108. Abundance
تفسير سورة الكوثر
This sūrah was revealed as a consolation to the Prophet ﷺ, informing him of the glad tidings prepared for him.
With the name of Allāh, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful.
We have given you, O Muḥammad, an abundance of everlasting goodness, in this world and the hereafter alike. We have given you prophethood and the Qurʾān, wisdom and knowledge. We have given you al-shafāʿah, the intercession, as well as the praised station. We have given you an abundance of followers and victory over your enemies, many unexpected victories, and many other favours besides.1
From this abundance of goodness, We have also given you the river al-Kawthar, a river in Jannah. Its banks are made of gold, and its bed of pearls and rubies. Its dirt is purer than musk, and its water sweeter than honey and whiter than milk.2 Whoever drinks a single sip from it will never be thirsty again. It is a river that We have promised you, and there is an abundance of good in it. It is a fountain that your ummah will come to on the Day of Resurrection, with tumblers as numerous as the stars.3
Offer ṣalāh, then, to your Lord, who has given you an abundance of goodness and gathered every good thing for you. Sacrifice the camel, the pride of the Arabs and the best of their wealth. Sacrifice as thanks to your Lord for what He has chosen for you of goodness and honour.
Pray to your Lord alone, and not as the idolaters do, whose prayer is nothing more than whistling and clapping.4 Sacrifice for your Lord alone, and not for any other. Be not like the idolaters who sacrifice for their idols. Pray, then, to your Lord alone, and sacrifice for your Lord alone, with sincerity.
It is those who have angered you, O Muḥammad, whose traces are cut off from every good.
When Qāsim, the son of the Prophet ﷺ, passed away, al-ʿĀṣ b. Wāʾil told his fellows to leave the Prophet ﷺ alone, since he was abtar, cut off, with no son to carry his name and his message; once the Prophet ﷺ died, al-ʿĀṣ said, he would be forgotten. This sūrah was then revealed, declaring that it is in fact al-ʿĀṣ b. Wāʾil who is abtar: for though he had many sons, he is cut off from the mercy of Allāh. The truth of this is plain today: his name is mentioned only in curses, while the remembrance of the Prophet ﷺ remains until the end of time. The blessed name of the Prophet ﷺ is on the tongues of Muslims daily, in the call to the five daily prayers, in the prayers themselves, and on pulpits all around the globe. He has many believers who follow and love him, and they will continue to do so until the Day of Judgement. Though the Prophet ﷺ left no sons, these believers are like sons to him, and they are the true bearers of his name and his teachings.