Qur'an and Tafsir, Surah 108
الكوثر
Abundance
A father buries his son. His enemies call him finished. The reply is three lines long.
3 ayat, Makkan, Draft written with AI help: awaiting scholar review
Makkah
The Prophet ﷺ loses a young son.
Among the Arabs, a name lived through sons. A man without one was called abtar: cut off.
Leaders of Quraysh, Makkah's ruling tribe, say it of him: no heir, soon forgotten.
Journey map
Al-Kawthar 108:1The reply does not open with the insult. It opens with a gift.
إِنَّآ أَعۡطَيۡنَٰكَ ٱلۡكَوۡثَرَ ١
1 Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muḥammad], al-Kawthar.
Where scholars differ
What is al-Kawthar? A river in Paradise, hadith say. All the good the Prophet ﷺ was given, said Ibn 'Abbas. His student Sa'id ibn Jubayr joined the two: the river is part of that good.
The story behind it
Anas ibn Malik reported: the Prophet ﷺ dozed in the mosque, then lifted his head, smiling. Asked why, he said a surah had just been revealed to him. Then he recited al-Kawthar.
Al-Kawthar 108:2Then what to do about the gift. No reply to the mockers.
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنۡحَرۡ ٢
2 So pray to your Lord and offer sacrifice [to Him alone].
The word
The Arabic for "sacrifice" here is nahr: the way a camel is slaughtered. Ma'ariful Qur'an notes that camels were what the Arabs generally offered.
Al-Kawthar 108:3Last, the mockers' own word, handed back.
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلۡأَبۡتَرُ ٣
3 Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off.
Where scholars differ
Early reports of the taunt name different men: al-'As ibn Wa'il most often, also 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt, Abu Lahab, and Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf. The surah itself names nobody.
A closer look
The mockers said the Prophet ﷺ would be forgotten. Their own names survive, Ma'ariful Qur'an points out, mainly because commentaries on this surah need them to explain it.
Reflect, just for you
Seen by lamplight. It gives more each time.
A father buries his son. His enemies call him finished. The reply is three lines long.