سورة الكوثر

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) interpreted الْکَوْثَرَ [al-Kawthar] as abundant good.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When إِنَّا أَعْطَیْنَاکَ الْکَوْثَرَ [Indeed We have granted you al-Kawthar] was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said to him: "What is الْکَوْثَرَ [al-Kawthar], O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)?" He said: "It is a river with which Allah has honoured me." Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed it is a noble river. Describe it for us, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)!" He said: "Certainly, O Ali (peace be upon him)! Al-Kawthar is a river that flows beneath the Throne of Allah the Exalted. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey and softer than butter. Its pebbles are of chrysolite, ruby and coral, its grass is saffron, its soil is strongly-scented musk, and its foundations are beneath the Throne of Allah — may His remembrance be exalted and majestic." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) placed his hand on the side of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and said: "O Ali (peace be upon him)! This river is for me, for you, and for those who love you after me."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): الْکَوْثَرَ [al-Kawthar] is a river in Paradise whose depth into the earth is seventy thousand parasangs. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, its two banks are of pearl, chrysolite and ruby. Allah the Exalted has singled it out for His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and his Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and not for any of the other prophets.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) when he was asked about the Pond. He said: "Since you have asked me about the Pond, I will inform you of it. Indeed Allah the Exalted has, through it, distinguished and honoured me above the other prophets. Its expanse is like the distance between Ayla and Sana'a, and two channels of water flow into it. The water of the two is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Anas ibn Malik said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) say: When I was taken by night to the seventh heaven, Jibril (peace be upon him) said to me: 'Come forward, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)!' Then he showed me al-Kawthar and said: 'O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! This Kawthar is for you and not for the other prophets.' Upon al-Kawthar I saw many palaces of pearl, ruby and gem. Jibril (peace be upon him) said: 'O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! These palaces are your dwellings and the dwellings of your vizier and successor, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and his righteous descendants.' Then I struck my hand upon the stones beside al-Kawthar and smelt them, and I found that they were of musk, and before me I saw palaces of which one brick was of gold and another of silver.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Forty Jewish men went out of Madinah ... They said to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): 'Nuh (peace be upon him) was superior to you.' The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Why do you say this?' They said: 'Because he rode the ship and his ship passed over Mount al-Judi.' The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Something superior to that has been given to me.' They said: 'What is that?' He said: 'Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has granted me a river in Paradise which flows beneath the Throne, and upon it are a thousand thousand palaces, of which one brick is of gold and another of silver, its grass is saffron, its pebbles are gems and rubies, and its earth is white musk, and that is a merit for me and for my ummah, and this is the word of Allah the Exalted who said: إِنَّا أَعْطَیْنَاکَ الْکَوْثَرَ [Surely We have given you Kawthar].' They said: 'You have spoken the truth, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! This is written in the Tawrat, and this merit is superior to that.'

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Muhammad ibn Ajlan and Zayd ibn Ali said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: I was sleeping in the Hijr when Jibril came to me and gently shook me. Then he said to me: 'May Allah pardon you, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), come forward.' I came forward and saw a river whose two banks were of pearl and ruby, whiter than silver, sweeter than honey, and more fragrant than spread musk. He said: 'I struck it with my hand and found its clay to be like musk-i dhafrah (the name of a plant).' He said: Jibril came to me and said: 'O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), what river is this?' He said, I said: 'What river is this, O Jibril?' He said: 'This is your river and spring, and it is the same spring which Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has spoken of: إِنَّا أَعْطَیْنَاکَ الْکَوْثَرَ [Surely We have given you Kawthar].'

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) — Yusuf ibn Mazin al-Rasibi narrated: [When Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) made peace with Muawiya, he was reproached. He said:...] The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) saw in a dream that the Banu Umayya, one after another, were delivering sermons [from his pulpit]! The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) became sorrowful from this dream, and Jibril came to him and brought Surah إِنَّا أَعْطَیْنَاکَ الْکَوْثَرَ [Indeed We have given you al-Kawthar] and Surah إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِی لَیْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ [Indeed We sent it down on the Night of Decree]; (Qadr/1).

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) — Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When إِنَّا أَعْطَیْنَاکَ الْکَوْثَرَ [Indeed We have given you al-Kawthar] was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) went up onto the pulpit and recited this Surah to the people. When he came down from the pulpit, they said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! What is this Kawthar that Allah has bestowed upon you?" He said: "It is a river in Paradise, whiter than milk and straighter than an unshaped arrow. Its banks are hills of pearls and rubies, and green birds with necks like the necks of stout camels come down to it." They said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! What excellent birds!" He said: "Shall I inform you of something better than those birds?" They said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)!" He said: "The one who eats of those birds and drinks of that water and attains the good pleasure of Allah."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) — Husayn ibn A'yan said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "When a person says to another, 'May Allah reward you with khayr (good),' what is the meaning of 'khayr'?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Khayr is the name of a river in Paradise whose source is al-Kawthar, and al-Kawthar's source is from the leg of the Throne, and upon that river are built the dwellings of the awsiya (successors) and their Shia, and on the two banks of this river spring up maidens such that whenever one of them is plucked another springs up in her place, and they are named after that river [Khayr]. This is the meaning of the verse: فِیهِنَّ خَیْرَاتٌ حِسَانٌ [In them are good, beautiful ones]. (Rahman/70) And the intent of the one who says جَزَاکَ اللهُ خَیْرًا [May Allah reward you with khayr] is those very dwellings which Allah has prepared for His chosen and righteous ones."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) — Abdullah ibn Abbas said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) say: "Allah the Exalted bestowed five things upon me and five things upon Ali (peace be upon him): to me He granted jawami' al-kalim (the comprehensive words) and to Ali (peace be upon him) He granted jawami' al-'ilm (the comprehensive knowledge); He made me a prophet and made Ali (peace be upon him) a wasi (successor); He granted me al-Kawthar and granted Ali (peace be upon him) al-Salsabil; He granted me revelation and granted Ali (peace be upon him) inspiration; He took me by night to Himself, and opened for Ali (peace be upon him) the gates of the heavens and lifted the veils, until he looked upon me and I looked upon him."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Allah has granted me a river in the sky whose course is beneath the Throne. Upon it are one million palaces — one brick of gold and one brick of silver. Its grass is saffron, its pebbles are pearls and rubies, and its ground is of white musk. This is better for me and for my ummah, and this is what is referred to in the verse: إِنَّا أَعْطَیْناکَ الْکَوْثَرَ [Surely We have given you al-Kawthar], as they said.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): I set off with Jibra'il and entered al-Bayt al-Ma'mur (the Frequented House), and I prayed two rak'ahs in it. With me were a group of my companions wearing new clothes, and another group wearing old, worn clothes. First those wearing the new clothes entered, and those wearing the worn clothes were held back. Then I went out, and two rivers appeared to me: one called al-Kawthar and the other called al-Rahmah (mercy). I drank from al-Kawthar and bathed in al-Rahmah. Then both rivers submitted to me until I entered Paradise.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): The generous person is beloved in the heavens and beloved on the earth; he is created from sweet clay, and the water of his eyes is created from the water of al-Kawthar. The miser is hated in the heavens and hated on the earth; he is created from salty, barren clay, and the water of his eyes is created from the water of the awsaj (boxthorn).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever does not believe in my Hawd (pool), Allah will not admit him to my Hawd.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Abbas said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to the people during Hajjat al-Wada' in Masjid al-Khayf: "I will precede you, and you will come upon me at the Hawd (pool) — a pool whose breadth is the distance from here to San'a; in it are cups of silver equal to the number of the stars."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) was asked about the Hawd. He said: "Since you have asked, I will inform you. Indeed the Hawd — Allah has honoured me with it and favoured me with it over all the prophets who came before me. It is the distance between Ayla and San'a. In it are vessels for drinking equal to the number of the stars of the sky. Two great streams of water flow into it. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. Its pebbles are emerald and ruby; its ground is misk adhfar (musk of the finest fragrance). It is a condition laid down by my Lord that none of my Ummah shall come to it except those whose hearts are pure and whose intentions are sound, those who submit to my wasi (successor) after me — those who give what is due from them with ease and do not take what is due to them with hardship. On the Day of Resurrection, my wasi will drive away from it anyone who is not from his Shi'a, just as a man drives away a mangy camel from his herd. Whoever drinks from it will never thirst again."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): My Hawd (pool) lies between the land of "Adan" and "Amman al-Balqa".

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Anas said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) dozed off briefly. Then he raised his head smiling. We asked: "What has made you laugh, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "A moment ago a Surah was revealed to me." Then he recited Surah al-Kawthar: "بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیمِ* إِنَّا أَعْطَیْناکَ الْکَوْثَرَ* فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّکَ وَ انْحَرْ* إِنَّ شانِئَکَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ [In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. Indeed We have granted you al-Kawthar. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice. Indeed your enemy — the one who reviles you (Aas ibn Wa'il) — he is the one cut off (without progeny), (and know that your progeny will remain in abundance and honour until the Day of Resurrection)]." After reciting the noble verse, he turned to those present and said: "Do you know what al-Kawthar is?" We said: "Allah and His Messenger know best the reality of al-Kawthar." He said: "al-Kawthar is the name of a river which Allah has promised me, and from which He grants me much good. al-Kawthar is the very Hawd around which, on the Day of Resurrection, my Ummah will gather. Vessels have been placed around it so that my followers may drink from the water of al-Kawthar through them; those vessels are equal to the number of the stars! At that moment, one of the servants comes to the edge of the Hawd of al-Kawthar to drink water, but he is prevented from drinking the water of al-Kawthar. I say: 'O my Lord! This person is from my Ummah!' Allah the Exalted replies: 'You do not know what they brought about after your departure!'"

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "Jibra'il (peace be upon him) showed me my dwellings and the dwellings of my Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) in Paradise on the bank of al-Kawthar."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): What is meant by al-Kawthar is intercession.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Humran ibn A'yan narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) performed the noon prayer, then turned toward Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and said: "O Ali (peace be upon him)! What is this light that I see has enveloped you?" Ali (peace be upon him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Last night I was in a state of janabah (ritual impurity). I went out into the desert but found no water. When I turned back, a caller called out to me: 'O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)!' When I turned, I saw behind me a vessel brimming with water and a golden basin brimming with water, and I performed ghusl from it." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Ali (peace be upon him)! The one who called out was Jibra'il (peace be upon him), and that water was from a river called al-Kawthar, upon which there are twelve thousand trees, and each tree has three hundred and sixty branches. When the people of Paradise desire delight, a breeze blows and those trees and branches — each one becomes sweeter in sound than the other. Such that, had Allah the Blessed and Exalted not decreed for the people of Paradise that they shall not die, they would have died out of joy from the intensity of the sweetness of those sounds. That river is in the eternal Paradise, and it belongs to me, to you, to Fatimah (peace be upon her), and to Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), and no one else has any share in it."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I am in the service of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and my progeny are with me at the pool of al-Kawthar. Whoever wishes to find us, let him act by our command and take up our conduct. For every family there is a noble one. For us there is intercession, and whoever loves us has intercession. Hasten toward meeting us. At the pool of al-Kawthar we drive away our enemies and give our friends and awliya' (loved ones) to drink to their fill. Whoever drinks a single draught of that water will never thirst again. Our pool is brimming with water, and two abundant streams from Paradise pour into it — one from the river Tasnim and the other from the river Ma'in. Along its banks are saffron, and pearls and rubies. That is the pool of al-Kawthar.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): O Ali (peace be upon him), you are my brother, my minister, and the bearer of my banner in this world and the Hereafter, and you are the keeper of my pool. Whoever loves you loves me, and whoever bears enmity toward you bears enmity toward me.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Abi Harb ibn Abi al-Aswad al-Duali narrated from his father: I heard Imam Ali (peace be upon him) saying: By Allah, with these two short hands of mine I shall drive our enemies away from the pond of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and I shall bring in our friends.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): My friend, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), told me that I and my Shia shall come to the pond and be quenched, with white radiant faces, while our enemies shall come thirsty and parched, with black darkened faces. Keep the speech short: you will be resurrected with the one you love, and yours is the good you have earned.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ishaq ibn Jarir said that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "I said: The Arabs do not hate Ali (peace be upon him). Then I said: Perhaps you are one of those who deny the pond. By Allah, if you hate Ali (peace be upon him) and then come upon him at the pond, you will die of thirst."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn al-Asamm narrates from Mismaʿ Kirdin from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "One whose heart aches for us, at the time of his death he will rejoice so greatly that this joy will remain in his heart until he comes upon us at the pond of Kawthar. And the Kawthar itself rejoices at the arrival of the one who loves us because of the love he has for us, and gives him such varieties of food that he does not wish to leave from there. O Mismaʿ! Whoever drinks a single draught of the water of Kawthar will never thirst afterwards and will never suffer hardship afterwards. The water of Kawthar has the coolness of camphor, the fragrance of musk, the taste of ginger; it is sweeter than honey, softer than butter, clearer than a tear, and more fragrant than ambergris. It issues from the spring of Tasnim and passes through the rivers of Paradise, flowing over pebbles of pearl and ruby. The number of cups within the pond of Kawthar is greater than the number of the stars. The fragrance of the pond of Kawthar reaches from a distance of a thousand years' journey. Its cups are of gold and silver and jewels of various colours. It brings every good fragrance to the nostrils of the one who drinks from it. The one who drinks the water of Kawthar says: I wish I could remain right here and choose no substitute or replacement, and not be moved from here to any other place. O Mismaʿ! Is it not so that you will be quenched from that pond? No eye weeps for us but that it will be gladdened by looking upon the Kawthar. Whoever loves us shall drink from the water of Kawthar. Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) stands beside the pond of Kawthar with a staff of ʿawsaj [boxthorn] wood in his hand, driving our enemies away with it."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)— Anas said: One day I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and he said: "Indeed, al-Kawthar has been given to me." I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), what is al-Kawthar?" He said: "It is a river in Paradise whose width and length are as [great as] the distance between the east and the west. Whoever drinks from it will never thirst, and whoever performs ablution from it will never become defiled. No person who has broken my covenant and killed my Ahl al-Bayt will ever drink from it." The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: "By Allah who split the seed and brought forth living beings, when our friends come to the Pond, with these very two hands of mine I will drive the enemies away from it."