As for the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice" [Surah al-Kawthar: 2] , the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) differed in its explanation and interpretation, and the best statement among them is what has been narrated from the Commander of the Believers, Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), in two narrations, the first of which is this:

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) concerning "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice" [Surah al-Kawthar: 2] , that he said: "This refers to your placing your right hand upon your left in the prayer." And the second narration is this:

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: When this verse was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, We have given you al-Kawthar. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice" [Surah al-Kawthar: 1-2] , the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Jibril (peace be upon him): "What is this sacrifice that my Lord has commanded me?" He said: "It is not a sacrifice; rather, He commands you that when you begin the prayer with the opening takbir, you raise both your hands when saying the takbir, and (raise them) also when you bow and when you raise your head from bowing, for this is our prayer and the prayer of the angels who are in the seven heavens." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Raising the hands is part of the humility about which Allah Almighty said: 'But they did not humble themselves before their Lord, nor do they supplicate humbly' [Surah al-Mu'minun: 76] ."

It is narrated from Nawfal al-Ashja'i (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Tell me something that I may recite (at bedtime). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you go to your bed, recite 'Say: O disbelievers' [Surah al-Kafirun: 1] to the end, for it is a disavowal of shirk." The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say often: 'Subhanaka rabbana wa bihamdik' (Glory be to You, our Lord, and with Your praise). Then when this surah was revealed: "When the help of Allah and the victory come" [Surah al-Nasr: 1] , he (peace and blessings be upon him) began to say (this supplication): 'Subhanaka rabbana wa bihamdik, Allahumma ighfir li, innaka anta al-Tawwab al-Rahim' (Glory be to You, our Lord, and with Your praise; O Allah, forgive me, indeed You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful). The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Abu Aqrab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Lahab bin Abi Lahab (the son of Abu Lahab) used to revile the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (supplicating against him): "O Allah, set one of Your dogs upon him." Then he set out in a caravan towards Syria. They stopped at a place, and he said: "I fear the supplication of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." The people said to him: "Not at all (nothing will happen)." Then they placed their baggage around him and sat guarding him. Then a lion came, snatched him and carried him off. The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) concerning "His wealth and what he earned will not avail him" [Surah al-Masad: 2] , that he said: "His earnings means his children." Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Ibn Uyaynah did not mention his hearing (sama') in it; then it reached me that he heard it from Umar bin Habib.

It is narrated from Abu al-Tufayl (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: One day I was with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) when the sons of Abu Lahab came to him, disputing over some matter of theirs. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) stood up to reconcile between them, and one of them pushed him and he fell onto the bed. At this Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) became angry and said: "Take these wicked earnings away from me." He meant his (Abu Lahab's) children, (as Allah says): "His wealth and what he earned (meaning his children) will not avail him" [Surah al-Masad: 2] .

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) that the polytheists said: "O Muhammad, describe to us the lineage of your Lord." So Allah Almighty revealed this surah: "Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Self-Sufficient (al-Samad). He neither begets nor is born, and there is none comparable to Him" [Surah al-Ikhlas: 1-4] , because everything that is born will certainly die, and everything that dies is inherited from, whereas Allah Almighty neither dies nor is inherited from. "And there is none comparable to Him" means: there is none resembling Him or equal to Him, and there is nothing like Him. The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, should I recite Surah Yusuf and Surah Hud?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Uqbah, recite 'Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak' [Surah al-Falaq: 1] , for you cannot recite any surah more beloved to Allah and more effective with Him than it. So if you are able not to let it slip from you, then do so." The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.