Surah Al-Kawthar (108) in Arabic, transliteration and English
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَٰكَ ٱلْكَوْثَرَ ﴿١﴾
Transliteration: Innaa a'taynaakal-kawthar
Meaning: Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar. (108:1)
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنْحَرْ ﴿٢﴾
Transliteration: Fasalli li-rabbika wanhar
Meaning: So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]. (108:2)
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلْأَبْتَرُ ﴿٣﴾
Transliteration: Inna shaani'aka huwal-abtar
Meaning: Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off. (108:3)
About the surah
Al-Kawthar is surah 108, near the end of Juz Amma. By word count it is the shortest surah of the Quran, with ten words in the Tanzil text. Al-Asr and An-Nasr also have three verses, but more words. The word Kawthar comes from a root meaning abundance.
What each verse means, in words a child understands
| Verse | What it tells us | A question to ask your child |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar. | Allah gave the Prophet ﷺ a great deal of good, and Kawthar is a name for that abundance. | "What good things has Allah given you?" |
| 2. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]. | The way to say thank you is to pray and to give, only for Allah. | "How can we say thank you to Allah?" |
| 3. Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off. | The one who hated the Prophet ﷺ is the one who is cut off from all good. | "Who really has the best gifts?" |
Keep the explanation of "abtar" gentle for young children: "cut off from good". For "wanhar", scholars have given more than one explanation; the most widely quoted is sacrificing an animal for Allah alone, as families do at Eid al-Adha. For a child, "pray and give for Allah's sake" is enough.
What do the authentic sources say about Kawthar?
- A river and a cistern promised to the Prophet ﷺ. Anas reported that the Prophet ﷺ dozed, then lifted his head smiling and said a surah had just been revealed to him, and he recited Al-Kawthar. He then explained that Kawthar is a river promised to him by his Lord, with abundant good in it, and a cistern to which his people will come on the Day of Resurrection (Sahih Muslim 400).
- The good that Allah gave him. Ibn Abbas said that Kawthar is the good Allah gave the Prophet ﷺ. When someone said people call it a river in Paradise, Sa'id ibn Jubayr replied that the river in Paradise is part of that good (Sahih al-Bukhari 4966).
We have deliberately listed only references we could trace to Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. If you see other virtues of this surah online, ask a scholar before teaching them to children as certain.
Four pronunciation points to get right
- أَعْطَيْنَٰكَ (a'taynaaka): the ع comes from the middle of the throat, and the small upright mark after the Noon is a long "aa" held for two counts (see lesson 6).
- ٱلْكَوْثَرَ (al-kawthar): the ث is made with the tongue tip between the teeth, not as an "s" or "t". The final Raa is full and heavy.
- إِنَّآ and إِنَّ (innaa, inna): the Noon with shaddah needs ghunnah, a nasal sound held for two counts.
- ٱلْأَبْتَرُ (al-abtar): the Baa has no vowel, so it gets a light bounce. This is qalqalah.
A 3-day plan to memorise Al-Kawthar
| Day | What to do (5 to 10 minutes) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Listen to the audio three times. Learn verse 1 phrase by phrase: "Innaa a'taynaaka", then "al-kawthar". |
| 2 | Revise verse 1, add verse 2. Talk about how we say thank you to Allah. |
| 3 | Add verse 3, then recite the whole surah. Pray it in Salah the same day. |
Because it is so short, many children also learn it in a day with listening. Revision matters more than speed: recite it again tomorrow, next week and next month. Our guide to sabaq, sabqi and manzil shows how.
What to learn next
Many children continue with Al-Ikhlas and the 4 Quls, then work through the stages of Juz Amma. To have a teacher check your child's pronunciation, see our Quran classes for kids or book a free trial.