Surah al-Kawthar (Abundant Goodness) (1)

A Makkan surah (2)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

“Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar.” (1)

“Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar.” Isma‘il ibn Abd al-Qahir informed us; Abd al-Ghafir ibn Muhammad informed us; Muhammad ibn Isa al-Huludi informed us; Ibrahim ibn Muhammad 202/a ibn Sufyan narrated to us; Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj narrated to us; Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Ali ibn Mushir narrated to us from al-Mukhtar—meaning Ibn Fulful—from Anas, who said:

One day, while the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was among us, he dozed off briefly. He then raised his head, smiling, and we said, “What has made you laugh, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “A surah has just been revealed to me.” He then recited:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice. Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off.”

He then said, “Do you know what al-Kawthar is?” We said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “It is a river which my Lord, exalted is He, has promised me, containing abundant goodness. It is a basin to which my nation will come on the Day of Resurrection. Its vessels are as numerous as the stars. Then a servant from among them will be snatched away, and I will say, ‘My Lord, he is one of my people.’ He will say, ‘You do not know what he introduced after you.’” (3)

Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Nu‘aymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Isma‘il narrated to us; Amr ibn Muhammad narrated to us; Hushaym narrated to us; Abu Bishr and Ata ibn al-Sa’ib narrated to us from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, who said: “Al-Kawthar is the abundant goodness that Allah granted him.”

Abu Bishr said: I said to Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, “Some people claim that it is a river in Paradise.” Sa‘id replied, “The river in Paradise is part of the goodness that Allah granted him.” (4)