Indexed OCR Text

881
Surah Al-Fil : 105 : 1 - 5
Ibn Hashim, to whom he communicated Abrahah's message. According to
Ibn Ishaq's narration, 'Abdul-Muttalib replied: "By Allah! We too have no
desire to fight him, nor do we have the might to do so. This is the Sacred
Sanctuary of Allah built by His friend Prophet Ibrahim al. If He wills
to prevent Abrahah from pulling it down, He will protect it. And if He
allows him to approach it, by Allah, we have no means to defend it." So
Hanatah told him: "Come with me to Abrahah." So 'Abdul-Muttalib went
with him.
When Abrahah saw him, he was highly impressed, because
'Abdul-Muttalib had the most handsome, charming and attractive
personality. He descended from his throne and sat with the latter on a
carpet on the ground. He then said to his interpreter to ask him: "What do
you need?" 'Abdul-Muttalib replied to the interpreter: "I want the king to
give back my two hundred camels which his soldiers have taken from me."
Then Abrahah told his interpreter to relay to him: "When I first set my
eyes on you, I admired you greatly and had great respect for you. But all
that is now lost. You speak only of your two hundred camels while you
fully well know that I have come to tear down your Ka'bah which is the
embodiment of your religion and the religion of your forefathers. You did
not even say a single word to persuade me to spare it." 'Abdul-Muttalib
calmly responded: "I am the owner of my camels and am concerned about
them. I am not the owner of Allah's House. The Master of the House
knows how best to protect His House." Abrahah rudely rebuffed: "Your
God cannot protect it from me." 'Abdul-Muttalib made a rejoinder: "Then
do as you like or [take your chance!]" According to other narratives, there
were other chiefs of Quraish with 'Abdul-Muttalib at the time of this
negotiation. They proposed to Abrahah that if he withdrew from the
Sanctuary, the entire region of Tihamah would pay him a third of their
agricultural produce annually as tribute. But he turned down the offer.
He then gave back 'Abdul-Muttalib's camels to him. 'Abdul-Muttalib took
his camels and went back home, ordering his people to leave Makkah and
seek shelter at the top of the mountains. He feared that atrocities might
be committed by the army against them. Then he went with a few figures
of the Quraish to the Sacred Sanctuary. He held the metal ring of the
door of Ka'bah and prayed Allah to give them victory over Abrahah and
his army. While hanging on to the ring of the Ka'bah's door, he earnestly

882
Surah Al-Fil : 105 : 1 - 5
implored: "We have no strength to face the army of Abrahah. So, O my
Lord! Defend Your Ka'bah." Having so prayed in all earnestness,
'Abdul-Muttalib led all the Makkans to the neighbouring mountains,
because they were convinced that Allah's scourge would overtake
Abrahah and his troops. This is the reason why they spoke to Abrahah
about their camels, and not about the House of Allah.
When the next morning dawned, Abrahah prepared to enter the
sacred city of Makkah. He prepared the elephant named Mahmud and
mobilized his army, and they turned the elephant towards the Ka'bah. At
that moment Nufail Ibn Habib, whom Abrahah had captured earlier,
approached it and stood next to it, and taking it by its ear, he said:
"Return safely where you came from, because you are, verily, in the
Sacred City of Allah." Then he released the elephant's ear and it knelt
and sat down forthwith. The elephant drivers exerted all efforts to
persuade the elephant to enter the City, but their efforts were in vain.
Then they tried striking it with large iron spears and putting iron
arrowheads in its trunk. They beat it on its head with axes and used
hooked staffs to pull it out of its resistance and make it stand, but it
refused. So they turned it towards Yemen, and it rose and walked quickly.
Then they turned it towards Syria, it walked fast. Then they turned it
towards the east and it walked briskly. Then they turned it towards
Makkah, it knelt and sat down again .
This was one aspect of the manifestation of the Divine power
unfolding itself miraculously. On the other hand, some flocks of birds
were seen coming from the sea. Each bird carried three pebbles of the size
of gram seeds or lentils, one in each claw and two in its beak. According to
Waqidi's narration, the birds looked unusual which were never seen
before. They looked smaller than pigeons, and their claws were red in
colour. They flew over Abrahah's army and pelted them with the pebbles.
Each pebble was more devastating than the bullet of a revolver . When it
fell on anything, it tore directly through the body and settled deep in the
ground. Seeing this scourge, the elephants fled in panic, except one which
was harmed and destroyed by the pebble. Not all of Abrahah's men were
destroyed instantly. People escaped in different directions. They died
excruciatingly on their way back. As Allah had willed that the most
distressful scourge should be inflicted upon Abrahah, He did not allow

883
Surah Al-Fil : 105 : 1 - 5
him to die immediately. In fact, Allah afflicted him with a deadly disease.
A kind of poison spread thoroughly through his entire body and caused
every single part to decay - his limbs began to rot and separate from the
rest of his body and he started losing one finger after another. His body
was carried back in that state to Yemen. By the time they arrived back in
Șan'a', the capital of Yemen, his body was broken down limb by limb until
he eventually died. Two of Mahmud's (name of elephant) drivers
remained in Makkah, but both of them became blind and paralyzed.
Muhammad Ibn Ishaq reports that Sayyidah 'A'ishah & narrates that
she saw them blind and paralyzed. Her sister, Sayyidah Asma' de, says
that she saw the two blind and paralyzed men begging. The 'People of the
Elephants' is a momentous event in Arab history, which was witnessed by
hundreds of Arabs. It is to this well-known historical incident that this
Surah refers.
Lexical Analysis
Verse [105:1] ◌ِالَمُ تَرَكَيُفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِاَصُحِبِ الْفِيُل (Have you not seen how your
Lord dealt with the people of the Elephant?) In the phrase alam tara
[have you not seen], the second person pronoun refers to the Holy
Prophet 9. It is interesting to note that the event took place before the
blessed birth of the Holy Prophet
He could not have seen or witnessed
it with his own eyes. However, the incident was so widely known as if the
Prophet g had seen it with his own eyes, which is a sign of the certainty
of its happening. Such a knowledge is described by the word ru'yat
[seeing]. As reported earlier, Sayyidah 'A'ishah # and her sister,
Sayyidah Asma' :, both say that they had seen the two camel drivers
had become blind and paralyzed and used to go around begging . In this
way, the traces of this event were seen even after the birth of the Holy
Prophet .
Verse [105:3] ◌َطَيْرًاً ابَابِيل ( ... birds in flocks.) The word ababil is plural and
is said to have no singular. It means birds in flocks, or swarms of birds. It
is not the name of a particular bird. In Urdu usually ababil refers to
'swallows', they are not implied in the verse as indicated in the above
narration. These birds were somewhat smaller in size than pigeon and
they were birds that were never seen before. [Said Ibn Jubair, as quoted by
Qurțubi].
Verse [105:4] ◌ٍبحِجَارَةٍ مِّنُ سِجِيل ( ... stones of baked clay.) The word sijjul is a

884
Surah Al-Fil : 105 : 1 - 5
compound Persian word, Arabiciszed, made up of two Persian words: sang
[stone] and gil [clay]. They refer to ordinary or common clay rolled into
little balls and then baked to harden. These pebbles are not heavy or hard
like rocks chipped off mountains. They in themselves did not have any
devastating power, but it was Allah who created in these stones the high
capability of explosion and blowing-up even more than the bullets of a
revolver.
Verse [105:5] ◌ِفَجَعَلَهُمُ كَعَصُفٍ مَّاكُوْل (And thus He turned them into an
eaten-up chaff .) The word 'asf means 'chaff, straw, husk or bran'.
Usually the 'asf is scattered and when it is eaten or devoured by animals,
it does not remain in the same state. This is what happened to Abrahah
and his army .
Conclusion
The miraculous event of the 'People of the Elephant' enhanced in the
hearts of the entire Arabian society the love, respect and honor of the
Quraish. When Arabia witnessed that Allah has, on their behalf,
miraculously destroyed their enemy, they were convinced that the
Quraish are men of God, and custodians of the Sacred House of Allah
[Qurtubi]. That is why they were respected and protected wherever they
went; although other caravans in Arabia had to fear attacks from
highway robbers, the Quraish travelled untouched and enjoyed high
social status. As a result, they could freely and safely carry out their
commercial activities in the neighboring states, and enjoy economic
prosperity. The Surah that follows refers to these journeys and invites the
Quraish to be thankful to Allah and worship Him alone for providing
them with all of their needs.
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-Fil
Ends here

885
Surah Al-Quraish : 106 : 1 - 4
Surah Al-Quraish
(The Quraish)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 4 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 4
لِيُلْفِ قُرَيْشِ ﴿٢﴾ ◌ِيْلِفِهِمُ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ ﴿٢﴾ فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ
هذَا الْبَيْتِ ﴿٣﴾ الَّذِىِّ أَطْعَمَهُمُ مِّنْ جُوُعا وَّامَنَهُمُ مِّنْ خَوْفٍ
4
Because of the familiarity of the Quraish, [1] that is,
their familiarity with the trips of winter and summer,
[2] they must worship the Lord of this House, [3] who
gave them food against hunger, and gave them security
against fear. [4]
Commentary
The Subject-matter of Surah Al-Fil and Surah Al-Quraish
All commentators concur that the subject-matter of the two Surahs is
so closely related that in some of the copies of the Qur'an they had been
written as a single Surah without the insertion of bismillah between
them. But when Sayyidna 'Uthman 4 compiled a standard copy of the
Holy Qur'an with the consensus of all the companions of the Holy Prophet
, he separated these two Surahs and inserted bismillah between them,
and the two Surahs.
Lexical Analysis
Vy (Because of the familiarity of the Quraish 106:1). The particle
li is a preposition. According to the rules of Arabic grammar, it should be
linked with another sentence. What is that sentence here? In answer to
this question, different possibilities are highlighted by the exegetes.

886
Surah Al-Quraish : 106 : 1 - 4
Keeping in view the close relation of the present Surah with the previous
one, some of them have held that the following sentence should be taken
as understood here: انا اهلكنا اصحب الفيل "We [Allah] destroyed the 'people of
the elephant' so that the Quraish, who were familiar with two commercial
trips during winter and summer, may not have any obstacle in their trips,
and by this trading activity they might develop a certain prestige for them
and respect them." A second school of interpreters has taken the following
sentence as understood: 1 (One should wonder on the Quraish
undertaking winter and summer journeys freely and safely.) A third
school of interpreters says that this is the lam of ta'lil and it is
syntactically related to the sentence that follows it ◌ِفَلْيَعُبُدُوا رَبَّ هذَا الْبَيْت (they
must worship the Lord of this House.) The Surah draws attention to the
fact that the Quraish used to make two trade-journeys - one in winter to
Yemen and another in summer to Syria. These trade-journeys made them
wealthy and affluent. This was possible because Allah annihilated their
enemies, the people of the elephant, in an exemplary way and created in
the hearts of the people an awe and reverence for them. People held them
in high esteem, respect and honor in all the territories where they went.
Superiority of Quraish
This Surah indicates that Quraish, of all the tribes of Arabia, was
most acceptable in the sight of Allah. The Prophet % is reported to have
said: "Verily, Allah selected Kinanah from the offspring of Prophet Isma'il
Well and selected Quraish from the progeny of Kinanah. From the
Quraish, Allah selected Banu Hashim and from Banu Hashim He selected
me." [Baghawi on the authority of Wathilah Ibn Asqa']. Another Tradition reports
that the Messenger of Allah des said: "People will follow Quraish in
matters of good as well as in matters of evil." [Muslim on the authority of Jabir,
as quoted by Mazhari]. The reason for the selection of the tribes mentioned
in the first Tradition is presumably on account of their special abilities,
innate capacities and natural endowments. Even in the days of paganism
and ignorance, when people practiced kufr and shirk, their morals and
inborn abilities were of a very high standard. They had the perfect
capacity to accept the truth. This is the reason why most of the blessed
Companions and Friends of Allah were Quraishites. [Mazhari]
Verse [106:2] ◌ِرحُلَةَ الشِتَاءِ وَالصَّيْف ( ... their familiarity with the trips of
winter and summer.) It is a known fact that Makkah is situated in an
utterly bleak and arid valley where no agricultural produce grows, nor
are there any orchards where the people of Makkah could reap any kind

887
Surah Al-Quraish : 106 : 1 - 4
of fruits. Therefore, the founder of the House of Allah, Sayyidna Ibrahim
Khalil-ullah &&5, prayed to Allah at the time of founding the city, thus:
,My Lord, make this a city of peace) رَبّ اجْعَلُ هذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا أُرْزُقُ اَهُلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَتِ [2:126]
and provide its people with fruits) and this fact is mentioned in [28:57],
thus: ◌ٍيُجُبى إِلَيُهِ ثَمَرتُ كُلِّ شَىْء (to which the fruits of everything are drawn)".
The Quraish thus needed to make these commercial trips out of Makkah
into the neighboring territories to bring the necessities of life to their city.
Sayyidnā Ibn 'Abbas 2 reports that the people of Makkah were in a
state of abject poverty and Hashim, the great grandfather of the Prophet
23, exhorted the Quraish to undertake the trading caravans to the
neighboring territories. As Syria was a cold region, they went there in
summer; and Yemen had a warm climate, so they went there in winter to
carry out their commercial activities. They, after their commercial
ventures that brought to them great profits and gains, would return to
their city safely due to the respect that the people had for them, because
they were the keepers and custodians of Allah's sanctuary. Therefore,
whoever knew them would honor them. Even those who came to them
and traveled with them, would be safe because of them. Hashim was the
leader of the Quraish and maintained the economic principle to distribute
among the rich and the poor members of the Quraish the gains and the
profits made in their business. As a result, even the poor people lived like
the wealthy people. Furthermore, an additional Divine favor was granted
to them: Allah spared them the trouble of making these annual trips, in
that the areas adjacent to Makkah such as Yemen, Tabalah and Harsh
were made fertile, fecund and productive where corns, food grains and
other agricultural produce grew abundantly - even more than their need.
As a result, they had to carry these agricultural produce to Jeddah where
they sold them. Thus most of the necessities were available in Jeddah.
The people of Makkah, instead of undertaking the two long journeys,
went to Jeddah, merely two stations away, to bring their necessities of
life. In the current verse, Allah mentions His favor upon them.
Verse [106:3] ◌ِفَلْيَعُبُدُوا رَبَّ هذَا الْبَيْت (they must worship the Lord of this
House.) Having mentioned the Divine favors, the Quraish are especially
enjoined to express their gratitude to 'the Lord of this House'. Here, out of
many attributes of Allah, 'the Lord of this House' is singled out, because it
was this House that became the source and fountain of all blessings for
them.
Verse [106:4] ◌ٍالَّذِى أَطْعَمَهُمُ مِّنُ جُوعِ وَّامَنَهُمُ مِّنُ خَوْف (Who gave them food
against hunger, and gave them security against fear.) The verse
comprehensively captures all that was needed for the Quraish to live

888
Surah Al-Quraish : 106 : 1 - 4
happily and peacefully in the world. The first phrase أَطْعَمَهُمُ مِّنُ جُوع (Who
gave them food against hunger) implies that they were provided all year
round with every kind of fruit and food. The security referred to in the
second phrase ◌ٍأمَنَهُمُ مِّنْ خَوْف (and gave them security against fear) includes
security from enemies and robbers (who, out of their respect to them as
guardians of Ka'bah, spared them from their attacks), and it also includes
security from the punishment in the Hereafter (for those who fulfilled the
necessary conditions of faith).
Special Note
Ibn Kathir says that whoever worships Allah according to the
command given in this verse, Allah will give him safety, not only in this
world, but also security from punishment in the Hereafter. And whoever
deviates from this command, He will deprive him of both types of safety
and security as exemplified in the following verse [16:112] :
ضَرَبَ اللّهُ مَثَلاً قَرْيَّةً كَانَتْ امِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيُهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ
بِأَنْعُمِ اللّهِ فَاَذَاقَهَا اللهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصُنَعُونَ ﴿١١٢﴾
(And Allah has given an example that there was a town, secure
and satisfied, with its sustenance coming in plenty from every
place. Then, it turned ungrateful to the bounties of Allah; so,
Allah made it taste hunger and terror [cast over it] like a
garment in return of what its people used to do. [16:112]
A Great Benefit
Abul Hasan Qazwini has stated that anyone who fears his enemy or
an affliction, should recite Surah Al-Quraish. It will give him security
from fear and calamity. This is cited by Imam Jazri and he says that this
Surah has been tried and tested successfully for this purpose. Qadi
Thana'ullah Pani Patti Jus Jt Aus, cites this in his Tafsir Mazhari and
says that his Shaikh Mirza Mazhar Jan-i-Janan instructed him to recite
this Surah at the time of fear and danger, and said its recitation has been
tested and tried to avert all kinds of calamities and afflictions. Qadi
Thana'ullah says that he has experienced it several times.
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-Quraish
Ends here

889
Surah Al-Ma'un : 107 : 1 - 7
Surah Al-Ma'un
The Small Gifts)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 7 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرح
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 7
آَرَءَيْتَ الَّذِىُ يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّيْنِ ﴿٢﴾ فَذلِكَ الَّذِىُ يَدُ الْيَتِيْمَ ﴿٢﴾ وَلَا
يَحْضُّ عَلَى طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِيْنِ ﴿٣ٌ﴾ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّيْنَ ﴿٤﴾ الَّذِيْنَ هُمُ
﴿﴿﴿ الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ يُرَآءُونَ ﴿٢﴾ وَيَمْنَعُونَ
y
عَنُ صَلَاتِهِمُ سَاهُوُنَ
الْمَاعُونَ
Have you seen him who denies the Requital? [1] So he is
the same one who pushes away the orphan. [2] and does
not persuade (others) to feed the needy. [3] So, woe to
those performers of salah, [4] who are neglectful of
their salah, [5] who (do good only to) show off, [6] and
refuse (to give even) small gifts. [7]
The love of the world causes nations to lose faith and consign
Allah to oblivion
This Surah denounces some of the evil actions of the pagans and the
hypocrites, and it holds out a threat of destruction to those who commit
them. If these evil actions are committed by believers, who do not reject
the true faith, they are still heinous and gravely sinful, but the threat of
chastisement made in this surah does not apply to them. Therefore, verse
Have you not seen him who denies the) أَرَوَيُتَ الذِىُ يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّيْنِ [107:1]
Requital?), as a preamble, makes plain that the person who performs

890
Surah Al-Ma'un : 107 : 1 - 7
these evil deeds is one who cries lies to the Doom, and thus the warning
of punishment mentioned in this Surah is for those who deny the religion
and the Day of Judgement. The verse contains a subtle indication that
the moral sins condemned in this Surah are far too inconceivable from a
believer; only a non-believer or hypocrite would commit them. The
morally bad and sinful deeds mentioned here are: [1] oppressing and
insulting the orphan, and being unkind to them; [2] despite the means,
failing to feed the poor or failing to urge others to feed them; [3] praying
[in public only, not in private] only to show the people; and [4] failing to
pay the Zakah [obligatory alms]. These actions are intrinsically bad and
gravely sinful, but their commission in the wake of kufr [disbelief] and
takdhib [rejection] are even more aggravating, because they attract
eternal perdition, which in this Surah is described as wail [heavy
affliction or calamity or disaster or destruction].
Verses [107:4-6] .َفَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُصَلِّيْنَ. الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلَائِهِمُ سَاهُوُنَ. الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ يُرَآءُ ون (So woe
to those performers of salah who are neglectful of their salah,who [do
good only to] show off.) These verses describe the characteristics of the
hypocrites who used to perform the prayers only to make a display of
them to the people and prove that their claim of being sincere Muslims is
true. As they do not believe in the obligatory nature of the prayers, they
are not regular at them, and they do not observe the prescribed times, but
offer them carelessly at the eleventh hour or completely out of time. They
perform them only when they must to make a display of them, otherwise
they have no place in their lives. The preposition 'an (translated above as
'of') in the prepositional phrase " je "[neglectful] of their salah" is
significant. It indicates that they [the hypocrites] are neglectful of the
very concept of salah. This does not refer to the unintentional errors, slips
and mistakes that Muslims make in their prayers. The Holy Prophet
also made this type of unintentional mistakes in his prayers. The warning
of Hell by the expression of wail does not apply to such mistakes. If that
was the case, the prepositional phrase would have been fi salatihim [in
their prayers] instead of ['an Salatihim [neglectful of their prayers].
Verse [107:7] ◌َوَيَمْنَغُونَ الْمَاعُون (And refuse [to give even] small gifts.) The
word ma'un literally means 'any small or petty thing' and idiomatically it
refers to 'small household articles of common use such as axe, hoe, cooking
pot which at the time of need neighbors borrow from one another'.

891
Surah Al-Ma'un : 107 : 1 - 7
Anyone who is unwilling to lend such small items is morally a very
miserly and mean person. However, in the current verse the word ma'un
is taken in the sense of Zakah [obligatory alms] because it is a little
amount out of much wealth - only 212% out of the entire wealth. Majority
of the commentators - like Sayyidna 'Ali, Ibn 'Umar, Hasan Basri,
Qatadah, Dahak
and others - hold the view that ma'un implies
Zakah. [Mazhari]. The threat of wail (torment of Hell) can only be for
failure to fulfil one's legal obligation. Giving small items to help out one's
fellow human beings is a humanitarian and philanthropic gesture that
carries much reward in the Hereafter, but it is not an obligation at all, the
violation of which could lead to eternal perdition. Traditions reporting
that ma'un refers to pots and pans, and other household items of daily use
are to show that if a person is reluctant to part with such small items, how
will he have the heart to part with 21/2% of his wealth? The Traditions
purport to say that these people are so narrow-minded that they are not
willing to make the least bit of selfless sacrifice for the welfare and
well-being of others. They are morally mean, low and miserly in the
extreme. Therefore, they do not pay their legal alms. Thus the threat of
punishment in Hell-fire is not on account of failure to do one's neighborly
acts of kindness, but for failure to pay the legal alms and perhaps for
their extreme niggardliness.
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-Ma'un
Ends here

892
Surah Al-Kauthar : 108 : 1 - 3
Surah Al-Kauthar
(The Kauthar)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 3 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 3
فَصَلّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرُ ﴿٢﴾ إِنَّ شَانِفَكَ
إِنَّا أَعْطَيُنْكَ الْكَوْثَرَ ﴿١﴾
هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ ﴿﴾﴾
(O Prophet,) surely We have given to you Al-Kauthar (a
river in Paradize). [1] So, offer salah (prayer) to your
Lord, and sacrifice. [2] Surely it is your enemy whose
traces are cut off. [3]
Cause of Revelation
It is reported by Ibn Abi Hatim, on the authority of Suddi, and by
Baihaqi, in Dald'il-un- Nubuwwah, on the authority of Muhammad Ibn
'Ali Ibn Husain, that the Arabs used to taunt and revile people who have
lost their male issues. They used to refer to such a person as 'abtar',
meaning 'having no male offspring or no male issue'. In keeping with this
social evil, when the young son of the Holy Prophet
5, namely Qasim
passed away, some leaders of Quraish, especially 'As Ibn Wa'il, started
taunting the Holy Prophet
telling the people that they no longer need
to bother about him, because he had no sons to carry on his name and
that he would be forgotten after his death; he is 'abtar', that is, his
lineage is cut off. On this occasion, the Surah was revealed. [Baghawi, Ibn
Kathir, Mazhari].
According to some narratives, Ka'b Ibn Ashraf, a Jew of Madinah,

893
Surah Al-Kauthar : 108 : 1 - 3
came to Makkah and the Quraish asked him: "You are the leader of the
people. What do you think about this young man who claims that he is
better than us (in religion), while we are the people who serve the
pilgrims; we are the custodians of Ka'bah and supply water to the
pilgrims." He replied: "You are better than him." This Surah was revealed
on that occasion. [Ibn Kathir cites this incident from Bazzar with an authentic
chain of narrators; and Mazhari says that Muslim also transmitted the incident].
According to these narrations, this Surah was sent down when the
unbelievers of Makkah taunted the Holy Prophet
because he had lost
all his male issues, and called him 'abtar' or insulted him for some other
reason. The present Surah gives an answer to the taunts of the
unbelievers, and maintains that there is no justification for calling the
Holy Prophet
an 'abtar' only because he had no male child alive, not
only because his lineal offspring will remain till the Day of Judgment,
though from his daughters, but he was destined to be the spiritual father
of a multitude of sons in all ages to the end of time, sons who were to be
far more faithful, obedient and loving than the sons of any father, and
they will outnumber the followers of all the Prophets that came before
him. The Surah has also dismissed the statement of Ka'b Ibn Ashraf, and
highlights the great honor and respect given to him by Allah.
The River or Fountain of Kauthar
Verse [108:1] ◌َإِنََّ اَعْطَيْنَكَ الْكَوْثَر ([O Prophet,] surely, We have given you
Al-Kauthar [a river in Paradise].) The word 'Al-Kauthar' literally means
'abundant goodness'. Imam Bukhari has recorded on the authority of
Said Ibn Jubair ce that Ibn 'Abbas dee said about 'al-Kauthar': 'It is the
abundant goodness that Allah gave to him [Holy Prophet
]. A special
pupil of Ibn 'Abbas
ge said: "I asked Said Ibn Jubair
that people
claim that it is a river in Paradise." Said Ibn Jubair
e replied that the
river in Paradise is part of the goodness that Allah gave him. Therefore,
Mujahid interprets that it is the abundant goodness of this world, as well
as of the next world. This explanation includes the river in Paradise and
other things as well.
The following Hadith is recorded in Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud
and Nasa'i from Sayyidna Anas 4ge that he said:
بينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بين اظهرنا فى المسجد اذ اغفى اغفاءةً، ثم

894
Surah Al-Kauthar : 108 : 1 - 3
رفع رأسه متبسّمًا. قلنا: ما اضحكك يا رسول الله؟ قال: لقد انزلت علىّ انْفًا سورة
فقرأ بسم الله الرّحمن الرحيم أنّا اعطينك الكوثر الخ ثم قال: اتدرون ما الكوثر؟ قلنا:
الله ورسوله اعلم، قال: فانّه نھرٌ وعدنیہ ربی عزوجل علیه خیر کثیر، وهو حوض
ترد عليه امتى يوم القيامة، انيته عدد نجوم فى السّماء، فيحتلج العبد منهم، فاقول
ربّ انّه من امّتى فيقول: أنّك لا تدرى ما احدث بعدك.
"While we were with the Messenger of Allah
in the mosque,
he went into some kind of slumber or doziness. Then he lifted
his head smiling. We asked : 'O Messenger of Allah! What has
caused you to smile?' He replied: 'A Surah has just been
revealed to me.' Then he recited Bismillah and Surah
Al-Kauthar. Then he asked: 'Do you know what is Al-Kauthar?'
We replied: 'Allah and His Messenger know best,' He said: 'It is
a river that my Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, has promised
me and it has abundant goodness. It is a fountain where my
Ummah will come 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 Allah
will say: 'You do not know what he introduced [or innovated]
after you.'"
This is the wording of Muslim. Ibn Kathir, having cited this Tradition,
writes further:
وقد ورد فى صفة الحوض يوم القيمه أنّه يشخب فيه ميزابان من السّماء من نهر
الكوثر وان انيته عدد نجوم السّماء.
"It is reported regarding the description of the fountain on the
Day of Judgement that two channels will lead from the sky to
supply the fountain with the water of Kauthar. It will have
more cups than the stars in the sky."
The Tradition cited above clarifies many points.
[1] It indicates the cause of the revelation of Surah Al-Kauthar.
[2] It gives its authentic interpretation, that is, 'abundant goodness' and
that it includes the fountain of Kauthar which will quench the thirst
of the Prophet's & followers on the Day of Judgement.
[3] The actual river of Kauthar is in Paradise, and the fountain of
Kauthar will be on the Plain of Gathering. Two channels will flow
from the river of Paradise into the fountain of Gathering, augmenting

895
Surah Al-Kauthar : 108 : 1 - 3
its supply of water.
[4] It reconciles the narratives that tell us that the believers will arrive at
the fountain of Kauthar before their entry into Paradise.
[5] Some people will be turned away from the fountain, because they later
on turned away from Islam, or they were not Muslims at all, but
expressed their Islam only hypocritically. Their hypocrisy was exposed
after the Holy Prophet . Allah knows best!
There are Traditions that describe the cleanness and sweetness of
water of Kauthar, and that its banks are adorned with pearls. These
qualities cannot be compared with anything in this world.
If the revelation of Surah Al-Kauthar is in response to the taunting of
the heathens who called him 'abtar' because he had lost his sons, as
explained earlier, this Surah comforts him. They used to say that when
he would pass away, there shall be none to take his name on account of
having no male offspring and his activities will cease. This Surah tells
him that he has been granted Al-Kauthar and completely dismisses the
reproach of his enemies, in that his lineage does not stop here in this
world, but his spiritual lineage will continue till the Day of Gathering. His
spiritual sons and daughters will outnumber the Ummahs of the previous
Prophets. They will also enjoy the greatest respect and honor.
Prayer and Sacrifice
Verse [108:2] ◌ُفَصَلّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَر (So, offer salah [prayer] to your Lord, and
sacrifice.) The imperative in har is derived from nahr which means 'to
sacrifice by stabbing upwards into the jugular vein [the way of slaughter
for camels as opposed to other cattle]'. As the Arabs generally used to
sacrifice camels, the verse employs the imperative wanhar. Occasionally,
the word nahr is used in the general sense of 'sacrifice'.
Verse [108:1] vehemently denounces the false notion of the unbelievers
and gives glad tidings of Kauthar to the Messenger of Allah
in this
world as well as in the next world. He will have the abundant goodness in
both the worlds immeasurably. The current verse directs the Holy Prophet
the way to express his gratitude to Allah on this good tiding: [1]
prayer; and [2] sacrifice. Salah is the highest form of physical worship;
and sacrifice is highest form of pecuniary or monetary form of worship.
İ

896
Surah Al-Kauthar : 108 : 1 - 3
Sacrifice in the name of Allah is a fight against idolatry, because the
idolaters used to sacrifice in the name of their idols. On that basis, Islamic
sacrifice is distinctive and important. On another occasion, the Qur'an
jointly mentions prayer and sacrifice, thus: [6:162]
إِنَّ صَلَائِىُ وَنُسُكِىُ وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِىٌ لِلْهِ رَبِّ الْغَلَمِيْنَ
My prayer, my offering, my life and my death are all for Allah,
the Lord of the worlds. [6:162]
According to Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 40, 'Ata', Mujahid, Hasan Basri
Jw Ul (4) and others, the imperative wanhar means 'sacrifice or offer
oblation'. Some people have attributed to some leading exegetes that they
have taken this imperative to mean: 'Fold your hands or arms on the
chest' Ibn Kathir holds such narrations as 'munkar', (that is, a narration
which is narrated by a weak narrator and contradicts the narration of a
stronger and more reliable authority.)
The Enemy of the Prophet
is Cut Off
Verse [108:3] ◌ُإِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَر (Surely, it is your enemy whose traces are
cut off.) The word shani' as used in the original is derived from sha'n and
means 'one who hates, traducer, insulter'. This verse was revealed in
connection with the unbelievers who used to taunt the Messenger of Allah
g and referred to him as 'abtar'. Most narratives identify the traducer as
'Aş Ibn Wa'il, others identify him as 'Uqbah and yet others identify him
as Ka'b Ibn Ashraf. Allah granted the Messenger of Allah
the
Kauthar, that is, abundant goodness which includes a multitude of
children. How wonderful are the works of Allah! There is no scarcity of
lineal children of the holy Prophet
. Furthermore, a Prophet is the
spiritual father of his entire Ummah which comprises his spiritual
children. The Holy Prophet
is the spiritual father of his entire Ummah
till the end of time and as such will have the largest number of spiritual
children compared to the Ummahs of the previous Prophets. In this way,
the enemy has been rebutted, on the one hand, and, on the other hand,
their argument has been rebuffed that it is not the Prophet
, but his
enemies are, 'abtar' or cut off.
Note
Imagine how Allah has raised the name of the Holy Prophet
and
exalted his reputation in every nook and corner of the world since the

897
Surah Al-Kauthar : 108 : 1 - 3
inception of his prophet-hood till today, and it will continue to be so until
the end of time. His blessed name is recited along with Allah's name five
times a day from the minarets. In the Hereafter, he will be granted the
(Al-Magam Al-Mahmud) Praised Station where he will make the Grand
Intercession on behalf of the entire progeny of 'Adam Seal. On the
contrary, ask the world history: Where are the children of 'As Ibn Wa'il?
Where are the children of Ka'b Ibn Ashraf ? where are the children of
'Uqbah, and what happened to their families? Their very own names
have been lost to the world. No one cares to remember them. They have
become unknown who thought that soon the Holy Prophet
g will become
unknown. They have left this world and the strings of their lineage have
been cut off. Their names have been preserved in Islamic traditions only
for purposes of interpretation of relevant verses. فَاعْتَبِرُوا يَا أُوْلِى الأَبْصَار "So, O
People of insight, take note !" [59:2].
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-Kauthar
Ends here

898
Surah Al-Kafirun : 109 : 1 - 6
Surah Al-Kafirun
(The Disbelievers)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 6 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 6
قُلُ فَأَيُّهَا الْكُفِرُونَ ﴿١) لََّ أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ ﴿٢﴾ وَلاَ أَنْتُمُ عِدُونَ مَآ
اَعُبُدُ ﴿َ﴾ وَلَّا أَنَا عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدُتْمُ ﴿٤﴾ وَلَّا أَنْتُمُ عِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ
ـط
7
0
لَكُمْ دِینُكُمْ وَلِىَ دِيْنِ
Say, "O disbelievers, [1] I do not worship that which you
worship, [2] nor do you worship the One whom I
worship. [3] And neither I am going to worship that
which you have worshipped, [4] nor will you worship
the One whom I worship. [5] For you is your faith, and
for me, my faith." [6]
Virtues and Characteristics of the Surah
Sayyidah 'A'shah : reports that the Messenger of Allah
has said
that it is better to recite two surahs in the sunnah prayer of fajr, namely,
the Surah Al-Kafirun and Surah Al-Ikhlas. [Transmitted by Ibn Hisham as
quoted by Mazhari]. Ibn Kathir cites several traditions in which a large
number of Companions report that they heard the Messenger of Allah
often recite Surah Al-Kafirun and Al-Ikhlas in the sunnah prayer of fajr
and maghrib. Some of the Companions requested the Messenger of Allah
to teach them some supplications to recite at the time of sleeping. He
taught them to recite Surah Al-Kafirun and said that this will give them
immunity from idolatry. [Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud]. Sayyidna

899
Surah Al-Kafirun : 109 : 1 - 6
Jubair Ibn Mut'im 4
says that the Messenger of Allah
asked him
whether he wished to be the happiest, most prosperous and well-to-do
person among his comrades when he goes out on a journey. He replied:
'Yes, Messenger of Allah, I certainly do wish that." The Holy Prophet
asked him to recite the last five surahs of the Qur'an starting from Surah
Al-Kafirun to the end, and to start every surah with Bismillah, and to
end with Bismillah. Sayyidna Jubair
says that in those days he used
to be distressed, miserable and man of little provisions for journeys
compared to his comrades. But when he started acting upon this teaching
of the Messenger of Allah
, he became more prosperous than others.
[Mazharī with reference to Abu Ya'la]. Sayyidna 'Ali
reports that once a
scorpion bit the Messenger of Allah , so he asked for water and salt. He
applied the water on the spot where the scorpion bit him, and he recited
Surah Al-Kafirun, Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas. [Mazharī]
Cause of Revelation
Ibn Ishaq reports from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4ee that Walid Ibn
Mughirah, 'Aş Ibn Wa'il, Aswad Ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib and Umayyah Ibn
Khalaf approached the Messenger of Allah
and proposed a compromise
to him to the effect that he should worship their idols for a year, and they
would worship Allah for a year. [Qurtubi]. According to Sayyidna Ibn
'Abbas 4ee, as recorded in Tabarani, the pagans of Makkah proposed to
the Messenger of Allah:
g "We shall give you so much of wealth that you
will become the richest man in Makkah; we shall give you whichever
woman you like in marriage; we are willing to follow and obey you as our
leader on condition that you do not speak ill of our gods. If you do not
agree to this, then let us agree that you worship our gods for a year and
we would worship your God for another year" [Mazhari].
According to Abu Salih's report, Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4ee narrates
that the pagans of Makkah made the following proposal for compromise:
"At least touch some of our gods, we will believe in you." Upon this,
Jibra'il &&el descended with Surah Al-Kafirun.
This Surah is the Surah of disavowal from the actions of the pagans,
and enjoins the Muslims to worship Allah alone to the exclusion of all
forms of pagan worship.
The Traditions cited above indicate that the pagans had made many

900
Surah Al-Kafirun : 109 : 1 - 6
proposals to the Holy Prophet
not once or in a single session, but on
different occasions and in different sessions in the hope that at one time
or another a compromise might be reached. Therefore, there was a need to
respond to all the proposals definitely and decisively, and thus frustrate
their hope once and for all. All these incidents might have taken place at
different times and different places. The purport of the Surah is to
prevent or prohibit any such compromise.
Verse [109:2] ◌َلا اعْبُدُ مَا تَعُبُدُون (I do not worship that which you worship,)
In this Surah, the statements are repeated. The repetition has been
explained in different ways by different authorities. Bukhari explains it
thus: When two identical, or near identical, expressions occur side by side,
many commentators interpret one of them as happening in the present
time and the other as going to happen in the future time. Thus there is no
meaningless repetition. The second and the third verses refer to the
present time, meaning 'I do not worship at the present time what you are
worshipping, nor do you worship at the present time what I am
worshipping'. That is, 'I believe in Oneness of Allah and worship Him
only, whereas you believe in multiple gods and goddesses and worship
them'. Verses [4 and 5] refer to the future time, meaning 'neither is there
a possibility that I will ever worship what you are going to worship in the
future, nor will you worship what I will persist in worshipping.' In other
words, 'I will persist in my belief of Divine Oneness and worship of Him
and you will persist in belief of multiple gods and goddesses and worship
of them'. Maulana Ashraf 'All Thanawi Jws dl , has preferred this
interpretation in Bayanul-Qur'an, (and the translation given above is
based on it.) However, he disagrees with Bukhari's interpretation of the
word din, which Bukhari interprets as 'the religion of disbelief and the
religion of Islam respectively, in verse [6] ◌ِلَكُمُ دِينُكُمْ وَلِىَ دِين "For you is your
faith, and for me, my faith" meaning the proposed compromise or peace
agreement is not acceptable. I shall continue to follow my faith and you
may go on following your faith, and suffer its disastrous consequences. In
Bayanul-Qur'an, however, the word din has been interpreted as jaza' or
'retribution or requital'.
Ibn Kathir prefers another interpretation. He expounds that the
particle ma is used in two ways: [1] as mawșulah or relative pronoun in
the sense of al-ladhi [that which]; and [2] as masdariyah transforming