(إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـكَ الْكَوْثَرَ)
(1. Verily, We have granted you Al-Kawthar.)
(فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ)
(2. Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice.)
(إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الاٌّبْتَرُ)
(3. For he who hates you, he will be cut off.)
Muslim, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i, all recorded from Anas
that he said, "While we were with the Messenger of Allah in the Masjid, he
dozed off into a slumber. Then he lifted his head smiling. We said, `O
Messenger of Allah! What has caused you to laugh' He said,
«لَقَدْ أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ آنِفًا سُورَة»
(Verily, a Surah was just revealed to me.) Then he
recited,
﴿إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـكَ الْكَوْثَرَ
- فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ - إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الاٌّبْتَرُ ﴾
(Verily, We have granted you Al-Kawthar. Therefore turn
in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice. For he who hates you, he will be cut off.)
Then he said,
«أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْكَوْثَرُ؟»
(Do you all know what is Al-Kawthar) We said, `Allah and
His Messenger know best.' He said,
«فَإِنَّهُ نَهَرٌ وَعَدَنِيهِ رَبِّي عَزَّ
وَجَلَّ،عَلَيْهِ خَيْرٌ كَثِيرٌ، هُوَ حَوْضٌ تَرِدُ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ،
آنِيَتُهُ عَدَدُ النُّجُومِ فِي السَّمَاءِ، فَيُخْتَلَجُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْهُمْ فَأَقُولُ:
رَبِّ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي، فَيَقُولُ: إِنَّكَ لَا تَدْرِي مَا أَحْدَثَ بَعْدَك»
(Verily, it is a river that my Lord, the Mighty and Majestic,
has promised me and it has abundant goodness. It is a pond where my Ummah will
be brought to on the Day of Judgement. Its containers are as numerous as the
stars in the sky. Then a servant of Allah from among them will be (prevented
from it) and I will say: "O Lord! Verily, he is from my Ummah
(followers).'' Then He (Allah) will say: "Verily, you do not know what he
introduced (or innovated) after you.)'' This is the wording of Muslim. Ahmad
recorded this Hadith from Muhammad bin Fudayl, who reported from Al-Mukhtar bin
Fulful, who reported it from Anas bin Malik. Imam Ahmad also recorded from Anas
that the Messenger of Allah said,
«دَخَلْتُ الْجَنَّةَ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِنَهْرٍ
حَافَتَاهُ خِيَامُ اللُّؤْلُؤِ، فَضَرَبْتُ بِيَدِي إِلَى مَا يَجْرِي فِيهِ الْمَاءُ،
فَإِذَا مِسْكٌ أَذْفَرُ، قُلْتُ: مَاهَذَا يَا جِبْرِيلُ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا الْكَوْثَرُ
الَّذِي أَعْطَاكَهُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَل»
(I entered Paradise and I came to a river whose banks had
tents made of pearls. So I thrust my hand into its flowing water and found that
it was the strongest (smell) of musk. So I asked, "O Jibril! What is
this'' He replied, "This is Al-Kawthar which Allah, the Mighty and
Majestic has given you.'') Al-Bukhari recorded this in his Sahih, and so did
Muslim, on the authority of Anas bin Malik. In their version Anas said,
"When the Prophet was taken up to the heaven, he said,
«أَتَيْتُ عَلَى نَهْرٍ حَافَتَاهُ قِبَابُ
اللُّؤْلُؤِ الْمُجَوَّفِ فَقُلْتُ: مَا هَذَا يَا جِبْرِيلُ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا الْكَوْثَر»
(I came to a river whose banks had domes of hollowed
pearl. I said: "O Jibril! What is this'' He replied: "This is
Al-Kawthar.'')'' This is the wording of Al-Bukhari. Ahmad recorded from Anas
that a man said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is Al-Kawthar'' He replied,
«هُوَ نَهْرٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَعْطَانِيهِ رَبِّي،
لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ بَيَاضًا مِنَ اللَّبَنِ، وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ، فِيهِ طُيُورٌ
أَعْنَاقُهَا كَأَعْنَاقِ الْجُزُر»
(It is a river in Paradise which my Lord has given me. It
is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. There are birds in it whose necks
are (long) like carrots.) `Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah! Verily, they
(the birds) will be beautiful.'' The Prophet replied,
«آكِلُهَا أَنْعَمُ مِنْهَا يَا عُمَر»
(The one who eats them (i.e., the people of Paradise)
will be more beautiful than them, O `Umar.) Al-Bukhari recorded from Sa`id bin
Jubayr that Ibn `Abbas said about Al-Kawthar, "It is the good which Allah
gave to him (the Prophet).'' Abu Bishr said, "I said to Sa`id bin Jubayr,
`Verily, people are claiming that it is a river in Paradise.''' Sa`id replied,
`The river which is in Paradise is part of the goodness which Allah gave
him.''' Al-Bukhari also recorded from Sa`id bin Jubayr that Ibn `Abbas said,
"Al-Kawthar is the abundant goodness.'' This explanation includes the
river and other things as well. Because the word Al-Kawthar comes from the word
Kathrah (abundance) and it (Al-Kawthar) linguistically means an abundance of
goodness. So from this goodness is the river (in Paradise). Imam Ahmad recorded
from Ibn `Umar that the Messenger of Allah said,
«الْكَوْثَرُ نَهْرٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ حَافَتَاهُ
مِنْ ذَهَبٍ، وَالْمَاءُ يَجْرِي عَلَى اللُّؤْلُؤِ، وَمَاؤُهُ أَشَدُّ بَيَاضًا مِنَ
اللَّبَنِ، وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَل»
(Al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise whose banks are of
gold and it runs over pearls. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than
honey.) This Hadith was recorded in this manner by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn
Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir. At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih.'' Then Allah
says,
﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ
﴾
(Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice.)
meaning, `just as We have given you the abundant goodness in this life and the
Hereafter -- and from that is the river that has been described previously --
then make your obligatory and optional prayer, and your sacrifice (of animals)
solely and sincerely for your Lord. Woship Him alone and do not associate any
partner with him. And sacrifice pronouncing His Name alone, without ascribing
any partner to Him.' This is as Allah says,
﴿قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِى وَنُسُكِى
وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ - لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ
أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴾
(Say: "Verily, my Salah, my sacrifice, my living,
and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of all that exists. He has no partner. And
of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.'')
(6:162-163) Ibn `Abbas, `Ata,' Mujahid, `Ikrimah and Al-Hasan all said,
"This means with this the Budn should be sacrificed.'' Qatadah, Muhammad
bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi, Ad-Dahhak, Ar-Rabi`, `Ata' Al-Khurasani, Al-Hakam, Isma`il
bin Abi Khalid and others from the Salaf have all said the same. This is the
opposite of the way of the idolators, prostrating to other than Allah and
sacrificing in other than His Name. Allah says,
﴿وَلاَ تَأْكُلُواْ مِمَّا لَمْ
يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ﴾
(And do not eat from what Allah's Name has not been
pronounced over, indeed that is Fisq.) (6:121)