Surah Al-Kauther – Abdul Bari Mohammed

Al-Kauther (Al-Kawthar, "Abundance") is the 108th surah of the Quran and the shortest, with 3 verses, in Juz' Amma. Meccan in the standard classification, it is the 15th surah in the traditional order of revelation, after Al-Adiyat. Its name comes from its first verse: "Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar" (108:1).

Anas ibn Malik related that the Prophet ﷺ dozed off among his Companions, then raised his head smiling and recited this newly revealed surah. He explained that al-Kawthar is a river his Lord had promised him, full of good, and a pond where his community will come to drink on the Day of Resurrection, its vessels as numerous as the stars (Muslim). For Ibn Abbas, it is the abundant good God gave him (al-Bukhari).

In gratitude, the Prophet ﷺ is told: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice" (108:2). The last verse answers those who mocked him as abtar, "cut off", after the death of his sons: it is his enemy who is cut off (108:3). Commentators name al-'As ibn Wa'il among these mockers.

Citing the hadith of Anas, some scholars consider the surah Medinan.