Pond of Abundance

Diagram of Plain of Assembly on Judgment Day, by Ibn Arabi (ca. 1238) with the Throne of God, pulpits for the righteous, seven rows of angels, Gabriel, the Barrier, the Pond of Abundance, the Praiseworthy Station where Muhammad will stand, the Scale, the Bridge, Hell, and the Meadow of Paradise.[1]

In Islam, the Pond of Abundance or Pool of Kawthar (Arabic: حَوْضُ ٱلْكَوْثَرِ, romanized: Ḥawḍ al-Kawthar[2]) refers to a pond or river that exists in Paradise. The traditional Muslim belief is that on the Day of Judgement, when people will be resurrected, they will rise in great thirst and be eager to quench it in an atmosphere of chaos. Then, Muhammad would be the one privileged by God to respond to the pleas of believers to quench their thirst by offering them a cool and refreshing drink from the pond.

  1. ^ Begley, Wayne E. The Garden of the Taj Mahal: A Case Study of Mughal Architectural Planning and Symbolism, in: Wescoat, James L.; Wolschke-Bulmahn, Joachim (1996). Mughal Gardens: Sources, Places, Representations, and Prospects Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C., ISBN 0884022358. pp. 229–231.
  2. ^ Houtsma, M. Th. (1993). E. J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936. BRILL. p. 835. ISBN 90-04-09790-2.