Al-Bayyinah · Madani · ayah 6 of 8

Al-Bayyinah 98:6

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ ٱلْبَرِيَّةِ

“Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein. Those are the worst of creatures.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The gravest fall belongs to those who saw the truth clearly and covered it anyway, and the warning is aimed most sharply at anyone who knows.

A reflection

Does this condemn every Jew and Christian?

A sixth-former sees a screenshot of this ayah in a group chat. The caption says: 'This is what Muslims really think of you.' Her best friend since primary school is a Christian. She reads 'worst of creatures' and feels sick.

The objection deserves a straight answer. Read on its own, the ayah can sound as though every Jew, Christian and non-Muslim is being called the worst of all created beings.

Context first. The surah began with people who were waiting for a clear proof, and who split apart when it came (98:1–4). This ayah completes that story. It speaks of alladhīna kafarū, those who covered over the truth after it had stood clear in front of them. The root of kufr pictures a farmer burying seed under the soil: covering something so that it can no longer be seen. The sources stress the knowing. One commentator notes that the People of the Book are described with a verb, 'those who disbelieved', as an event after the Messenger came. Before that, they believed in their scriptures and expected him.

Second, the sources limit the ayah. Anyone who turns and believes is outside it. Some read 'worst of creatures' as referring to those of that time, as the Quran elsewhere says the Children of Israel were preferred 'over the worlds' (2:47), meaning the people of their age. And the word min, 'from among', appears again, as in 98:1.

Third, the Quran itself sets the conduct it expects towards those of other faiths who do not fight us: 'Allah does not forbid you from being kind to them and dealing justly with them' (60:8). No reading of this ayah licenses contempt for a neighbour, a colleague or a friend.

What remains open is the fate of any particular individual. That belongs to Allah, who knows who truly saw the proof and who never did. The sixth-former is not asked to pronounce on her friend. She is asked to be honest, kind and just, and to leave the final verdict to the only One who can see a heart.

The full entry has 4 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.