Al-Kawthar: Difference between revisions

Surah 108 of the Quran

سورة الكوثر‎ Sūrat al-Kawthar Abundance
Qira'ahⓘ English text
Classification	Meccan
Other names	Plenty, Good In Abundance
Position	Juzʼ 30
No. of verses	3

Sūrat al-Kawthar (Template:Lang-ar) ("Abundance") is the 108th sura of the Qur'an, and the shortest. There are several differing opinions as to the circumstances under which it was revealed. According to Ibn Ishaq, it was revealed in Makka, some time before the Isra and Miraj.

Arabic Verses

بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

1. إِنَّاۤ اَعۡطَیۡنٰـكَ الۡکَوۡثَرَ

1. فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَ انۡحَرۡ

1. إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ ُهُوَ الۡاَبۡتَرُ
   

Transliteration and Detailed Explanation of Verses

1. Inna a'taynaka al-kawthar

2. Fa-salli li-Rabbika wanhar

3. Inna shaani-aka huwal abtar

Translation:

1. Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar.

2. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice to Him Alone [i.e. by way of slaughter of animal livestock].

3. Indeed, your enemy will always be in destitute (cut-off).

Tradition has it that al-Kawthar (from a root meaning "the river in paradise"), a word that occurs only once in the Qur'an, is the name of a river in Paradise. On Yaum al-Qiyamah (the Day of Judgement) all of those who truly believe in Allah will be led to al-Kawthar where they will drink only once, and will never hunger or thirst again.

Ahadith about al-Kawthar

• Narrated Samra ibn Jundab : I heard the Prophet, saying, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount.(Al-Kauthar).

• Narrated Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, "There is a garden from the gardens of Paradise between my house and my pulpit, and my pulpit is on my Lake Fount (Al-Kauthar)."

• Narrated Abu Huraira : Allah's Apostle said, "Between my house and my pulpit there is a garden from one of the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is over my Lake-Tank.

• Narrated Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, "Between my house and my pulpit there is a garden ofthe gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is on my fountain tank (i.e. Al-Kauthar)."

• Narrated Abu Huraira : The Prophet (SAW) said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, some people will be driven out away from my Tank [haud (Al-Kauthar)] on the Day of Resurrection as strange camels are expelled from a private tank (trough)."

• Narrated Anas bin Malik : Allah's Apostle sent for the Ansar and gathered them in a tent and said to them, "Be patient till you meet Allah and His Apostle, and I will be on the lake-Tank (Al-Kauthar)."
• Narrated Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, "Between my house and my pulpit there is a garden of the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is on my fountain tank (i.e. Al-Kauthar)."

• Narrated Mukhtar bin Fulful : that he had heard Anas b. Malik say that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) dozed off, and the rest of the hadith is the same as transmitted by Mus−hir except for the words that he (the Holy Prophet) said: It (Kauthar) is a canal which my Lord the Exalted and the Glorious has promised me in Paradise. There is a tank over it, but he made no mention of the tumblers like the number of the stars.

• Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir : One day the Prophet went out and offered the funeral prayers of the martyrs of Uhud and then went up the pulpit and said, "I will pave the way for you as your predecessor and will be a witness on you. By Allah! I see my Fount (Kauthar) just now and I have been given the keys of all the treasures of the earth (or the keys of the earth). By Allah! I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah after my death, but I am afraid that you will fight with one another for the worldly things."

• Narrated Yahya bin Said : Once the Prophet called the Ansar in order to grant them part of the land of Bahrain. On that they said, "No! By Allah, we will not accept it unless you grant a similar thing to our Quarries brothers as well."He said, "That will be their's if Allah wishes." But when the Ansar persisted in their request, he said, "After me you will see others given preference over you in this respect (in which case) you should be patient till you meet me at the Tank (of Al-Kauthar)."

• Narrated Usaid bin Hudair : A man from the Ansar said, "O Allah's Apostle! Will you appoint me as you have appointed so-and-so?" The Prophet said, "After me you will see others given preference to you; so be patient till you meet me at the Tank (i.e. Lake of Kauthar). (on the Day of Resurrection)."

• Narrated Anas bin Malik : The Prophet said to the Ansar, "After me you will see others given preference to you; so be patient till you meet me, and your promised place (of meeting) will be the Tank (i.e. Lake of Kauthar)."

• Narrated Anas : When the Prophet was made to ascend to the Heavens, he said (after hisreturn), "I came upon a river the banks of which were made of tents of hollow pearls. I asked Gabriel. What is this (river?' He replied, 'This is the Kauthar.'

• Narrated Abu Ubaida : I asked 'Aisha 'regarding the verse:--'Verily we have granted you the Kauthar.' She replied, "The Kauthar is a river which has been given toyour Prophet on the banks of which there are (tents of) hollow pearls and its utensils are as numberless as the stars."

• Narrated Abu Bishr : Said bin Jubair said that Ibn 'Abbas said about Al-Kauthar. "That is the good which Allah has bestowed upon His Apostle." I said to Sa'id bin Jubair. "But the people claim that it is a river in Paradise." Said said, "The river in Paradise is part of the good which Allah has bestowed on His Apostle."

• Narrated Ibn 'Abbas : The word 'Al-Kauthar' means the abundant good which Allah gave to him (the Prophet Muhammad). Abu Bishr said: I said to Said, "Some people claim that it (Al-Kauthar) is a river in Paradise." Said replied, "Theriver which is in Paradise is one item of that good which Allah has bestowed upon him (Muhammad)."

• Narrated Anas bin Malik : The Prophet said: "While I was walking in Paradise (on the night of Mi'raj), I saw a river, on the two banks of which there were tents made of hollow pearls. I asked, "What is this, O Gabriel?' He said, 'That is the Kauthar which Your Lord has given to you.' Behold! Its scent or its mud was sharp smelling musk!" (The sub-narrator, Hudba isin doubt as to the correct expression. )

• Narrated Haritha bin Wahb : I heard the Prophet mentioning the Lake-Fount (Al-Kauthar), saying, "(The width of the Lake-Fount) is equal to the distance between Medinaand Sana' (capital of Yemen)." Haritha said that he heard the Prophet saying that his Lake-Fount would be as large as the distance between Sana' and Medina. Al-Mustaurid said to Haritha, "Didn't you hear him talking about the vessels?" He said, "No." Al-Mustaurid said, "The vessels are seen in it as (numberless as) the stars."

• Narrated Asma' : The Prophet said, "I will be at my Lake-Fount (Kauthar) waiting for whoever will come to me. Then some people will be taken away from me whereupon I will say, 'My followers!' It will be said, 'You do not know they turned Apostates as renegades (deserted their religion).'" (Ibn Abi Mulaika said, "Allah, we seek refuge with You from turning on our heels from the (Islamic) religion and from being put to trial").

• Narrated 'Abdullah : The Prophet said, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount (Kauthar) and some men amongst you will be brought to me, and when I will try to hand them some water, they will be pulled away from me by force whereupon I will say, 'O Lord, my companions!' Then the Almighty will say, 'You do not know what they did after you left, they introduced new things into the religion after you.'"

• Narrated Sahl ibn Sa'd : I heard the Prophet saying, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount (Kauthar), and whoever will come to it, will drink from it, and whoever will drink from it, will never become thirsty after that. There will come to me some people whom I know and they know me, and then a barrier will be set up between me and them." Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri added that the Prophet further said: "I will say those people are from me. It will be said, 'You do not know what changes and new things they did after you.' Then I will say, 'Far removed (from mercy), far removed (from mercy), those who changed (the religion) after me! "

• Narrated Anas bin Malik : One day the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was sitting amongst us that he dozed off. He then raised his head smilingly. We said: What makes you smile. Messenger of Allah? He said: A Sura has just been revealed to me, and then recited: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Verily We have given thee Kauthar (fount of abundance). Therefore turn to thy Lord for prayer and offer sacrifice, and surely thy enemy is cut off (from the good). Then he (the Holy Prophet) said: Do you know what Kauthar is? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: It (Kauthar) is a canal which my Lord, the Exalted and Glorious has promised me, and there is an abundance of good in it. It is a cistern and my people would come to it on the Day of Resurrection, and tumblers there would be equal to the number of stars. A servant would be turned away from (among the people gathered there). Upon this I would say: My Lord, he is one of my people, and He (the Lord) would say: You do not know that he innovated new things (in Islam) after you. Ibn Hujr made this addition in the hadith:" He (the Holy Prophet) was sitting amongst us in the mosque, and He (Allah) said: (You don't know) what he innovated after you"

• Narrated Anas bin Malik : When Allah favored His Apostle with the properties of Hawazin tribe as Fai (booty), he started giving to some Quarries men even up to one-hundred camels each, whereupon some Ansari men said about Allah's Apostle, "May Allah forgive His Apostle! He is giving to (men of) Quraish and leaves us, in spite of the fact that our swords are still dropping blood (of the infidels)" When Allah's Apostle was informed of what they had said, he called the Ansar and gathered them in a leather tent and did not call anybody else along, with them. When they gathered, Allah's Apostle came to them and said, "What is the statement which, I have been informed, and that which you have said?" The learned ones among them replied," O Allah's Apostle! The wise ones amongst us did not say anything, but the youngsters amongst us said, 'May Allah forgive His Apostle; he gives the Quarish and leaves the Ansar, in spite of the fact that our swords are still dribbling (wet) with the blood of the infidels.' " Allah's Apostle replied, I give to such people as are still close to the period of Infidelity (i.e. they have recently embraced Islam and Faith is still weak in their hearts). Won't you be pleased to see people go with fortune, while you return with Allah's Apostle to your houses? By Allah, what you will return with, is better than what they are returning with." The Ansar replied, "Yes, O Allah's Apostle, we are satisfied' Then the Prophet said to them." You will find after me, others being preferred to you. Then be patient till you meet Allah and meet His Apostle at Al-Kauthar (i.e. a fount in Paradise)." (Anas added:) But we did not remain patient.

Commentary

Linguistic Definition of Kawthar:

Kawthar - (faww'al - through hyperbolisation /mubalaghah /maximization).

Hyperbolise/Mubalaghah مبالغة : [to empower a word to its maximum in its meaning (i.e. muscle it up)] - say something in an extremely powerful way, with no exaggerations attached.

al Kawthar - katheer / kathra (to have plenty) - incredible loads of amounts, lots and lots and lots and lots.. of it.

Katheer كث ير has a Y [letter Ya] in it. KaWthar كوثر has a W [letter Waw] in it.

In Balaghah/Arabic Rhetoric - the Waw و is stronger than the Ya ي .

The 3 Steps:

1 - Kathra كثر means 'A lot'

2 - Katheer كثير emphasises - a lot more abundance than kathra.

3 - KaWthar كوثر = even more than Katheer - ABUNDANCE of A LOT.

This is used to describe khayr al katheer (Abundance of Good).

Al-Qurtubi:

The Arabs used to describe anything in a lot of; quality, quantity, and it is very valuable that you have to guard it = al Kawthar.

I.e. al Jawhar min al Jahr (the Gem from the gems), al Nawfal min al Nafl etc.

When you say Katheer - it can refer to a lot of good or bad things.

KaWthar however, can only refer to good things. (kawthar is mutakhassas - specific, to good only.)

Everything Allah has given him is incredibly good, and it is in Abundance.

AL kawthar ال كوثر - the Abundance.

kawtharaN كوثرن[with taNween] - MANY different good things.

Because of the AL (the) - it refers to one thing.

Some have therefore argued that AL kawthar only refers to the Water in Paradise and Judgment Day, because it is only 1 AL kawthar. (based on the reports/athar which mention it).

However, when you refer to something with an adjective [i.e. saying 'You have been given a lot'] - without mentioning the Noun [i.e. without mentioning what you have been given a lot of'], then it can refer to many things, even if AL is mentioned next to it.

So Allah mentioned Al Kawthar (the Abundant Good). Abundant Good of what? It is not mentioned - so it is possible that it refers to many different types of good.

Plenty, A lot, kawthar, without a noun (object) opens possibilities for a lot of good in lots of different forms.

Narrations in regard to the Meaning of al Kawthar;

Can be found in; Tafsir ibn Kathir Ma'arif al Qur'an

Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i, all recorded from Anas ibn Malik that he said, "While we were with the Messenger of Allah in the Masjid, he dozed off into a slumber. Then he lifted his head smiling. We said, `O Messenger of Allah! What has caused you to laugh' He said,

«لَقَدْ أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ آنِفًا سُورَة» (Verily, a Surah was just revealed to me.) Then he recited,

[إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـكَ الْكَوْثَرَ - فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ - إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الاٌّبْتَرُ ]

(Verily, We have granted you Al-Kawthar. Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice. For he who hates you, he will be cut off.) Then he said,

«أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْكَوْثَرُ؟»

(Do you all know what is Al-Kawthar) We said, `Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said,

«فَإِنَّهُ نَهَرٌ وَعَدَنِيهِ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،عَلَيْهِ خَيْرٌ كَثِيرٌ، هُوَ حَوْضٌ تَرِدُ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، آنِيَتُهُ عَدَدُ النُّجُومِ فِي السَّمَاءِ، فَيُخْتَلَجُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْهُمْ فَأَقُولُ: رَبِّ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي، فَيَقُولُ: إِنَّكَ لَا تَدْرِي مَا أَحْدَثَ بَعْدَك»

(Verily, it is a river that my Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, has promised me and it has abundant goodness. It is a pond where my Ummah will be brought to on the Day of Judgement. Its containers are as numerous as the stars in the sky. Then a servant of Allah from among them will be (prevented from it) and I will say: "O Lord! Verily, he is from my Ummah (followers). Then He (Allah) will say: "Verily, you do not know what he introduced (or innovated) after you.) This is the wording of Muslim. Ahmad recorded this Hadith from Muhammad bin Fudayl, who reported from Al-Mukhtar bin Fulful, who reported it from Anas bin Malik. Imam Ahmad also recorded from Anas that the Messenger of Allah said,

«دَخَلْتُ الْجَنَّةَ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِنَهْرٍ حَافَتَاهُ خِيَامُ اللُّؤْلُؤِ، فَضَرَبْتُ بِيَدِي إِلَى مَا يَجْرِي فِيهِ الْمَاءُ، فَإِذَا مِسْكٌ أَذْفَرُ، قُلْتُ: مَاهَذَا يَا جِبْرِيلُ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا الْكَوْثَرُ الَّذِي أَعْطَاكَهُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَل»

(I entered Paradise and I came to a river whose banks had tents made of pearls. So I thrust my hand into its flowing water and found that it was the strongest (smell) of musk. So I asked, "O Jibril! What is this He replied, "This is Al-Kawthar which Allah, the Mighty and Majestic has given you.) Muhammad al-Bukhari recorded this in his Sahih, and so did Muslim, on the authority of Anas bin Malik. In their version Anas said, "When the Prophet was taken up to the heaven, he said,

«أَتَيْتُ عَلَى نَهْرٍ حَافَتَاهُ قِبَابُ اللُّؤْلُؤِ الْمُجَوَّفِ فَقُلْتُ: مَا هَذَا يَا جِبْرِيلُ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا الْكَوْثَر» (I came to a river whose banks had domes of hollowed pearl. I said: "O Jibril! What is this He replied: "This is Al-Kawthar.) This is the wording of Al-Bukhari. Ahmad recorded from Anas that a man said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is Al-Kawthar He replied,

«هُوَ نَهْرٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَعْطَانِيهِ رَبِّي، لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ بَيَاضًا مِنَ اللَّبَنِ، وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ، فِيهِ طُيُورٌ أَعْنَاقُهَا كَأَعْنَاقِ الْجُزُر» (It is a river in Paradise which my Lord has given me. It is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. There are birds in it whose necks are (long) like carrots.) `Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah! Verily, they (the birds) will be beautiful. The Prophet replied,

«آكِلُهَا أَنْعَمُ مِنْهَا يَا عُمَر» (The one who eats them (i.e., the people of Paradise) will be more beautiful than them, O `Umar.) Al-Bukhari recorded from Sa'id ibn Jubayr that `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas said about Al-Kawthar, "It is the good which Allah gave to him (the Prophet). Abu Bishr said, "I said to Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Verily, people are claiming that it is a river in Paradise. Sa`id replied, `The river which is in Paradise is part of the goodness which Allah gave him. Al-Bukhari also recorded from Sa`id bin Jubayr that Ibn `Abbas said, "Al-Kawthar is the abundant goodness. This explanation includes the river and other things as well. Because the word Al-Kawthar comes from the word Kathrah (abundance) and it (Al-Kawthar) linguistically means an abundance of goodness. So from this goodness is the river (in Paradise). Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal recorded from `Abd Allah ibn `Umar that the Messenger of Allah said, «الْكَوْثَرُ نَهْرٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ حَافَتَاهُ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ، وَالْمَاءُ يَجْرِي عَلَى اللُّؤْلُؤِ، وَمَاؤُهُ أَشَدُّ بَيَاضًا مِنَ اللَّبَنِ، وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَل» (Al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise whose banks are of gold and it runs over pearls. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey.) This Hadith was recorded in this manner by Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir. At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih.

From Tafseer ibn Katheer - Surah Kawthar; http://tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=108&tid=59319

al Qurtubi comments in Jami' al Ahkam: Even the narrations of standing at the (mawqif) pond (called kawthar) are many, just as the amount of narrations suggesting al Kawthar is the river in Paradise.

So al Kawthar could refer to both the lake outside Paradise on Judgment Day, and the river in Paradise.

It is possible that this river was called Kawthar because of the huge numbers of the followers from the Ummah (nation) of Prophet Muhammad (O Allah make us of them) who will drink from it.

O Allah make us from them, ameen.

Or maybe because of the benefits and because of plenty (katheer) of water is flowing from it.

Ibn Abbas and Sa'eed ibn Jubair; It is the great good which Allah has granted exclusively to His Messenger.

Sa'eed bin Jubair was narrating this to Abu Bishr, so Abu Bishr asked; But the people assume this is a river in Paradise?

Sa'eed: bin Jubair The river Allah gave his Messenger in Paradise, is also part of the good abundance (kawthar) Allah has given him.

The Abundant Good which Allah gave to His Messenger includes:

Mentioned by ash-Shawkani and al Aloosi:

1 -وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ - surely you (O Muhammad) are upon a great moral character. (Surat al-Qalam 68:4)

The Muslims should be proud of their Messenger, that whatever he did - he did in the best way. We should not feel apologetic.

2 -Nubuwwah and Risala (Prophethood and Messengership) - carrying the final Book and Words of Allah to mankind up till the Day of Judgment.

3 - وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ - and We did not send you as a Messenger, except as a mercy to all the worlds. (Al-Anbiya 21:107)

See also

• Hauzu'l-Kausar