Sūrat al-Kawthar (The Abundance) is the shortest sūrah of the Quran and believed to have been revealed in Makkah during a low point in the Messenger’s ministry. Some early commentators relate the story of the Messenger’s infant son passing away and his enemies rejoicing that the Messenger ﷺ was left without a male heir. They went as far as to joyously declare that the Messenger’s lineage was “cut off” and that his legacy would end with his death.

Sūrat al-Kawthar is a small mirror structure, consisting of three short āyāt.(1)
Connections
[A]/[A’] – The first āyah informs the Messenger ﷺ of a never-ending reward; one that is abundant and in excess of all his needs. The concluding āyah gives the exact opposite news to the disbelieving enemy. They are “cut off” from all good in both this life and the next. [B]/[B’] – The sūrah centers on two actions that express gratitude; prayer and sacrifice. A recurring theme in the Quran is Allah’s direction to give and worship as signs of our thankfulness to Him. And Allah ﷻ knows best.

(1) Ali Khan, Nouman and Sharif Randhawa. Divine Speech: Exploring the Quran as Literature. Bayyinah Institute, 2016.