In the Name
of Allaah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
1. Verily, We have given you al-Kawthar,
2. So turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice,
3. For he who makes you angry, he will be cut off.
It is narrated that
Anas ibn Maalik said, "The Messenger of Allaah
sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam was dozing and then he
raised his head and smiled, then either he said to
them (the Companions), or they said to him:
"Why did you laugh?" The he sallallahu `alayhi
wa sallam said: "Verily, a soorah has been
revealed to me." Then he recited, < In the
Name of Allaah, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful, Verily We have given you Al-Kawthar >
to the end of the Soorah. The he asked, "Do you
know what Al-Kawthar is?" They replied, "Allaah
and His Messenger know best." He said: "It
is a river granted to me by my Lord, the Almighty,
the All-powerful in Paradise, in which is great
goodness; its drinking vessels are as (limitless as)
the heavenly bodies. It refuses to allow one of the
slaves to drink, and the Prophet will say: "Oh,
my Lord! He is one of my community." But it
will be said to him: "You know nothing of the
innovations (in religion) that they practiced after
you.
It has been
narrated about the pool of Al-Kawthar that it has
two streams running into it from the heavens which
emanate from the river known as Al-Kawthar and its
drinking vessels are as limitless as the stars in
the sky. (Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawood and An-Nasaa'i)
Many qurraa' (scholars of Quranic recitation) have
taken this as proof that the Soorah was revealed in
Madinah, while many fuqahaa' have deduced from it
that the basmalah is an integral part of the Soorah
and that it was revealed from it.
As for the Words of
Allaah: < Verily, We have given you Al-Kawthar
> it has already been mentioned that Al-Kawthar
is a river in Paradise and Imaam Ahmad has narrated,
on the authority of Anas, that he recited this
Soorah and then he said: "The Messenger of
Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "I
have been given Al-Kawthar and it is a flowing river
in Paradise which does not flow along a normal
channel, but instead its banks are domes of pearl
and I struck its earth with my hand and it was a
strong-smelling musk, and its pebbles were
pearls." Ibn Jareer has narrated, on the
authority of Anas, that he asked the Messenger of
Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam about Al-Kawthar
and he said: "It is a river in Paradise, given
to me by my Lord, whose colour is whiter than milk
and whose taste is sweeter than honey; upon it are
birds whose necks are like those of camels." `Umar
said: "Oh, Messenger of Allaah! It is an
ostrich." He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam
replied: "Its meat is more delicate and tender
than that, O `Umar."
Al-Bukhaari relates
on the authority of Ibn `Abbaas, that he said Al-Kawthar
is the blessings bestowed on the Messenger
sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam by Allaah. Abu Bishr
then told Sa`eed ibn Jubair (who narrated it from
Ibn `Abbaas): "But people say that it is a
river in Paradise." Sa`eed replied: "The
river in Paradise is from the blessings bestowed by
Allaah upon him sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam.
Mujaahid said, "It is the abundant blessings of
this world and the Hereafter." And it has been
confirmed that Ibn `Abbaas also explained it (Al-Kawthar)
as being a river.
Ibn Jareer narrates
on the authority of Ibn `Abbaas that he said:
"Al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise, its banks
are of gold and silver and its bed is of precious
stones and pearls and its water is whiter than snow
and sweeter than honey." Something very similar
was narrated on the authority of Ibn `Umar and At-Tirmizi
narrates something like it in a mawqoof form, while
Ahmad has narrated it in a marfoo` form.
< So turn in
prayer to your Lord and sacrifice > That is,
since We have given you such blessings in this world
and in the Hereafter, including the river described
previously, then devote your obligatory and your
optional prayers to your Lord Alone, likewise your
sacrifices and all your acts of worship. Worship Him
Alone, without associating any partners with Him and
sacrifice in His Name Alone, without associating any
partners with Him, as in the Words of Allaah: <
Say: Verily, my prayer and my sacrifice and my life
and my death are for Allaah, the Lord of the worlds.
No partner has He, this I have been commanded to do
and I am the first to submit [to Allaah]." >
(Soorah Al-An`aam 6:162) Ibn `Abbaas, `Ataa', `Ikrimah,
Mujaahid and Al-Hasan are all agreed that the word
nahr means halaal slaughter - most of the scholars
from amongst the pious Salaf agreed with this and it
is contrary to the practices of idolaters who
prostrated themselves before false gods and
sacrificed animals in their name. Allaah, Most High
says: < And do not eat of that which was not
slaughtered in the Name of Allaah > (Soorah Al-An`aam
6:121) The word nahr was also interpreted as meaning
the position of the hands when slaughtering and to
the raising of the hands in prayer, at the time of
the opening takbeer (saying "Allaahu Akbar"
in the prayer) and an instruction to face the Qiblah
(the direction which Muslims face when they pray,
i.e. the Ka`bah in Makkah) when slaughtering; but
all of these sayings are very unusual, and the
correct interpretation is the first, i.e. that it
refers to halaal slaughter. Because of this, the
Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam,
used to pray `Eed prayer before slaughtering an
animal, and he said: "Whoever prayed and then
slaughtered has performed the slaughter (correctly)
and whosoever slaughters before prayer, there is no
slaughter for him." Then a Companion named Abu
Bardah stood up and said, "Oh, Messenger of
Allaah! I have slaughtered my sheep before the
prayer for I knew that today was a day on which the
meat would be desirable (for slaughter)." He
sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "Your sheep
is merely meat (i.e. it is not acceptable as a
sacrifice). Abu Bardah then asked: "I have a
young, female goat which is dearer to me than two
sheep - is this sufficient recompense from me?"
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam said:
"It would recompense you but it would not
recompense anyone after you." The correct
interpretation of the verse, according to Ibn Jareer
is: So make all your prayers for your Lord and for
Him Alone and for no other, neither partner, nor
deity; likewise make your sacrifices for Him Alone,
not to any idols - in gratitude to Him for the
provision and generosity which He has given you
which is without equal.
< For he who
makes you angry, he will be cut off > That is,
the one who hates you, oh, Muhammad, and hates that
which you have brought (i.e. the Message of
guidance, truth and proof most clear and light most
evident) is defective, insignificant, despised and
is cut off (from remembrance).
According to Ibn `Abbaas,
Mujaahid, Sa`eed ibn Jubair and Qataadah, the Soorah
was revealed in regard to Al-`Aas ibn Waa'il, for it
was said that Al-`Aas ibn Waa'il used to say,
whenever Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam, was mentioned: "Leave him, for he is a
man who is cut off and is of no consequence, and if
he were killed, he would be forgotten." And so
Allaah revealed this Soorah. It was also said that
it was revealed concerning `Uqbah ibn Abi Mu`eet
Ibn `Abbaas and `Ikrimah
are reported to have said that it was revealed in
regard to Ka`b ibn al-Ashraf and a number of the
pagans of Quraish.
Al-Bazaar reports
from ibn `Abbaas sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam that
Ka`b ibn Al-Ashraf approached Makkah and the people
of Quraish said: "You are their leader (i.e.
the people of Makkah). Do you not see this weak,
feeble, despised man, who is without family or any
who might help him and who is cut off from his own
people? He claims that he is better than we! We are
the people of (the House of) the pilgrims, the
custodians (of the Ka`bah), the suppliers of water
(to the pilgrims)." He said: "You are
better than he." So Allaah revealed this Soorah.
This is an authentic narration.
'Ataa` said that it
was revealed concerning Abu Lahab; this was when the
Prophet's son died and Abu Lahab when to the
polytheists and said: "When his sons die, he
will no longer be remembered." Far from that!
On the contrary, Allaah has preserved his memory for
all the world to witness and has placed the
responsibility of (implementing) His Revealed Law
upon their shoulders forever, until the Day of
Congregation and the appointed time arrives - peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him always till the
Day of Assembly. This is the end of the tafseer of
Soorah Al-Kawthar, all praise is due to Allaah and
from His proceeds all Grace.
