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Fatwa CenterMeaning of Kaafir and Munaafiq
Question
What is the meaning of kaafir and Munaafiq in English?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
“Kaafir” is an Arabic word that linguistically means the one who hides something and covers it. This is why “the night” is called “Kaafir” because it hides things. The farmer is also called “Kaafir” because he covers the grains in the land. Allah Says (what means): {…whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers.} [Quran 57: 20] [In the verse the Arabic word used for tillers is Kufaar –which is the plural of kaafir]
But in Islamic terminology, “Kaafir” means the one who doesn’t believe in Allah or who believes in Allah but denies some of what Allah has ordered him to believe in, such as disbelieving in any of the Prophets, denying the resurrection or the like and has declared his disbelief.
As for the “Munaafiq” (hypocrite), he is the one who shows belief and hides Kufr (disbelief). He was given this name of Munaafiq because his action is like the one of the jerboa which enters its burrow from one side and gets out of it from another side. So, the Munaafiq has entered Islam through one door and has got out of it from another door.
This special meaning of “Munaafiq” –which is the one who shows belief and hides disbelief –was not known to the Arabs (before Islam) even though its root is known in Arabic.
Allah knows best.
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