Abu Dawud

Benefits and Issues:
➊ The Pond (Hawd) of the Day of Resurrection will be a part of the River Kawthar.

➋ In this hadith, there is evidence that (Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim) is a part and verse of every surah, but the other group considers this view to be outweighed by other proofs. A third position is that Bismillah is only a verse of Surah al-Fatihah. In other surahs, it is written for the sake of blessing and as a separator. This is supported by the hadith in which it is declared to be a verse of Surah al-Fatihah. (: al-Sahihah: 179/3, no. 1183)

Hadith Footnote:
That you (the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned either "earth" (soil) or "fragrance."

Hadith Commentary:
In one hadith, a distance of three days is mentioned, and in this one, a distance of one month is mentioned. There is no contradiction between them, because at the time when the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned the distance of three days, it was of that extent. Then Allah, the Exalted, bestowed His grace and favor upon you and expanded the Pond (Hawd), so as much as the Pond was expanded, accordingly you continued to inform the Ummah.

Similarly, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) likening the drinking vessels of the Pond to the stars in the sky is to describe their brilliance and to express their radiance.

In a hadith narrated from Thawban (radi Allahu anhu), it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was asked about the drink of the Pond of Kawthar, so he said:
“It is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey.
Into it flow two channels from Paradise.
One of them is of gold and the other is made of pure silver.”
(Sahih Muslim, Al-Fada’il, Hadith: 5990 (2301))

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
بَيْنَ اَظْهُرِنَا:
Among us,
within us.
(2)
اَغْفٰي اِغْفَاءَةً:
To doze off,
to be overcome by drowsiness or slumber.
(3)
شَانِئَكَ:
Your enemy,
one who harbors hatred and enmity against you.
(4)
اَلْاَبْتَرْ:
Cut off,
one whose lineage does not continue.
Deprived of all good and blessing.
(5)
يُخْتَلَجُ:
Will be snatched away,
will be separated.
(6)
اَحْدَثَ:
To introduce a new matter into the religion,
to commit an incident or crime.

Benefits and Issues:
(1)
It is established from this hadith that "Bismillah" is a part and portion of every surah, which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to recite before every surah, and the exception of Surah Bara’ah is based on a separate evidence. For this reason, it has been written at the beginning of every surah in the Mushaf, and in the opening verses of Surah Iqra, which are the very first revelation, this teaching was given: ﴿اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ﴾ “Recite in the name of your Lord,” and at its beginning, "Bismillah" is present.
Therefore, to say that if "Bismillah" were a part of every surah, it would have been revealed at the beginning of Iqra, is not correct, because if it had been revealed before that, how could it have been written before it?
(2)
From this hadith, affirming the knowledge of the unseen (ilm al-ghayb) for the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam without qualification is not appropriate.
Also, to accept one reality and then twist it to say something else is contrary to knowledge. When it is accepted that “absolutely, the Knower of the Unseen (ʿĀlim al-Ghayb) is only Allah Ta’ala,” even though the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has knowledge of the unseen by Allah’s grant, but it should not be said absolutely that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has knowledge of the unseen. Rather, it should be said that he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is informed of the unseen, or that the unseen was made manifest to him, or that he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was granted knowledge of the unseen (Sharh Sahih Muslim, Saeedi Sahib 1/1160).
In fact, it is written even further above that every person among the general Muslims, the friends of Allah (awliya Allah), and the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum ajmaʿin, has knowledge of the unseen according to his capacity, and the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has more knowledge of the unseen than all creation.
So why is the Ummah entangled in this debate and issue, that one who does not accept the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as ʿĀlim al-Ghayb is disrespectful and impudent, and is a disbeliever? Which individual of the Ummah is there who denies that whatever knowledge Allah Ta’ala gave His Messenger, he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam acquired it, and whatever he was not informed of,
he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam could not know by himself,
the clear evidence of which is present in this hadith in the form of (إِنَّكَ لَا تَدْرِي مَا أَحْدَثُوا بَعْدَكَ) — “Indeed, you do not know what they innovated after you.”

Explanation:
1:
It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhuma) that "Al-Kawthar is the abundant good which was given to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)." Upon this, some people said to his student, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, that it is said that it is a river in Paradise. So Sa'id ibn Jubayr replied:
This river is also included among the abundant good; thus, Sa'id ibn Jubayr tried to reconcile between both narrations.
However, when it has been explicitly stated with an authentic chain of transmission from the tongue of the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that Al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise, then there is no need to turn to any other narration (Tuhfah and Tafsir Ibn Jarir).

784. Commentary:
The two aforementioned hadiths are sahih (authentic) and hasan (good). Therefore, preference is given to the sahih hadiths. Furthermore, the hadith of the next chapter shows that «بسم الله» clearly distinguished between the two situations. From this, the stronger opinion appears to be that «بسم الله» is not a part of the surah. For details, see: Nayl al-Awtar.

905. Commentary:

➊ There is a difference of opinion among the early scholars regarding the interpretation of "al-Kawthar" mentioned in Surah al-Kawthar. Various scholars among the Companions, the Followers, and others have given different explanations of it, but in this hadith, the interpretation of "al-Kawthar" has been clarified by the very tongue of the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): it is a river in Paradise. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has been promised this river. It is extremely vast, such that its length and width are equal. Its drinking vessels are more numerous than the stars in the sky. The noble hadith also explicitly states regarding it: "Whoever drinks from this river will never feel thirst again. Its water is whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, and its fragrance is purer than the fragrance of musk." [صحیح البخاري ، الرقاق ، حدیث : 6579 ، وصحیح مسلم ، الفضائل ، حدیث : 2292]

➋ A follower may ask his imam, a junior may ask his senior, and likewise a disciple may ask his spiritual guide about any new matter he observes, just as the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) saw the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) smiling and asked him the reason for his smile. Elders and spiritual guides should also answer such questions, because the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) answered the Companions' (radi Allahu anhum) question as well.

➌ The drowsiness referred to here will be the state of revelation (wahy).

➍ The Imam's reasoning is that (Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim) is a part of the surah, as the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) recited it, although it is also possible that he recited (Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim) for the sake of blessing (tabarruk). In both cases, (Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim) should be recited before every surah, whether as a part of it or for blessing. However, the discussion remains regarding reciting it aloud or silently. In the above-mentioned hadith, he recited it aloud, but this was outside of prayer. Within prayer, most narrations indicate reciting it silently, although occasionally reciting it aloud is also permissible.

➎ Imam Shafi'i considers (Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim) to be a part of every surah, whereas Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah considers it to be for blessing. The correct view is that it is a part of Surah al-Fatihah.

➏ "After you, what new thing did he do?" This could be an indication towards apostasy as well as the introduction of innovations (bid'ah). And Allah knows best.

➐ Innovation (bid'ah) is such a dangerous and grave crime that on the Day of Resurrection, the innovator will be driven away from the Hawd al-Kawthar and pushed towards Hell.

➑ The innovator will not be granted even a single sip of water from the Hawd al-Kawthar, because the innovator has committed a grave crime by altering the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and assuming for himself the "station of messengership." Therefore, there is a most severe warning for him. May Allah protect us from it.

➒ This blessed hadith also shows that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is not 'alim al-ghayb (knower of the unseen).

➓ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has departed from this transient world.

(11) The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is not the absolute disposer of affairs (mukhtar kull). Even on the Day of Resurrection, only those whom Allah wills and forgives will attain salvation. Therefore, the following belief is contrary to the teachings of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and leads to the destruction of faith: "Other than unity in Allah's scale, whatever we are to receive, we will take from Muhammad."