condemns blood shed, killing anybody without genuine lawful reasons, rioting and creating chaotic conditions in land is hardly found in other religious scriptures. What the Qur’an says about such heinous crimes is mentioned below: (Chapter 5 Verse 32)