Surah Al-Kawthar (108) — Ayah 1

After the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) began inviting people to Islam in Makkah, he faced very difficult circumstances. Everyone became an enemy, opposition was everywhere, financial troubles were separate, and those who believed were very few. Furthermore, the male children who were born to him passed away. The enemies rejoiced over this, and your grief and distress were natural. Just as Allah comforted you in Surah Ad-Duha by saying: « وَ لَلْاٰخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَّكَ مِنَ الْاُوْلٰى (4) وَ لَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيْكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضٰى» [ الضحی : ۴، ۵ ] (And surely the latter state will be better for you than the former, and soon your Lord will give you so much that you will be pleased), and in Surah Al-Inshirah by saying: « وَ رَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ» [ الانشراح : ۴ ] (And We have raised high your mention for you), similarly, in this Surah, Allah has mentioned His favors to comfort you.

(Ayah 1) ➊ { اِنَّاۤ اَعْطَيْنٰكَ الْكَوْثَرَ: ’’ الْكَوْثَرَ ‘‘ ’’ كَثْرَةٌ ‘‘} has the same pattern as {’’فَوْعَلٌ‘‘}, which gives the meaning of exaggeration, i.e., extreme abundance. That is, the enemies think you have nothing, but in reality, We have given you in abundance. In {’’ الْكَوْثَرَ ‘‘} is included all the abundant good that Allah has granted you, such as Islam, prophethood, noble character, the best obedient Ummah, Paradise, and other blessings that cannot be counted. Linguistically, the meaning of {’’ الْكَوْثَرَ ‘‘} is this, but in many authentic hadiths it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that Kawthar is a river in Paradise which Allah has granted me. Similarly, the pond that Allah will grant you (peace be upon him) on the Day of Judgment is also called Kawthar by you (peace be upon him). In this respect, this interpretation is preferred, but preference is only needed when there is a contradiction between the two interpretations, which is not the case here. Thus, in Sahih Bukhari, Sa'id bin Jubair (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said regarding {’’ الْكَوْثَرَ ‘‘}: "What is meant is the good that Allah has granted you (peace be upon him)." The narrator says, I asked Sa'id bin Jubair (may Allah have mercy on him), "People say that it is a river in Paradise?" So Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The river in Paradise is also included in the good that Allah has granted you." [ بخاري، التفسیر، سورۃ : «إنا أعطیناک الکوثر» : ۴۹۶۶ ]

➋ The river Kawthar is in Paradise and the pond of Kawthar will be in the field of Resurrection. Sometimes the term river Kawthar is also used for it, because water from two streams of Paradise will flow into this pond. Thus, the origin of the pond is also the river Kawthar in Paradise. (Fath al-Bari) Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: [ بَيْنَمَا أَنَا أَسِيْرُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ إِذَا أَنَا بِنَهَرٍ حَافَتَاهُ قِبَابُ الدُّرِّ الْمُجَوَّفِ، قُلْتُ مَا هٰذَا يَا جِبْرِيْلُ !؟ قَالَ هٰذَا الْكَوْثَرُ الَّذِيْ أَعْطَاكَ رَبُّكَ فَإِذَا طِيْبُهُ أَوْ طِيْنُهُ مِسْكٌ أَذْفَرُ ] [ بخاري، الرقاق، باب في الحوض : ۶۵۸۱ ] "I was walking in Paradise when suddenly I came upon a river whose banks had domes of hollow pearls. I said: 'O Jibril! What is this?' He said: 'This is Kawthar which Allah has granted you.' Then I saw that its fragrance or its soil was like fragrant musk."

➌ The pond of Kawthar is in the field of Resurrection, where the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) will welcome his Ummah and give them water to drink. Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says in Fath al-Bari that the narrations about the pond of Kawthar have come from more than thirty (30) Companions, of which the hadiths of twenty (20) Companions are in the two Sahihs, and the rest are in other books. Their transmission is authentic and their narrators are well-known. [ دیکھیے فتح الباري، کتاب الرقاق، باب الحوض ]

➍ Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), describing the streams of Paradise falling into the pond of Kawthar and its details, says that I asked: "O Messenger of Allah! What will the vessels of the pond be like?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: [ وَالَّذِيْ نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ! لَآنِيَتُهُ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ عَدَدِ نُجُوْمِ السَّمَاءِ وَكَوَاكِبِهَا، أَلَا فِي اللَّيْلَةِ الْمُظْلِمَةِ الْمُصْحِيَةِ، آنِيَةُ الْجَنَّةِ مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَظْمَأْ آخِرَ مَا عَلَيْهِ، يَشْخَبُ فِيْهِ مِيْزَابَانِ مِّنَ الْجَنَّةِ مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ لَمْ يَظْمَأْ عَرْضُهُ مِثْلُ طُوْلِهِ مَا بَيْنَ عَمَّانَ إِلٰی أَيْلَةَ مَاؤُهُ أَشَدُّ بَيَاضًا مِّنَ اللَّبَنِ وَ أَحْلٰی مِنَ الْعَسَلِ ] [ مسلم، الفضائل، باب إثبات حوض نبینا صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم وصفاتہ : ۲۳۰۰ ] "By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (peace be upon him)! Its vessels are more than the stars in the sky, and remember! the stars on a dark and cloudless night. The vessels of Paradise are such that whoever drinks from them will never be thirsty, until the end of that time which will pass over it. Two streams from Paradise fall into this pond, whoever drinks from it will never be thirsty, its width is equal to its length, as much as the distance from Oman to Aylah. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey."

➎ Another meaning of Kawthar has also been given. The famous Imam of Fiqh, Ibn Jinni, in connection with the verse: « اِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْاَبْتَرُ », has interpreted {’’ الْكَوْثَرَ ‘‘} to mean { ’’ ذُرِّيَّةٌ كَثِيْرَةٌ ‘‘} (many descendants). The disbelievers of Quraysh and those who were hostile to you used to say that you are "abtar" (without offspring), and when you die, we will be rid of you. Allah said, We have granted you Kawthar, i.e., abundant offspring. The reference is to the offspring of Fatimah, because the offspring of a daughter is also, according to the Qur'an, considered offspring, as Allah said: «وَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهٖ دَاوٗدَ وَ سُلَيْمٰنَ » [الأنعام : ۸۴] "And from his (Ibrahim's) descendants, We guided Dawud and Sulaiman." After mentioning the names of several prophets, He said: « وَ زَكَرِيَّا وَ يَحْيٰى وَ عِيْسٰى وَ اِلْيَاسَ» [الأنعام :۸۵] "That is, from his (Ibrahim's) descendants, We guided Zakariya, Yahya, Isa, and Ilyas." It is clear that Isa (peace be upon him) is also among the descendants of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), although he had no father at all, but he is the offspring of Ibrahim's daughter Maryam. It is clear that a person's daughter's children are also his children. (Qasimi) This meaning, i.e., abundant offspring, is also included in the meaning of {’’ الْكَوْثَرَ ‘‘} as explained by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), i.e., abundant good, and it also fits with {’’ الْاَبْتَرُ ‘‘ }.