by the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, since he receives a reward equal to that person’s for fulfilling what was commanded. To Allah all creation will return, and with Him rests their reckoning. He knows their condition best—that is, the circumstances of His servants. His intercession is for those of his community who commit major sins. Whoever does good does so only because Allah enables him, while the wrongdoer has neither a defence nor an excuse.

The point is that al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise, and it forms part of the abundant good Allah has granted His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, in this world and the Hereafter. This is in addition to the reward Allah grants him equal to the rewards of his community until the Day of Resurrection. Thus, whenever anyone reads, acquires knowledge, performs a righteous deed, teaches another, gives charity, performs Hajj, undertakes jihad, guards the frontiers, repents, remains patient, places his trust in Allah, or attains any spiritual station of the heart—such as reverent awe, fear, knowledge of Allah, or anything else—the Messenger receives a reward equal to his, without diminishing that person’s reward in any way. And Allah knows best.

As for His words:

“So pray to your Lord and sacrifice.”

Allah commanded him to combine these two great acts of worship: prayer and sacrifice. Both express nearness to Allah, humility, dependence upon Him, thinking well of Him, firm certainty, and the heart’s peaceful trust in Allah, His assurance, His command, His bounty, and His recompense. This is the opposite of the condition of those marked by arrogance and aversion, who consider themselves independent of Allah: those who bring no need before their Lord in prayer to ask Him to fulfil, and who do not offer sacrifices to Him out of fear of poverty, unwillingness to help the poor and give to them, and ill thoughts of their Lord. This is why Allah joined the two together in His words, Exalted is He:

“Say,