سورة الكوثر

Al-Kawthar means "Abundance". It is surah 108, and it is the shortest in the Qur'an: only 3 verses!

1. إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ Innaa a'ṭaynaaka l-kawthar We have given you Al-Kawthar (a great deal of good).

2. فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ Fa ṣalli li rabbika wanḥar So pray to your Lord, and offer a sacrifice.

3. إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ Inna shaani'aka huwa l-abtar It is the one who hates you who will be cut off.

The little lesson: Allah gave the Prophet ﷺ a great gift. The Prophet ﷺ explained that Al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise that Allah promised him. (Muslim 400) When Allah gives us something good, we thank Him by praying. And when someone makes fun of us for doing good, we stay calm: Allah is with those who do good (29:69).

Memorisation tip: it is the shortest surah, you can learn it in a single day! Say one verse in the morning, one at noon, one in the evening, then the whole surah before you sleep.

Understanding Surah Al-Kawthar

1. Explanation The books of tafsir report that enemies of the Prophet ﷺ made fun of him after his little sons died: they said he was "abtar", cut off, and that no one would remember him. [À VÉRIFIER : récit rapporté par les livres de tafsir] • Verse 1: Allah answers: "We have given you al-kawthar", an immense and abundant good. Part of this good is the river Al-Kawthar in Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ also spoke of his pool, where his community will come to drink on the Day of Resurrection. (Muslim 400) • Verse 2: how do we give thanks for such a great gift? By praying for Allah alone, and offering the sacrifice to Him alone. At that time, the idolaters offered their sacrifices to idols. For us today, this reminds us of our daily prayer and the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha. • Verse 3: the one who hates the Prophet ﷺ is the one who is cut off from all good. And the Prophet ﷺ? His name is spoken every day all over the world, in the call to prayer.

2. Lessons to learn • I look at Allah's gifts in my life and say thank you with actions: I pray, I do good. • Everything I offer and everything I do as worship, I do for Allah alone. • I love the Prophet ﷺ: when I hear his name, I say "ṣallaa llaahu 'alayhi wa sallam". • True success does not come from money or the number of children: it comes from Allah.

3. To remember • Al-Kawthar: an immense good given to the Prophet ﷺ, including a river in Paradise. • We thank Allah by praying and worshipping Him alone. • Those who hated the Prophet ﷺ are forgotten; his name is known everywhere.

4. The message of the surah Allah filled His Prophet ﷺ with good and defended him; the answer to a blessing is to thank Allah through sincere worship, for Him alone.

Source: Al-Mukhtasar fi tafsir al-Qur'an (English translation), with well-known points from the tafsirs of Ibn Kathir and As-Sa'di.