Surat Al-Kawthar

Surah Al-Mulk talks about the punishment of the criminals and rewards of the pious righteous servants of Allah. Surah Al-Mulk is important to read every night to protect you from the torment of the grave!

Being the last chapter of the Quran, it is a kind of final response to the invocation that the reader of the Quran is implored to make to God in Quran 1 (Al-Fatihah). The response is that even though God has provided detailed guidance, the seeker of guidance must also pray to God that he remains free from the 'whisper' (waswāsa) of the Satan.

This surah and the 114th (and last) surah in the Qur'an, an-Nās, are collectively referred to as al-Mu'awwidhatayn "the Refuges", as both begin with "I seek refuge", an-Nās tells to seek God for refuge from the evil from within, while al-Falaq tells to seek God for refuge from the evil from outside, so reading both of them would protect a person from his own mischief and the mischief of others. Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is an earlier "Meccan surah", which indicates a revelation in Mecca as opposed to Medina. Early Muslims were persecuted in Mecca where Muhammed was not a leader, and not persecuted in Medina, where he was a protected leader. The word "al-Falaq" in the first verse, a generic term referring to the process of 'splitting', has been restricted in most translations to one particular type of splitting, namely 'daybreak' or 'dawn'.[10] Verse 4 refers to one of soothsayer techniques to partially tie a knot, utter a curse and spit into the knot and pull it tight. In the pre-Islamic period, soothsayers claimed the power to cause various illnesses. According to soothsayers the knot had to be found and untied before the curse could be lifted. This practice is condemned in verse 4.[11]

In the early years of Islam, some surahs of the Quran came to be known by several different names, sometimes varying by region.[9] This surah was among those to receive many different titles. It is a short declaration of tawhid, Allah's absolute oneness, consisting of four ayat. Al-Ikhlas means "the purity" or "the refining". It is disputed whether this is a Meccan or Medinan sura. The former seems more probable, particularly since it seems to have been alluded to by Bilal of Abyssinia, who, when he was being tortured by his cruel master, is said to have repeated "Ahad, Ahad!" (unique, referring as here to God). It is reported from Ubayy ibn Ka'b that it was revealed after the polytheists asked "O Muhammad! Tell us the lineage of your Lord."

The punishments that Abu Lahab and his wife will suffer in Hell.

The surah praises Allah for leading numerous people to Islam. This surah is also known as "The Victory" as in the victory of Islam as it refers to the conquest of Mecca where Muslims beat the enemies of Islam. This surah talks about the very same battle. It is said that after this battle people realized the Muslims never lost because Allah was on their side and then many people joined Islam.[citation needed] According to Tafsir ibn Kathir, this surah is equal to 1/4 of the Quran. This was the last surah to be revealed, only a few months before Muhammad's death.[5] The first ayah means that with the help of God the Muslims were victorious. The second ayah means that after the battle crowds of people came to accept Islam. The third ayah means that God allowed people to join Islam and gave them a second chance no matter how harsh their crimes are, because God is the all-forgiving to humankind.[5]

Like many of the shorter surahs, the surah of the unbelievers takes the form of an invocation, telling the reader something they must ask for or say aloud. Here, the passage asks one to keep in mind the separation between belief and unbelief both in the past and the present, ending with the often cited line "To you your religion, and to me mine". Although some view this as an argument against religious intolerance, others see it as a more time-specific revelation, warning the newly founded Muslim minority in Mecca against being induced (by the Quraysh Arab tribe majority) to collude with disbelievers. It was revealed in Mecca when the Muslims were persecuted by the polytheists of Mecca.

The word Kawthar is derived from the root ك - ث - ر k - th - r, which has meanings of "to increase in number, to outnumber, to happen frequently; to show pride in wealth and/or children; to be rich, plentiful, abundance." The form Kawthar itself is an intensive deverbal noun, meaning "abundance, multitude." It appears in the Qur'an solely in this sūrah.

This surah is concerned with two of the core teachings of Islam, how one prays and how one gives.[9] The Surah discusses the character of those who claim to be Muslims but are oblivious of the hereafter. These people deprive the orphans of their rights, are heedless to the dues of the destitute, and pray without holding God in remembrance, forgetting the objective behind prayer. Their charitable acts are a display of their false piety, since they do not give for the love of God. The Surah has been so designated after the word al-ma`un occurring at the end of the last verse. Abdullah ibn Masud said: "During the time of the Messenger of God we used to consider ma'un (things of daily use) lending a bucket and cooking-pot."[10]Ibn Abbas said: "(Those who are neglectful of their prayer) are the ones who delay their prayer."[11][12]

It urges the Quraysh tribe who dominated Mecca to serve God, who had protected them, for the sake of their own future. It is one of two suras containing 4 ayat; the other is Al-Ikhlas. It forms a pair with the preceding sura, al-Fil, reminding the Quraysh of the favors that Allah had bestowed upon them. The Kaaba was central to the life of the Quraysh, being a center of pilgrimage which brought much trade and prestige. Sura al-Fil describes how God saved the Kaaba from destruction, while Sura Quraysh describes God as Lord of the Kaaba. It also urges the Quraysh to worship God so that, among other things, he would protect them on their trading journeys.