🌷 DISCOVER AL KAWTHAR : The River of Paradise

 

Al-Kawthar: The Great Blessing Given to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

The word kawthar in Arabic refers to great abundance.

In Islamic terminology it has two meanings:

1 – It is a river in Paradise which Allaah has given to His Prophet (ﷺ). This meaning is what is meant in the verse where Allãh ﷻ says (interpretation of the meaning):

إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ (1)  

“Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad ﷺ) Al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise)”

[Al-Kawthar 108:1]

This is how the Prophet (ﷺ) interpreted it. 

It was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (607) that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: 

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ

بَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِنَا، إِذْ أَغْفَى إِغْفَاءَةً، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مُتَبَسِّمًا، فَقُلْنَا: مَا أَضْحَكَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: «أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ آنِفًا سُورَةٌ»، فَقَرَأَ

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ۝ إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ ۝ فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ ۝ إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ

ثُمَّ قَالَ: «أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْكَوْثَرُ؟» فَقُلْنَا: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «فَإِنَّهُ نَهَرٌ وَعَدَنِيهِ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، عَلَيْهِ خَيْرٌ كَثِيرٌ، هُوَ حَوْضٌ تَرِدُ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، آنِيَتُهُ عَدَدُ النُّجُومِ، فَيُخْتَلَجُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْهُمْ، فَأَقُولُ: رَبِّ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي، فَيَقُولُ: مَا تَدْرِي مَا أَحْدَثُوا بَعْدَكَ

Whilst we were with the Prophet (ﷺ), he dozed off then he raised his head and he was smiling. We said, “Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said: “A soorah has been revealed to me.” And he recited (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad) Al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise)…”

[Al-Kawthar 108:1]

to the end of the soorah. Then he said: “Do you know what is al-Kawthar?” We said: Allãh and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It is a river that my Lord has promised to me in which there is much goodness. And it is a cistern to which my ummah will come on the Day of Resurrection.

📚 Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Hadith 607.

Al-Tirmidhi (3284) narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ 

 الْكَوْثَرُ نَهْرٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ حَافَّتَاهُ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وَمَجْرَاهُ عَلَى الدُّرِّ وَالْيَاقُوتِ تُرْبَتُهُ أَطْيَبُ مِنَ الْمِسْكِ وَمَاؤُهُ أَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ وَأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الثَّلْجِ ‏" ‏ ‏

 قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏

 

“Al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise. Its banks are made of gold and its bed is of pearls and rubies…” 

  Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3361 — Imam al-Tirmidhi graded it Hasan Sahih.

📚Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4334

📚Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 5355

2 – It is a great cistern – a tank for holding water – which will be set up in the place of gathering on the Day of Resurrection, to which the ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ) will come. The water of this cistern will come from the river of Al-Kawthar which is in Paradise, hence it is called the Cistern of al-Kawthar. The evidence for that is the hadeeth narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (4255) from Abu Dharr, that

عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَا آنِيَةُ الْحَوْضِ؟ قَالَ

وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ، لَآنِيَتُهُ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ عَدَدِ نُجُومِ السَّمَاءِ وَكَوَاكِبِهَا فِي اللَّيْلَةِ الْمُظْلِمَةِ الْمُصْحِيَةِ، آنِيَةُ الْجَنَّةِ، مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَظْمَأْ آخِرَ مَا عَلَيْهِ، يَشْخَبُ فِيهِ مِيزَابَانِ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ،مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ لَمْ يَظْمَأْ، عَرْضُهُ مِثْلُ طُولِهِ، مَا بَيْنَ عَمَّانَ إِلَى أَيْلَةَ، مَاؤُهُ أَشَدُّ بَيَاضًا مِنَ اللَّبَنِ، وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ

The wording «يَشْخَبُ فِيهِ مِيزَابَانِ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ» means: “Two spouts/pipes from Paradise will flow into it.” The hadith is Sahih.

 “into the Cistern will flow two pipes from Paradise.” The apparent meaning of this hadeeth is that the Cistern will be next to Paradise so that the water from the river that is inside Paradise will be able to flow into it, as Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath 11/466.

Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رضي الله عنه، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ

بَيْنَا أَنَا أَسِيرُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، إِذَا أَنَا بِنَهَرٍ، حَافَتَاهُ قِبَابُ الدُّرِّ الْمُجَوَّفِ، قُلْتُ: مَا هَذَا يَا جِبْرِيلُ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا الْكَوْثَرُ الَّذِي أَعْطَاكَ رَبُّكَ، فَضَرَبَ الْمَلَكُ بِيَدِهِ، فَإِذَا طِينُهُ مِسْكٌ أَذْفَرُ

 “Whilst I was walking in Paradise, I saw a river whose banks were domes of hollow pearls.” I said, “What is this, O Jibreel?” He said: “This is Al-Kawthar which your Lord has given to you.” The angel struck it with his hand and its mud or its perfume was of the most fragrant (or pure) musk.  And Allaah knows best

📚 ReferenceṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Hadith 6581

A closely related narration is also reported in Musnad Aḥmad, with wording including:

 « بَيْنَمَا أَنَا أَسِيرُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ إِذَا عُرِضَ لِي نَهَرٌ..»

 The wording in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī specifically says «حَافَتَاهُ قِبَابُ الدُّرِّ الْمُجَوَّفِ» (“its banks were domes of hollow pearls”) and «طِينُهُ مِسْكٌ أَذْفَرُ» (“its soil was intensely fragrant musk”).