Surah Al-Kauthar is a Meccan Surah with three verses. Kauthar means The Abundance. The Surah takes its name from the word Kauthar which appears in the first verse.
Surah Al-Kauthar was revealed when the Prophet pbuh was passing through extremely discouraging conditions and tough time in Makkah. It was the time when Prophet pbuh went through the most trying conditions when the whole nation had turned hostile, there was resistance and opposition on every side, and the Prophet pbuh and a handful of his Companions did not see any remote chances of success.
Such were the conditions in which Allah sent down Surah Al-Kauthar and consoled the Prophet pbuh as well as foretold the destruction of his opponents. The disbelieving Quraish used to say, “Muhammad is cut off from his community and reduced to a powerless and helpless individual.”
And also, “Muhammad is cut off from his people as a tree is cut off from its root, which might fall to the ground any moment.”
Whenever the Prophet pbuh was mentioned before As bin Wail As-Sehmi, the chief of Makkah, he used to say: “Let him alone for he is only a childless man (abtar) with no male offspring. When he dies, there will be no one to remember him.”
The Arabs used to call someone as Abtar who is being cut off from the roots. When Prophet pbuh lost his two sons, first Qasim and then Abdullah, the enemies considered him to be an abtar and they thought that as Prophet pbuh lineage is being cut off, there will be no one in future to remember him and his name will be lost. This Surah declares clearly to the enemies with such a mentality that it is not the Allah’s Messenger pbuh to be abtar but those all will perish who claimed all this nonsense.
The Quraish were angry with the Prophet pbuh because he worshiped and served only Allah and denounced their idolatry publicly. For this very reason Prophet pbuh was deprived of the rank, esteem and honor that he enjoyed among his people before Prophethood and was now as cut off from his community. The handful of his Companions also were helpless, poor people who were being persecuted and tyrannized. Furthermore, he was bereaved by the death of two sons, one after the other, whereat the near relatives and the people of his clan, brotherhood and neighborhood were rejoicing and uttering such words as were disheartening and disturbing for a noble person who had treated even his enemies most kindly. At this Allah just in one sentence of this brief Surah gave him the good news, better news than which has never been given to any man in the world, besides the decision that it will be his opponents who will be cut off from their root and not he.
This little verse was a soothing feeling to console the heart of Prophet pbuh in he heat of toughest of times. When the enemy thought that Muhammad pbuh will be left empty handed with no name, generation, mission and no one will remember him, Allah very clearly and decisively intervened that Allah gave His Messenger pbuh The Kauthar. The word Kauthar is so vast, so deep that it can not be translated in any language of the world to its rights. Kauthar simply means A lot of abundance and blessings!
And the history is a clear proof how Allah uplifted his Messenger pbuh, the enemies thought that name of Muhammad pbuh will perish, now the most honourable man known on earth is Muhammad pbuh, Muslim or Non muslim every person knows his name. The enemies claimed no generation for Prophet pbuh, yet millions and billions of his followers take his message of Deen further and will continue till Akhirat. The rest every incident of Prophet pbuh life showed his ultimate victory whether it be battles, worldy matters, his spirituality, he being blessed with the greatest miracle The Quran and so much that is immense.
And in Akhirat…
➖And in Akhirat Prophet pbuh will be blessed with the River in Paradise which is called Kauthar. It’s unimaginably beautiful!
Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet pbuh said: “The Kauthar is a river in Paradise the banks of which are golden; it flows on pearls and diamonds (i.e. its bed has diamonds instead of pebbles); its earth smells sweeter than musk; its water is whiter than milk (or snow), cooler than snow and sweeter than honey.”
(Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
➖And also the Fountain of Kauthar will be granted to Prophet pbuh, which he will be given on the Resurrection Day in the Plain of Assembly (maidaan-e-hashr). From where he pbuh himself will give water to His Ummah.
This Fountain will be granted to him on the Resurrection Day when there will be the cry of al-atash, al-atash (thirst, thirst!) on every side. The Prophet’s pbuh Ummah will gather together before him at it and will be watered thereby. He himself will be the first to arrive at it and will be occupying the central position.
Prophet pbuh said: “This is a Fountain at which my Ummah will assemble on the Resurrection Day.” (Muslim)
According to the description of it given by the Prophet pbuh its water will be whiter than milk (according to other traditions whiter than silver, and according to still others, whiter than snow), cooler than snow, sweeter than honey; the earth of its bed will be more fragrant than musk; the water jugs set at it will be as numerous as the stars in the sky; the one who drinks from it would never thirst; and the one who is deprived of it will never have his thirst satisfied.
Here Allah commands the Prophet pbuh that, “O Prophet, when your Lord has granted you so many and so splendid blessings, then you should perform the Prayer only for His sake and offer sacrifice only for His sake.” This command was given in the environment when not only the pagans of Quraish but the pagans of entire Arabia and the world worshiped their self-made gods and offered sacrifices at their shrines. Therefore, the purpose of this command is contrary to the polytheistic practices, that Prophet pbuh should remain steadfast to his creed means your Prayer is only for Allah and your sacrifice also is for Him alone! Because it is Allah Who grants these blessings, therefore, prayer, worship and sacrifice should be for Allah Alone.
The disbelieving Quraish called the Prophet pbuh abtar (as described in introduction of this Surah) At this, Allah said: “O Prophet, not you but your enemies are abtar.” This was not merely a “reprisal”, but a prophecy out of the most important prophecies of the Quran, which literally proved true. It was the time when the people regarded Prophet pbuh as abtar, and no one could imagine how the big chiefs of the Quraish would become abtar, who were famous not only in Makkah but throughout Arabia, who were successful in life, rich in worldly wealth and children, who had their associates and helpers everywhere in the country, who enjoyed intimate relations with all the Arabian tribes, being monopolists in trade and managers of Hajj. But not long afterwards the conditions altogether changed. And their names were perished forever, and Prophet’s pbuh name lived therefore forever! History has proved that not the Prophet Muhammad pbuh but his enemies were, and are, abtar!
03*********
03*********
