Tadabbur i Qur’ān

Sūrah al-Kawthar (108)

 Sūrah al-Kawthar (108)
Central Theme, Relationship with the Previous Sūrah and Glad Tidings to the Prophet (sws)
In Sūrah al-Mā‘ūn, the previous sūrah it is explained to the leaders of the Quraysh that they had
totally disregarded the purpose for which Abraham (sws) had settled his children in the
whereabouts of the Baytullāh, and for which he had prayed to the Almighty to bless them with
peace and sustenance. It is also pointed out that the Baytullāh had been built for the worship of
the One and Only God and to safeguard the rights of the poor and the orphans, but the people who
were at that time in charge of it were showing utter disregard to its objectives. Obviously, this
mention is directed at the false claim of the Quraysh, which they proudly cherished that being the
custodians of the Baytullāh they would be given special treatment by the Almighty and no one
would depose them. However, in the previous sūrah, they were only presented a charge sheet of
all their misdeeds; the punishment which they deserved had not been stated. It is in this sūrah that
their fate is separately depicted. The Prophet (sws) is addressed directly and given the glad tidings
that the Baytullāh has been taken away from these unscrupulous people and consigned to his
custody; he should therefore solely pray for the Almighty and offer sacrifice for Him only and
light the candle of monotheism in the Baytullāh. A warning has also been sounded to the
disbelievers that after being dislodged from the Baytullāh they will also be deprived of all the
favours they enjoyed on account of it and that finally they will be uprooted from the land. The
Almighty shall now shower these favours on those who will assume its responsibility and fulfil its
rights. They are the ones who, after rising to political ascendancy in the land, will befittingly
fulfil the objectives for which it was built. ۤ
This sūrah, as is indicated above, gives glad tidings to the Prophet (sws). The particle of stress ‫ﻧﺎ‬
ٰۡ ۡ
(We indeed) and the use of the past tense in ‫( ﻋﻄﻴﻨﻚ‬We have bestowed to you) is to express the
certainty of the promise. There are many examples of the use of this linguistic device in the Qur’ān.
Whatever has been decided by the Almighty is ultimate and no one can alter it. Therefore, even if
these decisions pertain to the future, they are mentioned in the past tense to express the certainty of
their occurrence, particularly when some good news about the future is to be conveyed.
At the end of the Makkan period, when the oppressive attitude of the disbelievers was reaching
its peak, many verses were revealed at various times in which the Prophet (sws) and the Muslims
were addressed and given glad tidings of victory and domination. This sūrah is one such
example. However, precisely because of this prediction, many commentators including my
mentor Imam Hamīd al-Dīn Farāhī hold that it was revealed during the truce of Hudaybiyyah. But
in my humble opinion, the sūrah was revealed just before the Prophet’s migration to Madīnah.
The glad tidings of a grand victory have been given in many sūrahs of the pre-migration period to
the Muslims to comfort and assure them, as can be seen in the last Makkan Sūrahs of each group;
needless to cite any example.
The Quraysh, right from the beginning, very well knew that their real point of difference with
432 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
the Prophet (sws) was the question of who among them was following the creed of Abraham
(sws). As a natural corollary of this difference, they maintained that only those who were the
heirs to Abraham’s true creed have the right to be the custodians of the Baytullāh. Their
arrogance in this regard had reached such an extent that they could not even tolerate the Prophet
(sws) and his Companions praying in the Baytullāh. On the other hand, the Muslims through the
Prophet’s mission and the message he was propagating were well aware that the Quraysh’s hold
on the Baytullāh was against all principles and to liberate the Baytullāh from their hold was the
real purpose of the Prophet’s mission.
The two parties also knew that whoever would be dissociated from the Baytullāh would be left
all by itself in Arabia and would have no place to go. Therefore, to comfort and solace the
Prophet (sws) and the Muslims at the time of the migration to Madīnah, it was necessary to
convey to them that they would definitely displace the Quraysh from the Baytullāh and take over
its guardianship; that the tussle which was going on with the Quraysh would culminate in their
success and that the Prophet of God would not be extirpated from the land as the Quraysh
contended; rather the enemies of the Prophet (sws) are the ones who would totally be humbled. In
fact, it was the glad tidings about God’s divine help in the future which made the grim and
exacting task of migration an easy undertaking for the Muslims and which otherwise, as every
one knows, was an extremely difficult affair.

Text and Translation

ۡ ‫ﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ‬
‫ﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬ ٰ ۡ !"‫ﺑﺴﻢ ٰﷲ‬ۡ
ۡ ۡ ‫﴾ ن ﺷﺎﻧﺌﻚ ﻫﻮ‬:٢﴿ ۡ ²‫﴾ ﻓﺼﻞ ﻟﺮﺑﻚ و ۡﻧ‬:١﴿ ‫ﻟﻜﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٰۡ ۡ ۤ
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻋﻄﻴﻨﻚ‬
﴾٣﴿ hž‫ﻵﻹﺑ‬ ‫ﻧﺎ‬
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful.
Upon you have We bestowed Kawthar; so pray only for your Lord and offer sacrifice only for
Him. Indeed, it is your enemy who shall be severed.

Explanation
ٰۡ ۡ ۤ
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻋﻄﻴﻨﻚ‬
1
﴾:١﴿ ‫ﻟﻜﻮﺛﺮ‬ ‫ﻧﺎ‬
‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٌ which means “wealth and affluence.” Therefore, ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
ٌ ْ is the intensive form of hª‫ﻛ‬ ٌ ْ would mean
“a lot of abundance” or “somebody having a lot abundance and affluence.” It is a noun and is used
as an adjective also.
According to linguistic principles, the word ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٌ ْ can have the following three meanings:
1. As a word which, in the course of its usage, has been transformed into a noun specifying
something named by the Almighty as ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٌ ْ .
2. It could be considered as an adjective of a qualified noun which has been suppressed
because, as an adjective, it specifies a particular noun so clearly that only its mention brings to
mind the noun it qualifies, or there exists a definite indication of this noun from within the
ٌ which is actually ‫ﺟﺮد‬
ٍ ْ Ug‫ﻣﺮد ﻋ‬
context. For example, it is said ‫ﺟﺮد‬ ٌ ‫رﺟﺎل‬
ٍ ْ ‫ ﺧﻴﻞ‬Ug‫ﻣﺮد ﻋ‬ ٌ
ٰ ٰ ‫ و‬which is actually
(young men on purely
ً
‫ذرو‬ ۡ ‫ﻟﺬرﻳﺖ‬
ٰ ٰ ‫( و ﻟﺮﻳﺎح‬By the winds that scatter dust).
bred horses). Similarly, consider the first verse of Sūrah al-Dhāriyāt:
ً ْ ‫ﻟﺬرﻳﺖ‬
‫ذرو‬

1. Upon you have We bestowed Kawthar.

 Sūrah al-Kawthar (108) 433
3. It can be regarded as a simple adjective having the general meaning it connotes. In such a
case, everything having immense good can be considered as its connotation. Although, because of
certain clear indications, it could imply definite objects.
Consider next, the meanings of the word attributed to it by our worthy commentators of the
past. Ibn Jarīr has mentioned three of them:2
ٌ ْ is a water channel in heaven. This is the opinion of ‘Ā’ishah (rta), Ibn ‘Abbās (rta), Ibn
(i) ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
Umar (rta), Anas (rta), Mujāhid and Abū al-‘Āliyah.
ٌ ْ means immense good. This is held by Ibn ‘Abbās (rta), Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr (rta), ‘Ikramah,
(ii) ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
Qatādah and Mujāhid.
ٌ ْ is a pond in heaven. This view is maintained by ‘Aṭā.
(iii) ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
There is not much difference between the first and third meanings cited above. The pond may
be of the water channel mentioned foremost. Only two possibilities now remain: either to regard
it as a word which denotes a specific thing, for example “a pond of paradise” or “a water channel
in heaven,” or to regard it as connoting everything which has unbounded good in it.
My mentor Imam Farāhī has aptly related the two meanings with each other making them the
same. By taking into consideration the context of the sūrah in the Qur’ān as well as certain
inherent testimonies, he opines that ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ٌ ْ means the Baytullāh, which due to various reasons is a
treasure of immense good and is a symbol of the pond of paradise in this world. This pond shall
be given to the Prophet (sws) in the next world.
Imam Farāhī’s arguments can be seen from the following extract from his exegesis:

It has been stated in the previous sections that our worthy commentators of the past do not
ٌ ْ means a pond of paradise. In fact, they have even gone on to include
differ on the fact that ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
in the meaning all possible things that can come within the sphere of “immense good,”
keeping in view the general meaning of the word and the past tense of the verse in which it
occurs. This would render a diversity in its meaning and make it stand for something that
actually possesses the attribute implicitly in its name. Precisely for this reason, the later
commentators, consider research in its meaning perfectly allowable.3 If it were some sort of
an innovation they would never have indulged in it nor would the early commentators have
differed in it. Therefore, if I interpret the word in a sense which unifies “the ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٌ ْ of the
ٌ ْ of this world,” I would not differ from these commentators just as they
heaven” and “the ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
do not actually differ from one another in its interpretation. The only difference would be that
they have generalized its meaning by including the water channel or the fountain of paradise
as well as everything which can be termed as “immense good” like the Qur’ān, wisdom,
Islam, and prophethood in its connotations, which actually have no similarity with the water
channel or the pond of Paradise. I would only include those things in “the ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ٌ ْ of this world”
which are similar in appearance to a water channel or a pond, whose reality and spiritual
aspects were revealed to the Prophet (sws) during the holy ascension.4

After this introduction, Imam Farāhī elaborates on the points which support his deduction. He

2. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi‘ al-Bayān, vol. 30, 320-323.

3. This refers to the interpretation of Imām Rāzī and that of some others which Imam Farāhī has cited in
his exegesis.
4. Farāhī, Majmū‘ah-i tafāsīr, 418.
434 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
says:

(1) It is an acknowledged fact that there is a natural desire and inclination in our souls to seek
the Almighty. Without this, the human soul cannot receive comfort and assurance. It is this
very aspect of human nature which is the cause of various religions …. Consider then what
else can be a better symbol for this natural yearning and eagerness than thirst? In the Psalms
of David (sws), this symbolic expression is repeatedly used. If this is correct, then think about
the devotees who gather round the Baytullāh during the days of ḥajj, overwhelmed with the
feelings of fondness and desire. Don’t they seem like people who have an intense craving for
thirst and have assembled around a pond to satisfy this longing? If this similarity is evident,
then, it would mean that the Baytullāh actually stands for them as the pond of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ْ where they
will gather on the Day of Judgement.

(2) The Prophet (sws) has compared our mosques to water channels. According to the Ṣaḥīḥ
of al-Bukhārī:

ً ْ ‫ﻳﻮم‬ ْ ْ ْ ْ ‫ر‬
‫ﺧﻤﺴﺎ‬ ٍ ْ ‫ﻐﺘﺴﻞ ﻓْﻴﻪ {ﻞ‬f ‫ﺣﺪ\ﻢ‬ ً ‫ﻳﺘﻢ ﻟﻮ ن‬
‫ﻧﻬﺮ ﺑﺒﺎب‬
Consider if someone among you has a water channel at his door in which he has a bath five
times everyday; will he remain dirty?5

The basic constituent of this parable also, is water. It not only quenches our thirst but also
cleanses us spiritually as well as physically. It is well known that the Baytullāh is the
fountainhead of all our prayers. On this basis, our mosques are indeed like the water canals of
this pond, through which we cleanse ourselves spiritually.

(3) Just as the congregation of ḥajj depicts the abundance of the Muslim ummah in relation to
ٌ ْ also will stand for their
people of other religions, likewise, their assembly at the pond of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
multitude, as is evident from certain Aḥādīth. The best possible way in which this great
number could have been depicted was to hold their congregation at a specific place. By this
gathering, other nations of the world estimate that what is present at the Baytullāh is only a
meagre yet vibrant drop of the boundless expanse of water spread all over the earth. So just
as the gathering of the Muslim ummah at the pond of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٌ ْ will depict their abundance in
relation to the people of other prophets, likewise their assembly at the Baytullah during ḥajj
ٌ ْ relates the two congregations.
portrays their abundance. Consider how aptly the word ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬

(4) The Prophet (sws) is reported to have said that he would recognize his people at the pond
ٌ ْ through the traces of water by which they performed ablutions. It is an allusion to the
of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
fact that only those who pay visit to the Baytullāh with a pure and sincere heart would be
present in the next world around his pond, which is actually the reality of this House.

(5) The Almighty made the conquest of Makkah the cause for the increase in magnitude of
the Muslim ummah; therefore, after the Prophet’s ḥajj people accepted faith in large numbers.

5. Al-Bukhārī, Al-Jāmi‘ al-ṣaḥīḥ, vol. 1, 197, (no. 505).

 Sūrah al-Kawthar (108) 435
ٌ ْ , the Almighty has also called the Baytullāh a blessed place. The
(6) Like, the fountain of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
Qur’ān says:
ۡ ٰۡ ً ً ٰ ۡ ‫ﺑﻴ ٍﺖ وﺿﻊ ﻟﻠﻨﺎس‬
ۡ ‫ن ول‬
(٩٦:٣) .op‫ﻟﻠﻌﻠﻤ‬ ‫{ﺎ و ﻫﺪي‬hi‫ﻟﻠﺬي ﺑﺒﻜﺔ ﻣ‬
Indeed, the first house ever built for men in which they could worship was that at Bakkah, a
blessed place, a beacon for the nations. (3:96)6

I have just briefly referred to Imam Farāhī’s views. For details, a study of his exegesis is
ٌ ْ is the true essence and spiritual reality of
necessary. He goes on to explain that the channel of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
the Baytullāh and its surroundings. He writes:
ٌ ْ which was shown to
If anyone reflects on the features and characteristics of the channel of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
the Prophet (sws) during the holy ascension, he will become aware of the fact that the
ٌ ْ is the spiritual manifestation of the Baytullāh and its surrounding atmosphere.
channel of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
The common element in the various Aḥādīth which describe ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٌ ْ is that it is a water channel
on whose sides are built palaces of hollow pearls. Its floor is of topazes, corals and rubies.
The utensils in it are like stars of the heavens, its water is whiter than milk, sweeter than
honey and cooler than ice. Its mud is more fragrant than musk. Birds whose necks are like
those of the animals of sacrifice descend on it. 7

As we move further in his exegesis, Imam Farāhī, invites us to contemplate on these

ٌ ْ .” He says:
observations and explains the similarity between the two “Ponds of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬

Stop for a moment and think of the fact when from all over the world caravans of devotees
and zealots gather around this blessed House to quench their fondness for the Almighty?
Elated spiritually, do not the pebbles of this holy valley seem more magnificent than rubies
and emeralds, its mud more fragrant than musk and the tents of the pilgrims around it more
beautiful than domes of pearls? Then just take a look at the pilgrims and at the lines of the
camels which are to be sacrificed. Are these not the swarms of the long necked birds near the
fountain?8

It is evident from these details that the Baytullāh is a figurative manifestation of the pond of
ٌ ْ . The Baytullāh will be granted to the believers in heaven in the form of the pond of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٌ ْ –
believers who offered its pilgrimage in the desire to reach this blessed pond. Since, at the time of
revelation of the sūrah the situation was not clear, only a reference has been made. The real
purpose was to give glad tidings to the Prophet (sws) that though his enemies are trying to
dislodge him from the Baytullāh, the Almighty has decided to grant this House to him, which not
only will be a source of immense good for him in this world but will also be a surety for the pond
ٌ ْ in the next.
of ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬

6. Farāhī, Majmū‘ah-i tafāsīr, 419-420.

7. Ibid., 421-422.
8. Ibid. 422.
436 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
ۡ
9
﴾:٢﴿ ۡ ²‫ﻓﺼﻞ ﻟﺮﺑﻚ و ﻧ‬
The verse states that the grant of the Almighty mentioned in the previous verse is subject to a
condition. Every right imposes an obligation and it only remains in force if this obligation is
fulfilled. It has already been indicated before that the Almighty had consigned the Baytullāh to
the Quraysh imposing a lot of responsibilities on them. Among them the prayer and infāq (which
is a specific form of sacrifice) occupy special importance. But the Quraysh had distorted and
disfigured both of them. They had corrupted sacrifice by associating other deities with God and
offering sacrifice for them as well. So here, where the Prophet (sws) is declared as the new
guardian of the Baytullāh, a reference has also been made to the two responsibilities his
predecessors had grossly failed to carry out and because of which they had actually been ousted
from its guardianship.
ْ
The word ٌ ²‫( ﻧ‬naḥr) has been used in the verse which signifies camel sacrifice. However, its
general connotation includes the sacrifice of other animals as well. Here this particular word has
been specifically used to point out that camel sacrifice was regarded very highly among the
followers of Abraham’s creed, which the Jews, due to their innovations had pronounced as
ْ
forbidden. Some people regard ٌ ²‫ ﻧ‬to imply the holding of hands at one’s chest during the prayer.
However, the context, which is a major factor in deciding the meaning of a word having various
connotations, does not at all support this view. Prayer and sacrifice are aptly mentioned here
ٌ ْ is figuratively used for the Baytullāh.
because the word ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
At most places in the Qur’ān, zakāḥ or infāq are mentioned adjacent to ṣalāh (the prayer), but
in this verse sacrifice is grouped with ṣalāh. The reason obviously is that just like that of ṣalāh,
the Baytullāh is also the centre of sacrifice. A special aspect of this sacrifice is that not only the
poor and needy but the pilgrims as well are provided with food. In other words, besides fulfilling
other spiritual objectives, this sacrifice is also a form of infāq.
10 ۡ ۡ ‫ن ﺷﺎﻧﺌﻚ ﻫﻮ‬
﴾٣﴿ hž‫ﻵﻹﺑ‬
This verse is an answer to the jeering predictions of the Quraysh chiefs about the Prophet’s
ٌ ْ of the two worlds and after
future. After giving him the glad tidings of being blessed with the ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
stating the responsibilities these privileges impose, the Almighty has reassured the Prophet (sws)
about the bright future of his message in this world as well as his success in the Hereafter. The
Qur’ān says that the Prophet’s enemies themselves shall be uprooted from the land – something
they intended to do with the Prophet (sws) and his companions. Urٌ ‫ ﺷﺎ‬means “enemy” while hž‫ﺑ‬ ٌ ْ
implies a person who is lost to posterity after death and leaves behind no one to even take his name.
The Quraysh were opposing and obstructing the Prophet’s mission with all their might in
Makkah, but in its whereabouts, particularly, Madīnah this mission was gaining momentum and
spreading rapidly. The Quraysh chiefs, quite naturally, felt that their masses would be influenced
by this swift penetration and might seriously believe in the severe warnings sounded by the
Qur’ān to the leaders of the Quraysh, particularly the Baytullāh’s custodians. They feared that
this might shatter their public’s confidence in their leadership; their sympathies might tilt in the
Prophet’s favour and not only strengthen his mission but also make them accept him as their new
leader. In order to avert this situation, they began predicting a disappointing and bleak future for

9. So pray only for your Almighty.

10. Indeed, your enemy shall be severed.
 Sūrah al-Kawthar (108) 437
the Prophet (sws) so that their people would not be awed by the fact that the Islamic movement
was gaining force day by day. They made up different stories in his regard. Seeing the
inclinations of the Anṣār towards him, they propagated in the masses the view that owing to his
new religion this person has been detached from his nation and the centre of his old religion (the
Baytullāh), and that if he now takes refuge in Madīnah with the Anṣār, cutting off himself from
the Quraysh, he would be like a severed branch of a tree which is bound to wither away. In the
time before the hijrah (migration to Madīnah), it was generally held by the people of Arabia that
if the Prophet (sws) would leave Makkah and his people, he would go to the Anṣār, because only
they were in a position to help and support him. On this very pretext, the Quraysh had even
warned certain tribes of the Anṣār, who had come to Makkah to pledge their allegiance, that their
oath would definitely entail war with the whole world. But these threats had had no effect on the
Anṣār and their devotion and respect for Islam and the Prophet (sws) only augmented day by day.
Seeing this state of affairs, the Quraysh were left with no hope of success in the propaganda they
had started – but then what else could they do except sowing seeds of dissension. Both, before
and after the migration, they tried to dupe their public that it would prove disastrous for the
Prophet (sws) and his mission would fade away. However, it was the prediction of the Qur’ān
which ultimately came true and the enemies of the Prophet (sws) were totally routed. He reaped
ٌ ْ of this world, and he will certainly be the foremost to reach the ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬
the blessings of the ‫ﻛﻮﺛﺮ‬ ٌ ْ of
Paradise to behold the abundance of his ummah.
ً ْ !"‫ﻓﺎﻟﺤﻤﺪ ٰﷲ‬
ً ْ ‫ﺣﻤﺪ‬
With these lines, I come to the end of the explanation of this sūrah. hp‫ﻛﺜ‬ ْ ْ (so, immense
gratitude be to God).

Lahore
8th May 1980 AD
24th Rajab 1400 AH

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