2 of 2 · Makkah · the early years of the call · Makkah
'Abdullah ibn Muhammad رضي الله عنه
"Cut Off"
When the Prophet's ﷺ sons had died, some of the leaders of Quraysh found a new insult. The books of tafsir report that al-'As ibn Wa'il and others said of him that he was abtar, "cut off": a man with no son to carry his name, whose cause would die with him.
The scholars of tafsir link Surat al-Kawthar to this mockery. Allah said to His Messenger ﷺ: ﴿إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـٰكَ ٱلْكَوْثَرَ﴾ (“Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar.”), an abundance of good and a river in Paradise. And He ended the surah: ﴿إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلْأَبْتَرُ﴾ (“Indeed, it is your enemy who is the one cut off.”)
The grieving father was not cut off. His name is mentioned in every call to prayer across the earth, and those who mocked him are remembered, if at all, only for the mockery.
People may mock you through your deepest wound. Allah's answer is the one that lasts.
When someone strikes at your pain, do you look for your worth in their words or in what Allah has given you?
- Qur'an 108:1-3
- Sahih Muslim 400 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-NabawiyyahHistorical report
- Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim (Surat al-Kawthar)Historical report
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
Create a free account to keep your place as you go. Create a free account · Sign in