Section 1: Verses 1–3
Thematic progression across verses 1–3
إِنَّآ أَعۡطَيۡنَٰكَ ٱلۡكَوۡثَرَ 1
Innaa a'taina kal kauthar
We have given you plenty
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنۡحَرۡ 2
Fa salli li rabbika wanhar
So pray to your Lord and sacrifice
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلۡأَبۡتَرُ 3
Inna shani-aka huwal abtar
He who hates you is the loser
Quran-Anchored Prophetic Context
Authentic narrations in the active corpus that explicitly cite, name, or explain verses in Surah Al-Kawthar.
حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادُ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، عَنِ الْمُخْتَارِ بْنِ فُلْفُلٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَىَّ آنِفًا سُورَةٌ " . فَقَرَأَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ { إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ } حَتَّى خَتَمَهَا . قَالَ " هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا الْكَوْثَرُ " . قَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ . قَالَ " فَإِنَّهُ نَهْرٌ وَعَدَنِيهِ رَبِّي فِي الْجَنَّةِ " .
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: A surah has just been revealed to me. He then recited:”In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Lo! We have given thee Abundance” until he finished it. Then he asked: Do you know what Abundance (al-Kawthar) is? They replied: Allah and His Apostle know it better. He said: It is a river of which my Lord, the Exalted, the Majestic has promised me to give in Paradise.
أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، عَنِ الْمُخْتَارِ بْنِ فُلْفُلٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ بَيْنَمَا ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِنَا - يُرِيدُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم - إِذْ أَغْفَى إِغْفَاءَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مُتَبَسِّمًا فَقُلْنَا لَهُ مَا أَضْحَكَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ " نَزَلَتْ عَلَىَّ آنِفًا سُورَةُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ { إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ * فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ * إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الأَبْتَرُ } " . ثُمَّ قَالَ " هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا الْكَوْثَرُ " . قُلْنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ . قَالَ " فَإِنَّهُ نَهْرٌ وَعَدَنِيهِ رَبِّي فِي الْجَنَّةِ آنِيَتُهُ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ عَدَدِ الْكَوَاكِبِ تَرِدُهُ عَلَىَّ أُمَّتِي فَيُخْتَلَجُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْهُمْ فَأَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي . فَيَقُولُ لِي إِنَّكَ لاَ تَدْرِي مَا أَحْدَثَ بَعْدَكَ " .
"One day when he-the Prophet (ﷺ)- was still among us, he took a nap, then he raised his head, smiling. We said to him: 'Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Just now this Surah was revealed to me: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Verily, We have granted you (O Muahmmad) Al-Kawthar. Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only). For he who hates you, he will be cut off.' Then he said: 'Do you know what Al-Kawthar is?' We said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said: 'It is a river that my Lord has promised me in Paradise. Its vessels are more than the number of the stars. My Ummah will come to me, then a man among them will be pulled away and I will say: "O Lord, he is one of my Ummah" and He will say to me: 'You do not know what he did after you were gone."
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْحَارِثِ، عَنْ أَبِي الأَسْوَدِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُرْوَةَ بْنَ الزُّبَيْرِ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِمَرْوَانَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ أَتَقْرَأُ فِي الْمَغْرِبِ بِـ { قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ } وَ { إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ } قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ فَمَحْلُوفَةٌ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقْرَأُ فِيهَا بِأَطْوَلِ الطُّولَيَيْنِ { المص } .
He said to Marwan: "O Abu Abdul-Malik, do you recite: 'Say: He is Allah, (the) One' and 'Verily, We have granted you Al-Kawthar' in maghrib?" He said: "Yes." He (Zaid) said: "I swear by Allah, I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reciting the longer of the two long surahs in it: 'Alif-Lam-Mim-Sad.'"