Qur’anic Root K F Y

1. Basic meaning and usage in early Arabic

Being enough and undertaking a task

Arabic lexical sources record كَفَى الشَّيْءُ as meaning that something suffices for a particular need. كَفَاكَ هَذَا means “this is enough for you”: in that respect, you need nothing more.

Another recorded meaning of kafā is closely related: قَامَ بِالأَمْرِ, undertaking a task or carrying it out. In كَفَاهُ الأَمْرَ, someone handles another person’s task, either doing it for them or sparing them the need to become involved.

These uses express two sides of a relationship. Sometimes a thing itself is enough for a person’s need; sometimes a person or other agent lifts a burden from someone else. In both cases, what was necessary has been supplied or accomplished to the extent required.

Sufficiency does not mean unlimited abundance. A small quantity of food may satisfy hunger without meeting a different need. Someone may also handle one task but need assistance with another. Being sufficient is always understood in relation to the need or task at issue.

Sufficiency in pre-Islamic poetry

A line attributed to the pre-Islamic poet Imruʾ al-Qays reads:

«فَلَوْ أَنَّمَا أَسْعَى لِأَدْنَى مَعِيشَةٍ
كَفَانِي وَلَمْ أَطْلُبْ قَلِيلٌ مِنَ الْمَالِ»

“If I were striving only for a modest livelihood, a little money would suffice me, and I would seek nothing more.”

The next line makes clear that the poet seeks more than a livelihood: he pursues deeply rooted, established glory. Kafānī here concerns a little money’s sufficiency for a limited purpose, without suggesting that this amount is his actual ultimate ambition.

The line is also well known in Arabic grammatical scholarship. The two verbs كَفَانِي and لَمْ أَطْلُبْ accompany قَلِيلٌ مِنَ الْمَالِ, and grammarians discuss their relationship. In the familiar analysis, qalīlun is the subject of kafānī: “a little money” is what would suffice the speaker. The attached pronoun -nī identifies the person for whom it would suffice.

The line’s lexical significance lies in this distinction: a little money may suffice for one purpose without satisfying every human aspiration. Sufficiency in this use is measured against the need.

Kufyah and the necessities of life

Arabic lexicons record كُفْيَة (kufyah) for what suffices as a livelihood, and also for sustenance. Another account describes it as less than the amount required for sustenance. The word illustrates the root’s use for life’s necessities, but lexical accounts do not agree on the quantity it denotes.

The root’s meaning is not restricted to food and money. The sufficiency of evidence, carrying out someone else’s task, and removing danger belong to the same semantic field. Kufyah is a tangible example of sufficiency, not the established historical origin of all these meanings.

The Qur’an itself does not use this root directly for quantities of food, provision, or the support of a livelihood. Most occurrences concern witnessing, reckoning, reliance, aid, dealing with opposition, and sufficient evidence.

The difference between the livelihood example in early poetry and lexical accounts and the Qur’anic uses deserves attention. By itself, however, it does not establish that the Qur’an transferred the root’s meaning from livelihood to other domains. The limited evidence does not allow a definite historical sequence for the emergence of these uses.

2. Verb constructions and Qur’anic forms

Kafā appears in several Qur’anic constructions. Understanding them helps identify who or what suffices, for whom it suffices, and which need or task is addressed.

In يَكْفِيَكُمْ (Āl ʿImrān 3:124) and يَكْفِهِمْ (Al-ʿAnkabūt 29:51), the attached pronoun identifies those for whom something suffices. Each sentence specifies what is sufficient: divine reinforcement in the first, and the Book sent down in the second.

In فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ (Al-Baqarah 2:137), كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ (Al-Ḥijr 15:95), and كَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ (Al-Aḥzāb 33:25), the verb takes two objects. One identifies the beneficiary; the other identifies the opposing party or task from confronting or undertaking which The God spares that person.

كَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا has a different structure. In the common grammatical analysis, the preposition bāʾ in بِاللَّهِ is added for emphasis, while Allāh functions as the subject of kafā. Shahīdan is commonly analyzed as a specifying accusative, or tamyīz; a circumstantial accusative, or ḥāl, has also been proposed. The sentence means that The God suffices in the capacity of witness.

The same construction occurs with pronouns and other nouns, as in كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ and كَفَىٰ بِجَهَنَّمَ. Bāʾ in such expressions should therefore not automatically be translated as indicating a means or instrument.

Fussilat 41:53 also has أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ. Here the verb is imperfect, and birabbika functions as its subject in the familiar analysis. All Qur’anic uses of this root cannot therefore be assigned one fixed construction with a direct object.

These grammatical differences do not change the basic meaning, but show how sufficiency is expressed in a sentence.

Sufficiency expressed through a question

A notable pattern appears among the imperfect forms. Apart from fasayakfīkahumu in Al-Baqarah 2:137, a promise concerning the future, the other three occur in rhetorical questions: أَلَنْ يَكْفِيَكُمْ in Āl ʿImrān 3:124, أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ in Al-ʿAnkabūt 29:51, and أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ in Fussilat 41:53.

The active participle bikāfin likewise occurs in the question أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ in Al-Zumar 39:36.

These questions emphasize sufficiency. In one setting, the hearers look for further aid; in another, they request another sign; elsewhere, opponents challenge divine sufficiency by trying to frighten the Prophet with those other than The God.

In several settings, then, the Qur’an presents sufficiency in the face of doubt or demands for more. This does not establish an absolute rule for the imperfect verb’s meaning. The questioning and rhetorical force comes from the entire construction, not the verb’s tense alone.

3. Sufficiency in the face of opposition, danger, and the need for aid

Fasayakfīkahumu Allāh: sufficiency against opponents

Al-Baqarah 2:137 states:

«فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا وَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ»

“If they believe in the like of what you believe in, they have found guidance. If they turn away, they are in opposition and division. The God will suffice you against them; He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:137)

This follows the instruction قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ in the preceding verse. The hearers are first asked to declare their belief and make no distinction between what was sent down to the Prophets. The God’s sufficiency is then stated regarding those who turn away.

Fasayakfīkahumu means that The God will suffice the addressee against them. The verb alone does not specify how this sufficiency will operate. The root itself does not tell us how opposition becomes ineffective or what happens to the opponents.

Al-Ḥijr 15:94, 15:95 likewise connects carrying out a command with The God’s sufficiency:

«فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ۝ إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ»

“Proclaim openly what you are commanded, and turn away from those who associate partners. We have indeed sufficed you against the mockers.”

(Al-Ḥijr 15:94, 15:95)

The first command concerns openly conveying the message; the next verse states The God’s sufficiency against the mockers. Sufficiency in this setting does not replace the Prophet’s responsibility. The message is to be conveyed, and others’ opposition is not to prevent its delivery.

These verses establish a clear relationship: the divine command remains, and The God’s sufficiency supports carrying it out. Their association does not establish that every occurrence of sufficiency necessarily entails this temporal order or a reward relationship.

Kafā Allāhu al-muʾminīna al-qitāl: sparing the believers fighting

Al-Aḥzāb 33:25 states:

«وَرَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنَالُوا خَيْرًا وَكَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزًا»

“The God turned back those who committed kufr in their rage, having attained no good; The God spared the believers the need to fight. The God is Strong, Invincible.”

(Al-Aḥzāb 33:25)

This is one of the clearest practical uses of the root. The God spared the believers the need to fight: in that event, the need to continue the armed confrontation no longer remained.

Allāh is the subject, al-muʾminīn identifies the beneficiaries, and al-qitāl is the task whose necessity was removed.

This differs from the simple sufficiency of an amount of money, but the shared core is clear: a previously existing need no longer remains.

Sufficiency here does not mean increasing the ability to fight; it means removing the necessity of fighting. The verb together with al-qitāl and the context of the opponents’ withdrawal makes this outcome clear.

Sufficient reinforcement and the scale of the need

Āl ʿImrān 3:124 states:

«إِذْ تَقُولُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَلَنْ يَكْفِيَكُمْ أَنْ يُمِدَّكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِثَلَاثَةِ آلَافٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُنْزَلِينَ»

“When you said to the believers: Will it not suffice you that your Lord reinforces you with three thousand angels sent down?”

(Āl ʿImrān 3:124)

The following verse answers affirmatively with balā and speaks of reinforcement with five thousand angels, conditional on patience, taqwa, and the other stated circumstances. Verse 126 then states:

«وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَىٰ لَكُمْ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُكُمْ بِهِ وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ»

“The God made it only good news for you and reassurance for your hearts. Victory comes only from The God, the Invincible, the Wise.”

(Āl ʿImrān 3:126)

In these three verses, sufficiency relates to the amount of reinforcement and the hearers’ circumstances. The question in verse 124 raises the sufficiency of three thousand angels; the next verse describes further reinforcement under particular conditions.

Something’s sufficiency does not mean that nothing more can be given. It may meet the existing need, while greater assistance is supplied in another situation. Sufficiency and abundance are distinct concepts.

Verse 126 connects the reinforcement with good news and reassurance of the heart, and locates victory with The God. The passage’s outcome should therefore not be restricted to a numerical calculation of forces.

This example shows that Qur’anic sufficiency can concern both meeting a practical need and reassuring the hearers. Neither is the root’s exclusive meaning.

4. Kafā bi-Allāh: witnessing, reckoning, aid, and handling affairs

Of the root’s 33 Qur’anic occurrences, 26 use the perfect verb in the construction كَفَىٰ بِـ.... Most concern The God, alongside descriptions such as شَهِيدًا (witness), وَكِيلًا (disposer of affairs), حَسِيبًا (reckoner), نَصِيرًا (helper), هَادِيًا (guide), عَلِيمًا (knowing), and خَبِيرًا (fully aware). One imperfect occurrence, أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ in Fussilat 41:53, also uses bāʾ. Including it brings the total for this verbal construction to 27.

This repetition shows the Qur’an using a recognized linguistic construction to emphasize sufficiency. The accompanying description specifies the capacity in which The God is sufficient. Witnessing, reckoning, guardianship, aid, and awareness are different meanings; what they share is sufficiency in the respective capacity.

Kafā bi-Allāhi shahīdan: The God’s testimony suffices

Al-Nisāʾ 4:79 states:

«وَأَرْسَلْنَاكَ لِلنَّاسِ رَسُولًا وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا»

“We sent you to humankind as a Messenger; The God’s testimony suffices.”

(Al-Nisāʾ 4:79; end of the verse)

Kafā bi-Allāhi shahīdan and closely related forms occur eight times in the Qur’an. Some passages concern The God’s witness to messengership and the truth of the message; others concern witnessing between two parties in disagreement.

For example, Al-Raʿd 13:43 states:

«قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَمَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ»

“Say: The God suffices as a witness between me and you, as does the one who possesses knowledge of the Book.”

(Al-Raʿd 13:43; part of the verse)

Baynī wa-baynakum, “between me and you,” identifies the setting for testimony: disagreement between the Prophet and his opponents. وَمَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ appears alongside The God’s witness. Its referent is disputed in interpretation, but the construction emphasizes The God’s witness in that setting.

Al-Nisāʾ 4:166, meanwhile, states:

«لَٰكِنِ اللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ إِلَيْكَ أَنْزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يَشْهَدُونَ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا»

“But The God bears witness to what He sent down to you; He sent it down with His knowledge. The angels also bear witness, and The God’s testimony suffices.”

(Al-Nisāʾ 4:166)

This verse helps establish the limits of sufficiency’s meaning. It first states The God’s witness and that of the angels, then says The God’s witness suffices. The sufficiency of His testimony does not deny the existence of others’ testimony.

In Yūnus 10:28, 10:29, the expression even appears in the speech of partners whom the associators worshipped. After separation from their worshippers, they say:

«فَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ إِنْ كُنَّا عَنْ عِبَادَتِكُمْ لَغَافِلِينَ»

“The God suffices as a witness between us and you: we were indeed unaware of your worship.”

(Yūnus 10:29)

Here, kafā bi-Allāhi shahīdan is not direct speech by the Prophet or a command from The God to the believers. It belongs to speech the Qur’an attributes to those partners.

The difference does not change sufficiency’s lexical meaning, but the speaker’s identity matters for understanding the entire verse. The God’s sufficient testimony is invoked in different settings; each occurrence should be interpreted with attention to speaker and addressee.

Five of the eight occurrences with shahīdan include baynī wa-baynakum, “between me and you,” or a closely related expression. The God’s witness in this group thus repeatedly concerns disagreement and judgment between two parties, although not every occurrence is restricted to that setting.

The God’s sufficiency and the responsibility to obtain witnesses

In its discussion of returning orphans’ property to its owners, Al-Nisāʾ 4:6 states:

«فَإِذَا دَفَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فَأَشْهِدُوا عَلَيْهِمْ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ حَسِيبًا»

“When you hand over their property to them, obtain witnesses concerning them. The God suffices for reckoning.”

(Al-Nisāʾ 4:6; part of the verse)

The verse first commands obtaining witnesses when the property is handed over, then states The God’s sufficiency in reckoning. If His sufficiency meant dispensing with all human witnesses, the preceding instruction would lose its meaning.

Human responsibility for respecting rights and establishing proper performance of the task stands alongside divine reckoning. The God’s sufficiency in reckoning does not replace compliance with instructions concerning witnesses.

Al-Aḥzāb 33:39 also has وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ حَسِيبًا, but concerns conveying The God’s messages and fearing none besides Him. Ḥasīb relates to reckoning in both verses, while the responsibilities raised by their contexts differ.

After describing the setting up of just balances on the Day of Resurrection, Al-Anbiyāʾ 21:47 states:

«وَإِنْ كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ»

“Even if it is the weight of a mustard seed, We shall bring it forth; We suffice for reckoning.”

(Al-Anbiyāʾ 21:47; part of the verse)

Ḥāsibīn identifies the role of reckoning, and sufficiency relates to that role. The precision of the account is conveyed by the mustard-seed expression and the verse’s context, rather than by the root K F Y itself.

The words’ different contributions matter: kafā expresses sufficiency, while ḥasīb or ḥāsib specifies what it concerns.

Kafā bi-Allāhi wakīlan: reliance and fulfilling responsibilities

Al-Aḥzāb 33:3 states:

«وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا»

“Rely upon The God; The God suffices as disposer of affairs.”

(Al-Aḥzāb 33:3; the complete verse)

Tawakkal and wakīlan belong to W K L and concern entrusting affairs and relying upon someone. Kafā expresses The God’s sufficiency in that capacity.

In Al-Nisāʾ 4:81, the instruction فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ precedes وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا. Al-Aḥzāb 33:48 likewise ends with that expression after commands not to obey those who commit kufr and the hypocrites, to disregard their harm, and to rely upon The God.

Reliance here accompanies practical commands. The addressee must act or refrain from acting, with The God’s sufficiency as disposer of affairs then stated.

Divine sufficiency in these settings does not replace action and responsibility. Nor should reliance be reduced to abandoning deliberation or leaving duties unfulfilled.

This use is close to the early meaning of كَفَاهُ الأَمْرَ: someone who suffices another in carrying out a task. Yet entrusting affairs and sufficiency are not exact synonyms. One concerns delegation and reliance; the other concerns adequacy in performance.

Sufficiency in guardianship, aid, and guidance

Al-Nisāʾ 4:45 states:

«وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِأَعْدَائِكُمْ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ نَصِيرًا»

“The God knows your enemies best. The God’s guardianship suffices, and His aid suffices.”

(Al-Nisāʾ 4:45)

Waliyyan and naṣīran are different descriptions. The first concerns closeness, guardianship, and support; the second concerns giving aid. Kafā in each clause expresses The God’s sufficiency in the corresponding capacity.

Al-Furqān 25:31 also states:

«وَكَفَىٰ بِرَبِّكَ هَادِيًا وَنَصِيرًا»

“Your Lord’s guidance and aid suffice.”

(Al-Furqān 25:31; end of the verse)

Here, guidance and aid accompany one verb of sufficiency. K F Y itself therefore means neither guidance nor aid; it states that the one fulfilling those roles is sufficient for them.

Elsewhere, descriptions such as عَلِيمًا, خَبِيرًا, and بَصِيرًا also occur in this construction, including Al-Nisāʾ 4:70, Al-Isrāʾ 17:17, and Al-Furqān 25:58. Sufficiency in these passages concerns awareness and knowledge.

Kafā bi-Allāh thus does not have one fixed outcome throughout the Qur’an. The God’s witness, reckoning, aid, and awareness suffice, each with its own clear meaning in context.

5. Sufficient evidence, self-reckoning, and negative uses

The Book: a sufficient sign

Al-ʿAnkabūt 29:51 states:

«أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ»

“Does it not suffice them that We have sent down to you the Book, which is recited to them? In that there is indeed mercy and a reminder for people who believe.”

(Al-ʿAnkabūt 29:51)

The preceding verse concerns people requesting other signs. The Qur’an responds by asking whether the Book sent down and recited to them is not sufficient.

Sufficiency here concerns evidence and a sign, rather than food, money, or military power. The sentence itself makes clear what is deemed enough for the hearers.

The verse does not establish a claim that the Qur’an suffices for every material human need or all human fields of knowledge. The question concerns the Book’s sufficiency in response to requests for other signs.

Fussilat 41:53 also states:

«سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ»

“We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. Does your Lord not suffice, being a witness over everything?”

(Fussilat 41:53)

The showing of signs in the horizons and within human beings accompanies The God’s witnessing. The sufficiency of His witness does not deny those signs: the verse itself speaks of their becoming manifest.

In both verses, sufficiency concerns recognition and establishing truth. Yakfi itself, however, does not mean knowledge, proof, or a sign. The complete construction identifies these subjects.

Kafā binafsika: facing one’s own account

Al-Isrāʾ 17:14 states:

«اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا»

“Read your book. Today you yourself suffice to reckon against yourself.”

(Al-Isrāʾ 17:14)

The person is described as sufficient to reckon with their own account. The context concerns the disclosure of the record and confronting one’s own deeds.

This use should be read alongside وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ in Al-Anbiyāʾ 21:47. One verse describes The God as sufficient for reckoning; the other describes a person as sufficient to face their own account.

These clauses do not occupy the same position. One concerns divine reckoning; the other places the person before their own record. A person’s sufficiency for their account does not establish that they are the final judge independently of The God.

The verse also shows that Qur’anic K F Y is not used exclusively to express The God’s power or sufficiency.

Kafā bihi ithman mubīnan: enough to establish manifest sin

Al-Nisāʾ 4:50 states:

«انْظُرْ كَيْفَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَكَفَىٰ بِهِ إِثْمًا مُبِينًا»

“Look how they fabricate lies against The God. That alone suffices as a manifest sin.”

(Al-Nisāʾ 4:50)

The pronoun in bihi refers to the act of fabricating lies against The God. The verse says this act suffices to make their sin manifest.

Kafā here does not mean support, rescue, or protection. Sin is conveyed by ithman mubīnan; the verb emphasizes that the act itself is sufficient for this judgment.

Kafā bi-Jahannama saʿīran

Al-Nisāʾ 4:55 states:

«فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ صَدَّ عَنْهُ وَكَفَىٰ بِجَهَنَّمَ سَعِيرًا»

“Some of them believed in it, and some turned away from it. Hell suffices as a blazing fire.”

(Al-Nisāʾ 4:55)

Here too, kafā itself does not mean punishment or burning. Hell and the description saʿīran establish what the sufficiency concerns.

These verses prevent defining K F Y exclusively through aid, mercy, or protection. Sufficiency can also be predicated of something unwelcome: the basic meaning is being enough, not the goodness of its subject.

6. Bikāfin ʿabdahu: a divine description and a recitation variant

Al-Zumar 39:36 states:

«أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ»

“Is The God not sufficient for His servant? They frighten you with those besides Him. Whoever The God leads astray has no guide.”

(Al-Zumar 39:36)

Kāfin is the root’s only active participle in the Qur’an. It is formed from kafā and describes The God in this verse.

The active participle follows the pattern فَاعِل and is a noun with a final weak yāʾ: كَافِي (kāfī). When indefinite and nominative or genitive, its final yāʾ is omitted, producing كَافٍ (kāfin); the accusative form is كَافِيًا (kāfiyan). In this verse, bāʾ is added after laysa to emphasize negation. Kāfin is the predicate of laysa, genitive in its outward form but accusative in its grammatical position. This bāʾ therefore has a different role from the one marking the subject in kafā bi-Allāh. The active participle here also governs an object as its verb does: ʿabdahu is its object.

The actual Qur’anic form is thus bikāfin, not al-kāfī. That distinction must be preserved when quoting the verse. The indefinite form does not mean sufficiency fails to describe The God here: the verse explicitly asks whether He is not sufficient for His servant.

In the recitation transmitted by Ḥafṣ, عَبْدَهُ (ʿabdahu) is singular. Abū Jaʿfar, Ḥamzah, al-Kisāʾī, and Khalaf the tenth read the plural عِبَادَهُ (ʿibādahu).

The singular reading speaks of The God’s servant and connects clearly with the verse’s continued direct address to the Prophet. The plural reading extends the expression to His servants. The difference affects the number of those for whom sufficiency is stated, without changing kāfin’s meaning.

The God’s sufficiency against threats invoking others

The subject of the verse matters. Immediately after أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ comes وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ. Opponents try to frighten the addressee with powers other than The God.

In the next two verses, the Qur’an speaks of The God’s power concerning harm and mercy. Al-Zumar 39:38 ends:

«قُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ يَتَوَكَّلُ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ»

“Say: The God suffices me. Upon Him those who rely place their reliance.”

(Al-Zumar 39:38; end of the verse)

Kāfin, ḥasbī, and yatawakkalu belong to one flow of discourse in these three verses. The God’s sufficiency is raised first; the threats invoking others and the inability of other gods to counter His will follow; the passage concludes with reliance upon Him.

This continuity connects sufficiency in the passage with trust and refusing to fear the claimed powers of those besides The God. Kāfin and ḥasbī nevertheless belong to different roots, while tawakkala also has its own distinct meaning.

The question “Is The God not sufficient for His servant?” does not establish an unlimited promise that every personal wish will be fulfilled at every moment in precisely the way expected. The verse addresses attempts to frighten the addressee with those besides The God.

Nor should His sufficiency be restricted to an inward sense of calm. In passages such as Al-Aḥzāb 33:25, it has a practical outcome. The kind of sufficiency must be understood separately in each context.

7. Related roots and translation recommendations

K F Y (kafā) and Ḥ S B (ḥasb)

Ḥasb in some uses concerns being enough or sufficient. حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ in Al-Zumar 39:38 is close in meaning to أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ in Al-Zumar 39:36.

The Ḥ S B family also has other uses, including counting, reckoning, and, in some constructions, supposition or belief. The two roots’ derivatives cannot all be substituted for one another.

Their negative uses also make a useful comparison. Al-Nisāʾ 4:55 has وَكَفَىٰ بِجَهَنَّمَ سَعِيرًا, while Al-Baqarah 2:206 states:

«فَحَسْبُهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَلَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ»

“Hell suffices him; what an evil resting place!”

(Al-Baqarah 2:206; end of the verse)

The expression حَسْبُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ also appears in Al-Tawbah 9:68, with a closely related expression in Al-Mujādilah 58:8. Being enough, when said of Hell, is therefore not exclusive to K F Y.

Al-Nabaʾ 78:36 also contains عَطَاءً حِسَابًا. Lexical sources record sufficient and abundant giving as a meaning of ḥisāban there, although other interpretations exist. This use indicates semantic proximity between ḥasb and sufficiency, without removing reckoning from forms such as ḥasīban and ḥāsibīn in passages concerning an account.

K F Y (kafā) and GH N Y (ghaniya)

Ghinā concerns freedom from need, but being free of need and being sufficient are not identical meanings.

Someone may possess abundant wealth without being adequate for a particular task. Conversely, a little money may suffice for another person’s need.

In divine usage, ghinā emphasizes The God’s freedom from need, while kāfin or kafā bi-Allāh concerns His sufficiency for servants or in a particular matter. The descriptions may have related outcomes, but the direction of the relationship differs.

K F Y (kafā) and W K L (wakala)

Wakīl concerns entrusting affairs, reliance, and undertaking them. Kāfī describes someone or something sufficient to perform a task or meet a need.

These meanings come together in وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا: The God is sufficient in the capacity of wakīl. Sufficiency itself does not mean entrusting affairs, nor does being an entrusted agent necessarily establish adequacy for every task.

K F Y (kafā) and K F L (kafala)

Kafālah concerns undertaking responsibility, guardianship, and guarantee. Āl ʿImrān 3:44 states concerning Mary’s guardianship:

«أَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ»

“Which of them would undertake Mary’s guardianship?”

(Āl ʿImrān 3:44; part of the verse)

Yakfulu belongs to K F L, not K F Y. A person may accept a responsibility without possessing the adequacy required to fulfil it. Guardianship and sufficiency may thus converge in one action while remaining lexically distinct.

K F Y (kafā) and N Ṣ R (naṣara)

Naṣr concerns giving aid. Sufficiency may be achieved through aid, but does not always mean aid.

وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ نَصِيرًا describes The God’s aid as sufficient. In Al-Aḥzāb 33:25, however, He spares believers the need to fight; in Al-ʿAnkabūt 29:51, the Book is described as sufficient for its hearers.

Aid is therefore one domain in which sufficiency is realized, rather than the fixed meaning of every derivative.

Distinguishing similarly written roots

K F Y should be distinguished from K F ʾ, K F F, and K F L.

كُفُوًا (kufuwan) in Al-Ikhlāṣ 112:4, meaning a counterpart or equal, belongs to K F ʾ. كَفّ, “palm of the hand,” and the verb كَفَّ, “restrain,” belong to K F F. كَفِيل (kafīl) belongs to K F L.

Similar consonants or meanings do not make these roots identical.

Translation recommendations for Forqan

Depending on the clause, kafā can be rendered “sufficed,” “was enough,” or “handled the matter sufficiently.” For constructions such as kafā bi-Allāhi shahīdan, “The God’s testimony suffices” is a concise, natural option. The fuller “The God is sufficient as a witness” also conveys the capacity described; the base translation need not add explanatory wording where the shorter construction already makes it clear.

وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا can be rendered “The God suffices as disposer of affairs,” and وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ as “We suffice for reckoning.” For كَفَىٰ بِهِ إِثْمًا مُبِينًا, “That alone suffices as a manifest sin” conveys the clause clearly.

“The God spared the believers the need to fight” is an accurate, natural rendering of كَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ. The construction itself identifies the task lifted from them.

For فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ and إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ, options include “The God will suffice you against them” and “We have indeed sufficed you against the mockers.” These preserve sufficiency without adding the opponents’ destruction or specifying how they are dealt with.

Bikāfin in Al-Zumar 39:36 can be rendered “sufficient” or “enough”: “Is The God not sufficient for His servant?” This preserves the question without adding provision or absolute protection as a separate concept.

The base translation should remain brief and clear. The kind of sufficiency, its limits, and the outcome in each verse belong in a separate explanation; the entire root analysis should not be compressed into one equivalent.

8. Conclusion

In Arabic and the Qur’an, K F Y denotes being sufficient to meet a need, perform a task, or answer a particular purpose. A thing may be sufficient in quantity; someone may carry out a task for another and spare them the need to do it; testimony or evidence may suffice to establish a statement.

Most Qur’anic uses concern The God’s sufficiency, but not all describe the same kind. He handles the Prophet’s affairs against opponents, spares believers the need to fight, and is sufficient in witnessing, reckoning, aid, and handling affairs. Elsewhere, a person suffices to reckon with their own account, or a wrongful act suffices to make sin manifest.

A prominent feature is the repeated construction kafā bi-... alongside descriptions specifying the subject of sufficiency. It primarily concerns witnessing, reckoning, guardianship, aid, and awareness. Uses concerning sin and Hell nevertheless show that the root has no fixed positive or negative value.

Sufficiency does not mean absolute freedom from needing anything else. The God’s sufficiency in reckoning does not remove the command to obtain witnesses, just as His sufficiency against opponents does not replace conveying the message or fulfilling the addressee’s responsibility. Each passage must be examined for what is deemed sufficient and which need or responsibility is at issue.

The distinction from ghinā, naṣr, wakālah, and kafālah follows from this. Freedom from need, giving aid, entrusting affairs, and undertaking responsibility may accompany sufficiency, but each retains its own meaning.

The semantic core of K F Y is the sufficiency of a person, thing, or agent to meet a need, perform a task, or achieve a particular purpose, so that no further provision is needed in that respect.

This definition includes ordinary Arabic usage and The God’s sufficiency in witnessing, reckoning, support, and resolving difficulties. What varies between verses is the subject and outcome of sufficiency, rather than the basic meaning of being enough.