(Revealed at Mecca)

3 Verses in 1 Section

Sections of Surah Al-Kawthar

1. The Abundance given to the Prophet.

Al-Kawthar - The Abundance Given To The Prophet

The Abundance in good and in offspring granted to the Prophet - Prophecy that his enemy shall be deprived of the continuity in issues.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”

إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ

“Verily We have given thee (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) The ‘Kawthar’ (Abundance)” (108:1)

فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ

“So pray thou unto thy Lord! and offer sacrifice” (108:2)

إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ

“Verily, thy enemy shall be the one cut off (in his progeny)1“ (108:3)

Commentary

Verse 1

The Holy Prophet’s son Tahir, born of the Lady Khadija, died and there was no male issue of the Holy Prophet. People viz., Omar Ibn Aas and Hakam Ibn Aas, taunted the Holy Prophet calling him ‘Abtar’ i.e., the animal whose tail is cut off, meaning, the one whose succession in his seed has ceased, i.e., the one who has none to inherit. To console the Holy Prophet, this Surah was revealed with the glad tidings of the greatest amount or the highest degree of the grace of God, bestowed on him.

‘Kawthar’ is said to be a stream in heaven which is meant exclusively for the Holy Prophet. When this Surah was revealed, the Holy Prophet was asked as to what ‘Kawthar’ actually meant. He said that it is a stream of super excellence, exclusively meant for him and the righteous ones who will be served with the drink of it. Saying this the Holy Prophet struck his hand on the hand of Ali who stood beside him and said ‘‘‘Thou shall be the ‘Saqi’,” i.e., Distributor or the supplier of the drinks from ‘Kawthar’ and from that day Ali is popularly called ‘Saqi al-Kawthar’, i.e., the ‘Distributor of Kawthar.’

The Holy Prophet said that ‘‘on the Day of Judgment I will see some of my companions being driven like cattle, away from Kawthar, I will ask ‘Why are they driven away?’ They are my companions. The reply to me will be “Thou knowest not that after thy departure from the world, those are they that turned away from the truth and created their own innovations in the faith”

This is said in SM., SB., MIH. and the other Sunni authorities on the Tradition of the Holy Prophet. This is a clear and an unquestionable reference to those who after the departure of the Holy Prophet, usurped the position which they were not entitled to and deprived Ali and the Ahl Al-Bayt of their legitimate rights and started their own schools of thought with their own innovations in the faith - called after their names and many other diversions for the universal course of the faith preached and practised by the Holy Prophet.

It is said ‘Kawthar’ means the abundance of the descendants. It is a fact that none can correctly count the number of children of Ali and Fatimah who are recognised as the children of the Holy Prophet, called Syeds, whereas those who taunted the Holy Prophet as ‘Abtar’ or the one without a succession had gone into oblivion.

‘Kawthar’ also means the abundance of good given to the Holy Prophet in this world as well as in the next. The regeneration of the human race affected by the Holy Prophet through the faith, Islam, is unparalleled in the history of the world and the abundance of the goodness of the Holy Prophet in the other world and on the Day of Judgment will be so much that everyone faithfully attached to him and his Holy Ahl Al-Bayt as he commanded, will also be able to get himself profited by it as he would get the drink from the ‘Kawthar.’

These people of the character referred to in the preceding chapter would naturally think of the Holy Prophet’s being short of wealth and issues and even the number of the clan (Hashimite) to which he belonged and to which Abu Talib refers:

1. ‘Yaloozo behi alhullaak min Aale Hashimi’ - The one to whom the Hashimite Knights take shelter

2. ‘Fahahom indahu fi ne’matin wa fawadili’ - Thus they are in abundant bounties and blessing, being with him.

This Chapter assures the Holy Prophet of the abundance in all aspects and productivity here and hereafter. (A.P.).

Verse 2

Though this terse is addressed to the Holy Prophet to mean that in return for the greatest blessings and the greatest amount of the grace of God which has been showered on him, he should pray and offer sacrifices, but it is a command or instruction for everyone, saying that he who aspires for the special blessings from God should get them through prayer and sacrifices. As a matter of fact, it is the common man who needs such guidance, not an Apostle of God who is sent duly conditioned with the spiritual excellence and the necessary knowledge of the means to achieve goodness, to show those ways to mankind.

‘Nahr’ may mean sacrifice - or may mean the raising of hand in prayer wherever ‘Allaho Akbar’ is to be said - Refer to ‘Fiqh’ (A.P.).

Verse 3

There is a consolation as well as a prophecy that it is the one who taunted the Holy Prophet as ‘Abtar’ who would go into oblivion and not the Holy Prophet, for the issues which he will be blessed with through Ali and Fatimah, will be in such abundance that none will be able to enumerate them or know their number correctly. Today the ‘Sadaat’ or the issues of the Holy Prophet are found in every part of the world, and this wonderful abundance was granted by God through the one single daughter Lady Fatimah who was married to Ali.

No king or any other prophet can claim this grace of having his lineage continued for centuries together with the innumerable members of it.

• 1. Left unproductive.