The many shades of a Kafir

Photo by op23 on Unsplash

Islamic scholars use the arabic word ‘kafir’ for one devoid of religious beliefs, or an atheist who denies the existence of God. And the consequences of dying a Kafir is severe in the Quran — unless one repents and mends their ways.

But what most scholars fail to explain is that the word kafir is used in different ways in the Quran, the most fundamental being ‘ungrateful’ or ‘to be thankless’ or ‘ingratitude’.