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Possible definitions for kafir

Kabir
Indian mystic and poet. A weaver who lived in Benares, he preached the essential oneness of all religions and was critical of both Hinduism and Islam for meaningless rites and mindless repetition. From Hinduism he accepted the ideas of reincarnation and the law of karma, but rejected idolatry, asceticism, and the caste system. From Islam he accepted the idea of one God and the equality of all men. Revered by both Hindus and Muslims, he is also considered a forerunner of Sikhism, and some of his poetry was incorporated into the Adi Granth. His ideas led to the founding of several sects, incl. the Kabir Panth, which regards Kabir as its principal guru or as a divinity.


Safire
U.S. journalist. Born in New York City and educated at Syracuse Univ., he worked as a newspaper reporter and at radio and television stations before entering the public-relations field, eventually founding his own successful firm. He was a speechwriter for S. Agnew and then for R. Nixon. In 1973 he began his conservative and vigorously written "Essay" column for the New York Times, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1978. He also writes on linguistic issues in the New York Times Magazine. Among his books are the novels Full Disclosure (1977) and Sleeper Spy (1995) and works of lexicographical interest.


fair
Temporary market where buyers and sellers gather to transact business. Fairs are held at regular intervals, generally at the same location and time of year. An important form of commerce before the Industrial Revolution, fairs solved the problem of distribution and made possible the demonstration of arts and crafts and the sale and barter of goods. They were a fixture of the Roman Empire and medieval Europe, where they were held at major caravan-route intersections and near religious festivals. The rules of the fair eventually became the basis of European business law. Fairs began to die out as cities grew larger and transportation networks became more extensive, though some continued to exist as religious festivals or recreational events. County, agricultural, and livestock fairs are still held in the U.S. and Europe. The trade fair, in which exhibitors from one industry display their goods, gained popularity in the 20th cent.


fir
Properly, any of about 40 species of trees that make up the genus Abies, in the pine family. Many other evergreen conifers (e.g., Douglas fir, hemlock fir) are also commonly called firs. True firs are native to N. and Central America, Europe, Asia, and N Africa. They are distinguished from other genera in the pine family by their needlelike leaves, which grow directly from the branch and have bases, shaped like suction cups, that leave conspicuous circular scars when the leaves fall. N. America boasts 10 native species of fir, found chiefly from the Rocky Mtns. westward. The wood of most W N. Amer. firs is inferior to that of pine or spruce but is used for lumber ...

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