Al-As ibn Wa'il

Al-'As ibn Wa'il was a notable of Mecca hostile to the Prophet ﷺ. When one of the Prophet's ﷺ sons died in infancy, he mocked him as 'abtar' — cut off, without offspring or future. The Quran responded with Surah al-Kawthar: it is the enemy who, in reality, will be without descendants.

In the Arabia of the time, having no surviving sons was seen as a humiliation: it was thought that a man's name and memory died with him. When one of the Prophet's ﷺ sons died in infancy, his enemies saw in this an opportunity to wound him.

Tradition reports that al-'As ibn Wa'il, upon meeting the Prophet ﷺ, called him 'abtar' — a word describing an animal with its tail cut, and by extension a man 'cut off,' without descendants or future. He reportedly said to the notables of Quraysh: 'Leave him; he is just a man without descendants. When he dies, he will be forgotten.'

The response came from heaven, in Surah al-Kawthar: God consoled the Prophet ﷺ by announcing immense abundance (al-Kawthar) and reversed the insult: 'It is he who hates you who is truly cut off.' History proved it: the Prophet's ﷺ name is invoked billions of times, while his mockers are known only for their spite.

A point of honesty on the identity of the one who uttered the insult: the Quran names no one; it speaks of 'the one who hates you' (108:3). Exegetes trace the context through tradition. Most accounts (Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Qatada) attribute the insult 'abtar' to al-'As ibn Wa'il. But other traditions report similar words from Abu Jahl, 'Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt, or Abu Lahab. It is therefore likely that several enemies made this remark, with al-'As ibn Wa'il being the most frequently cited. The Quran targets not one man but whoever 'hates' the Prophet ﷺ. It is the lesson that matters, more than the exact identity.

This story teaches that cruel mockery turns against its author. The enemies thought they were 'cutting' the Prophet ﷺ off from the future; it is their own memory that has faded. It also teaches that true posterity is not only blood, but the legacy of good: the Prophet ﷺ lives in every heart that follows his path.

إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ

Nous t’avons, en vérité, accordé d’immenses faveurs.

108:1

إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ

C’est celui qui te voue de la haine qui sera sans postérité.

108:3