AAYAT UL KURSI AN EXPLANATION OF QURAN’S GREATEST VERSE

AAYAT UL KURSI
AN EXPLANATION OF QURAN’S GREATEST VERSE

Aayat ul Kursi, the greatest ayath of the Quran, is the 255th ayath of Surah al-Baqarah. It has great blessings when recited. The Prophetﷺ, has instructed us to recite it after every obligatory salah and before sleep. Aayatul-Kursi is the most powerful protection against the devil.

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

“Allahu la ilaha illa huwa. Al-Hayyul qayyoom. La ta khuthuhu sinatun walaa nawm. Lahu ma fis samawati wama fil ard. Man thal lathee yashfaau indahu illa bi ithnihi. Yaalamu maa bayna aydeehim wamaa khalfahum. Walaa yuheetoona bi shay-in min ilmihi illa bimashaa. Wa siaa kursiyyuhus samaawaati wal-ard. Walaa yaooduhuhifthuhuma. Wahuwal alee yul atheem.”
(Quran Surah Baqrah 2:255)

Scholars view

Tawheed Expounded Upon in Ayat al-Kursi by Shaykh Saalih ibn ‘Abdillaah Al-Fawzaan (hafidhahullaah)

Allah says in Ayatul-Kursi:
“Allah, there is none deserving worship other than Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of everything. Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who can intercede without His Permission? He knows their past and what is coming for them. They will never comprehend anything from His Knowledge except what He allows them to. His Kursi is more expansive than the(extended over the) heavens and the earth, and He does not grow tired of protecting them both (the heavens and the earth), and He is the Highest and the Greatest.” (Quran Surah Baqrah 2:255)

This is the greatest ayath in the Book of Allah , the Mighty and Majestic. It contains the three categories of tawheed – ruboobiyyah, uloohiyyah, and asmaa’ was-sifaat. Allah gathered them all in this verse, using negation and affirmation, where He negates shortcomings and deficiencies for Himself, and affirms completeness for Himself, Most Glorified and Exalted.

In the first part of the ayath is the mention of Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah: “Allah, there is none deserving worship other than Him”

Then Allah mentions Tawheed al-asmaa’ was-sifaat: “The Ever-Living, the Sustainer of everything” This affirms for Allah the attributes of life and that He sustains others.

Then Allah says: “Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him” This is a negation. Allah negates that these deficiencies, slumber and sleep, could be attributed to Him.

Then Allah says: “To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth”

This is an affirmation of His Ruboobiyyah, that He owns the heavens and the earth and all that is in them.

Then He, Most Glorified, says: “Who is the one who can intercede without His Permission?” This is a negation. Allah negates that anyone could intercede without His Permission, due to His complete Greatness, may He be Glorified and Exalted. No one could possibly intercede with Him, except after He allows them.

Then Allah says: “He knows what is in front of them and what is behind them” This is an affirmation establishing the complete Knowledge of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, the One who knows everything from the affairs of the past, present, and future. Nothing is hidden from Him, as His Knowledge is vast and encompasses everything.

Then He, the Mighty and Majestic, says: “They will never comprehend anything from His Knowledge except what He allows them to” This is a negation. Allah nullifies the idea that His Creation could gain some of His Knowledge without Him giving them access to it. So if He does not allow them to have knowledge of something, then it is considered ghayb (unseen), and no one knows the ghayb except Allah.

Then Allah says: “His Kursi is more expansive than the heavens and the earth”

The Kursi is a created thing from Allah’s Creation, and indeed it is a great creation! The heavens and the earth in relationship to the Kursi are like seven coins tossed into am open plain of earth , or like seven coins tossed onto a large plate . What would seven small coins look like in this situation? So Allah’s Kursi is bigger than the heavens and the earth. His Kursi is not His Throne, as these are two separate things. The Throne is even greater than the Kursi.

And the Kursi is nothing in comparison to the Throne, except like an iron ring tossed into a spacious plain of earth . So if the Kursi is like this, then what about the Throne of Ar-Rahman, Most Glorified and Exalted?!

Therefore, all of the creation in relationship to Allah is very small and nothing in comparison to Him. If only one thing from Allah’s Creation, the Kursi, is bigger than the heavens and the earth, but still smaller than the Throne, then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is greater than everything.

Allah then says: “And He does not grow tired of protecting them both (the heavens and the earth)” This is a negation, meaning that nothing is difficult or burdensome on Him, Most Glorified. Protecting and preserving the heavens and the earth from corruption and distortion does not tire Him, nor does His holding them in place cause Him any fatigue: “And He holds up the sky so that it does not fall upon the earth, except with His Permission” Surah al-Hajj (22):65

And Allah says: “And He raised up the heavens without any support that you can see” Surah Ar-Ra’d (13):2

And Allah also says: “Verily Allah holds up the heavens and the earth so that they do not slip from their places” Surah Faatir (35):41

And Allah the Glorified is not in need of the heavens nor the earth, nor the Throne nor the Kursi, nor is He is need of anything from the things He created. It is the creation that is in dire need of Him, the Most Glorified and Exalted.

As for the last part of Ayatul-Kursi: “And He is the Highest and the Greatest”

Allah is the Al-‘Aliyy (the Highest) by His Presence, Power, and Subjugation of His Servants. He is the Al-‘Azeem (the Greatest), by way of His Greatness and Pride.

This ayath, Ayatul-Kursi, as explained, contains mention of all three categories of tawheed.
[From his book Duroos min Al-Qur’aan Al-Kareem(p. 26-30)]