The Pool: A Solace for His Community

The next point, again, is very simple as well. It speaks about some of the eschatological ideas about the Hereafter. One is:

Wa al-ḥawḍu alladhī akramahu Allāhu taʿālā bihi ghiyāthan li-ummatihi ḥaqq: the Pool that Allah has honoured him with, as a solace for his community, is real.

So while speaking about the Miʿrāj, which was a special honour placed on the Prophet (peace be upon him), Imam al-Ṭaḥāwī also decided at this point to add other honours that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has been given; and one of them is the Pool, the ḥawḍ. This is a very, very vast pool. There are descriptions of its length mentioned in the hadith, and it says that the cups around it are in the number of the stars in the sky: basically enough to go around for anybody who is there. There is the ḥawḍ from which the Prophet (peace be upon him) will give people to drink, meaning the believers; and unfortunately there will be some who will get to that place, and then will be repelled by the angels: these people changed after you went.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ḥawḍī masīratu shahrin, māʾuhu abyaḍu min al-laban, wa rīḥuhu aṭyabu min al-misk, wa kīzānuhu ka-nujūmi al-samāʾ, man shariba minhu lā yaẓmaʾu abadā. Hadith related by Bukhārī and Muslim from Ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ.

That says: my ḥawḍ, my pool, watering place: the length of it is the distance of a month's journey. Its water is whiter than milk, and its fragrance is sweeter than musk. Now, sitting here, one might think: perfumed water? It is a whole different realm that is being spoken of. This is just a description of the pleasantness of this water. What it is trying to show is the absolute beauty and purity and pleasantness of it. Wa kīzānuhu: and its cups, vessels, are like the stars of the sky. Whoever drinks from it once will never thirst again, as in Paradise; and these people are going to be destined for Paradise.

Where exactly is it? There is a difference of opinion as to its exact position: coming after the questioning, before the questioning, just before Paradise; where is it? There are different opinions. There is a lake in Paradise which feeds this pool, because there are different narrations which speak about the Kawthar being the pool, Ḥawḍ al-Kawthar, and it is also said that there is a lake in Paradise called Kawthar. So some reconciliation has been made by saying that the lakes of Paradise are what is fed into this.

We pray to Allah (swt) that Allah allow us to be worthy of being given to drink by the Prophet (peace be upon him) from this on the Day of Judgement. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: nahrun waʿadanīhi rabbī ʿazza wa jall: that it is a nahr, a lake, that has been promised to me by Allah. So there are different versions of this narration that speak about this.