Home Quran Quran roots ك ف ر
525 times in the Quran · 13 word forms · rank 10
The Quran root ك ف ر k-f-r
Words built from the root ك ف ر ([k-f-r]) appear 525 times in the Quran. The most common is كَفَرَ, “disbelieve”, which comes 289 times. Learn the root once and you can recognise every word made from it.
Words from this root
| Word | Say it | Meaning | Times | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| كَفَرَ | kafara | disbelieve · disbelieved | 289 | |
| كافِر | kaafir | disbelievers · disbeliever | 156 | |
| كُفْر | kufr | disbelief · ungratefulness | 37 | |
| كَفَّرَ | kaffara | He will remove · remove | 14 | |
| كَفُور | kafuur | ungrateful · ungrateful one | 12 | |
| كَفّار | kaffaar | disbeliever · ungrateful | 5 | |
| كَفّارَة | kaffaara | expiation | 4 | |
| كُفُور | kufuur | disbelief | 3 | |
| كافِرَة | kaafira | disbelievers | 1 | |
| كُفْران | kufraan | rejected | 1 | |
| كَوافِر | kawaafir | disbelieving women | 1 | |
| كافُور | kaafuur | Kafur | 1 | |
| أَكْفَرَ | akfara | ungrateful is he | 1 |
Examples from the Quran
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٦
كَفَرُوا kafarū · disbelieve[d]
Indeed, those who disbelieve - it is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them - they will not believe. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:6)
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَّا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ ٢٦
كَفَرُوا kafarū · disbelieved
Indeed, Allāh is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allāh intend by this as an example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient, (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:26)
أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَاتٌ وَرَعْدٌ وَبَرْقٌ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِم مِّنَ الصَّوَاعِقِ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ وَاللَّهُ مُحِيطٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ ١٩
بِالْكَافِرِينَ bil-kāfirīna · the disbelievers
Or [it is] like a rainstorm from the sky within which is darkness, thunder and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps in dread of death. But Allāh is encompassing of the disbelievers. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:19)
وَقَالُوا قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلًا مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٨٨
بِكُفْرِهِمْ bikuf'rihim · for their disbelief
And they said, "Our hearts are wrapped." But, [in fact], Allāh has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is it that they believe. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:88)
إِن تُبْدُوا الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِيَ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاءَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ٢٧١
وَيُكَفِّرُ wayukaffiru · And He will remove
If you disclose your charitable expenditures, they are good; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and He will remove from you some of your misdeeds [thereby]. And Allāh, of what you do, is [fully] Aware. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:271)
وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ ٩
كَفُورٌ kafūrun · (and) ungrateful
And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We withdraw it from him, indeed, he is despairing and ungrateful. (Surah Hud, 11:9)
Surahs where it comes most
- Surah Al-Baqarah · 47×
- Surah Ali 'Imran · 43×
- Surah An-Nisa · 38×
- Surah Al-Ma'idah · 31×
- Surah At-Tawbah · 31×
- Surah Al-Anfal · 17×
Each meaning is taken from the word-by-word translation of the verses, so a word can show two meanings from different contexts. Root and base-word data come from the Quranic Arabic Corpus.