Kafara
/kəˈfɑː.rə/noun
In Islamic usage, an act of expiation or atonement performed for a religious violation.
Did you know?Kafara belongs to the same Semitic root associated with Arabic kufr and Hebrew Yom Kippur, linking religious transgression, concealment, and atonement across traditions.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*kpr
“To cover or conceal; the reconstructed root behind later words for atonement and religious disbelief.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
kippēr
“To make atonement or ritually purge; the source of the name Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
kafara
“He covered or concealed; by semantic extension, he denied or showed ingratitude.”
Qur’anic Arabic
Arabic
kufr / kāfir
“Disbelief or denial, and one who rejects religious truth; these forms derive from the same root.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
kaffāra
“Expiation or a compensatory religious act for violating a rule, such as fasting or feeding the poor.”
Modern English
English
kafara
“A transliterated English form of Arabic kaffāra, meaning religious expiation or atonement.”