Find the Stream and you will find its Source
Indeed, We have granted you, the abundance (al-Kawthar). So pray to your Lord and sacrifice. Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off. (Quran, Surah Al-Kawthar [Chapter 108])
The Kawthar, according to our exegetes, can refer to many things. While it famously refers to the glorious river of Paradise by which the believers drink from along with our Prophet (PBUH), it may also refer to the infinite greatness of the Prophet’s message, particularly the Quran. Like a river, the Quran, a ‘stream’ of Divine consciousness, provides the drink of guidance “for all mankind” (Quran).
Out of his mercy, God has allowed for believers to do the inconceivable through His Book: to drink Infinity whilst we are still finite. The fragrance of His Word in the world reminds us of the brevity of the dunya, inviting us instead to be with Him for eternity.
In thankfulness, we celebrate the miraculous infinity of His Drink through our prayer, wherein we are encouraged to recite the Divine Word for lengths at a time. Perhaps that is the utility of Hifz (memorization of the Quran): to cry His Word back to Him. (Sidenote: Passionate reading is difficult; recitation most easily proceeds from the heart once it has been instilled into it via rote memorization).
At the culmination of this celebration, we prostrate, subduing our entire being to Our Lord. Indeed, the verb sali (pray) is almost synonymous with the word dua (supplication). “Dua is the essence of worship.” (Hadith). Thus, all forms of outward worship are an inward announcement of our absolute dependence on Allah. Any worship unaccompanied by this feeling is dubious, at best.
Consequently, the outward abasement of the prostration reminds us of a reality we frequently forget: that He alone is the Sustainer, and we are nothing by ourselves. Thus, Allah asks us to “sacrifice,” not just the sustenance He gives us, but to sacrifice our selves, to sacrifice our egos before His Majesty (see Beware the ‘I’ in Idol”).
While the Prophet’s “enemy” may have been the Quraysh, our enemy, as those who claim faith, is the ego. The ultimate veil separating us from Him, it “cuts us off” from the infinite joy of beholding Allah, from achieving the nafs-al-mutmaina, the tranquil soul. Indeed, how many a time do we convince ourselves that our ego-plotting will bring us emotional catharsis, when it only ends up exacerbating our anxieties and problems? Dostoevsky captures this best.
Beware: Do not evaporate the water of the Quran with the flame of your ego!
