Explanations are simplified from tafsirs by Ibn Kathir, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Spot an inaccuracy? Let us know.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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1
١
innā aʿṭaynāka l-kawthara
Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muḥammad], al-Kawthar.
2
٢
faṣalli lirabbika wa-in'ḥar
So pray to your Lord and offer sacrifice [to Him alone].
3
٣
inna shāni-aka huwa l-abtaru
Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off.
Surah Al-Kawthar (The Abundance) — Full Text
Ayah 1
إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـٰكَ ٱلْكَوْثَرَ
Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muḥammad], al-Kawthar.
When the Prophet's sons passed away, his enemies in Makkah started mocking him, calling him "abtar" — meaning cut off, someone with no legacy, no future. They figured once he died, nobody would remember him. Allah's response? "We have given you Al-Kawthar" — an overwhelming, never-ending abundance of goodness. This includes a literal river in Paradise whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, but it goes way beyond that. It means spiritual children (his followers) numbering more than any other prophet's, a legacy that would stretch until the end of time, and blessings in both this world and the next. It was the ultimate reassurance at a moment when the Prophet had lost almost everything.
Ayah 2
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنْحَرْ
So pray to your Lord and offer sacrifice [to Him alone].
So what's the right response when Allah gives you that much? You turn to Him with gratitude — through prayer and sacrifice. Prayer is the highest form of devotion you can offer with your body, and sacrifice (giving up something valuable for Allah's sake) is the highest form of devotion with your wealth. This was also a direct counter to the culture of the time, where people would pray to idols and sacrifice in their names. The message is straightforward: dedicate your worship purely and completely to the One who blessed you, not to anything or anyone else.
Ayah 3
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلْأَبْتَرُ
Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off.1
And here's the final reversal — the people calling the Prophet "cut off" are actually the ones who will be forgotten. The enemies who mocked him, like Al-As ibn Wa'il and Abu Lahab, thought they were winning because the Prophet had no surviving sons to carry his name. But look at history: billions of people across centuries know, love, and follow the Prophet Muhammad, while those enemies? The only reason anyone even knows their names is because they're mentioned in the context of these very verses. Their legacies were truly the ones that got cut off, and the Prophet's remembrance echoes in every call to prayer, five times a day, all over the world.