Transliteration:( Allahu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwal Haiyul Qaiyoom; laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; lahoo maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; man zal lazee yashfa'u indahooo illaa bi-iznih; ya'lamu maa baina aydeehim wa maa khalfahum wa laa yuheetoona bishai'im min 'ilmihee illaa bimaa shaaa'; wasi'a Kursiyyuhus samaawaati wal arda wa laa Ya'ooduhoo hifzuhumaa; wa Huwal Aliyyul 'Azeem )
"Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. Slumber [652] does not overtake Him, nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? [653] He knows what is before them and what will be after them [654], and they do not encompass anything of His knowledge [655] except for what He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth [656], and preserving them does not burden Him. And He is the Highest, the Most Great."
✅ [652] Virtues of Ayat al-Kursi
This verse is famously known as Ayat al-Kursi (The Verse of the Throne).
According to authentic Hadith, it is a source of immense spiritual benefits:
Protection of life and wealth.
Death with faith for one who recites it regularly.
Paradise is promised to those who recite it after every Salaah.
It is filled with the Praise and Majesty of Allah, describing His attributes of life, knowledge, and authority.
✅ [653] Intercession Only by Allah’s Permission
From the phrase “Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?” two key beliefs arise:
The Saints, Prophets, Scholars, Huffaz, Ramadan, Ka'bah, and even children will intercede—but only with Allah’s approval.
Intercession is not baseless—it is granted by divine will.
There are three types of intercession:
For salvation on Judgment Day (benefiting even non-believers).
For forgiveness of sins (for sinful Muslims).
For elevation of status (for the pious).
✅ [654] Allah’s Knowledge of Past and Future
“He knows what is before them and what will be after them” implies complete and perfect knowledge of all things.
According to Tafseer Rubul Bayaan, this is a praise of the Holy Prophet ﷺ as the intercessor of sinners, who—through Allah’s gift—knows who is worthy of intercession.
Just as a physician understands whom to treat, the Prophet ﷺ knows who can be granted intercession.
✅ [655] Limited Human Access to Divine Knowledge
“They do not encompass anything of His knowledge except for what He wills” means:
Allah grants knowledge to His servants based on their ability and receptiveness.
Every human knows only what Allah chooses to reveal.
✅ [656] The Meaning of ‘Throne’ (Kursi)
“His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth” may refer to:
Allah’s Knowledge,
His Power,
The actual physical Throne or the Sublime Throne in the heavens.
Classical scholars describe it as:
The Eighth Heaven in astronomy (Zodiacal heaven), or
The Ninth Heaven, known as the Throne of Saturn.
The vastness of this Kursi affirms Allah's supreme authority, and yet preserving the universe is effortless for Him.
254. O you who believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers.
Allah commands His servants to spend for His sake, in the path of righteousness, from what He has granted them, so that they acquire and keep the reward of this righteous deed with their Lord and King. Let them rush to perform this deed in this life,
(before a Day comes) meaning, the Day of Resurrection,
(when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession.)
This Ayah indicates that on that Day, no one will be able to bargain on behalf of himself or ransom himself with any amount, even if it was the earth’s fill of gold; nor will his friendship or relation to anyone benefit him. Similarly, Allah said,
(Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another) ﴿23:101﴾.
(Nor intercession) meaning, they will not benefit by the intercession of anyone.
Allah’s statement,
(and it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers) indicates that no injustice is worse than meeting Allah on that Day while a disbeliever. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Ata’ bin Dinar said, “All thanks are due to Allah Who said,
(and it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers) but did not say, `And it is the wrongdoers who are the disbelievers.”’
(2:255) Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting by Whom all subsist, there is no god but He.[278] Neither slumber seizes Him, nor sleep;[279] to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth.[280] Who is there who might intercede with Him save with His leave?[281]
He knows what lies before them and what is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain to anything of His knowledge save what He wills them to attain.[282] His Dominion[283] overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies Him not. He is All-High, All-Glorious.[284]
278. Irrespective of the number of gods or objects of worship set up by ignorant people, the fact remains that godhead in its entirety, belongs exclusively to the Eternal Being, Who is indebted to no one for His existence. In fact, He is not only self-existent, but upon Him rests the entire order of the universe. He alone wields all sovereign authority over His dominion. None shares either His attributes or His power and might, and no one has the same claims against the creatures as He. Hence, if anywhere in the heavens or the earth someone sets up anything or anybody as an object of worship and service (ilah) either instead of or in addition to the One True God this amounts to declaring war on reality.
279. This is a refutation of the ideas of those who, in formulating their concepts of God, are inclined to consider God analogous to their own imperfect selves and hence ascribe to God the weaknesses characteristic of human beings. An instance at hand is the famous Biblical statement that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day He rested (see Genesis, chapters 1 and 2).
280. To God belongs the heavens and the earth and everything therein. There is no one who shares anything with God in governance either of the heavens or of the earth. Any conceivable being other than God would necessarily be a part of the universe and thus belong to, and be a subject of, God rather than His partner and equal.
281.This is a refutation of the ideas of those polytheists who consider either saints, angels or other beings to be so influential with God that if they were adamant in demanding something of Him, their demand would prevail. They are being told that, far from anyone having the power to impose his will on God, none – not even the greatest Prophets and the most highly esteemed angels – will dare utter one word in the majestic court of the Lord unless they are expressly permitted to do so.
282. Here another blow is struck against polytheism. On the basis of the concept of God’s unlimited sovereignty and omnipotence it was stressed, in the foregoing verses, that no one shares independently in God’s governance of the universe, and no one is so powerful with God that his intercession would decisively influence His judgement. The same point is stressed here but in a different manner. It is pointed out that no one possesses the knowledge that would enable him to comprehend the order of the universe and the considerations underlying it, so no one can legitimately interfere in its governance. The knowledge of human beings, of jinn, of angels and of all other creatures is limited and imperfect. No one’s knowledge embraces all the facts of the universe. If someone did have the right to interfere even in only a part of the universe, and if his suggestions were of necessity to be put into effect, the entire order of the universe would be disrupted. Creatures are incapable of understanding what is best for them, and do not have the capacity to know how best the universe should be governed. It is God alone Who knows everything.
283. The Arabic term kursi signifies sovereignty, dominion and authority.
(The word Kursi has been variously interpreted by Muslim scholars. The literal meaning is obvious; it signifies that which one sits on. Scholars have differed, however, as to whether the word has been used in the Qur’an literally or figuratively. They have also disagreed whether the Kursi and ‘Arsh Which occur in the Qur’an have one and the same meaning or are different. The main opinions expressed by the scholars are the following: (i) that Kursi signifies God’s knowledge, a view attributed to Ibn ‘Abbas; (ii) that it is identical with ‘Arsh (Throne), a view attributed to Hasan al-Basri; (iii) that it signifies God’s power (iv ) in opposition to such views a large number of scholars insist that Kursi should be considered a reality rather than be understood figuratively. In addition to many earlier scholars, this was vigorously championed by Ibn Taymiyah. It should be remembered, however, that Ibn Taymiyah and others who hold this opinion, side by side with affirming that Kursi is a reality, also emphasize that man has no knowledge about the nature and modality of Kursi and that it ought to be treated as something unique, being related to God Who is unique both in His essence and attributes. (See the commentaries of Alusi. Tabari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and Shawkani on this verse. See also Ibn Taymiyah, Majmu al-Fatawa 1bn Taymiyah, vol. 5, pp. 55-8 and vol. 6, pp. 584-5. It is interesting to note that Sayyid Qutb, (martyred 1386 A.H/966 C.E.), a contemporary of Mawdudi and one of the most influential Islamic thinkers of our time, has interpreted the verse exactly, as Mawdudi did – Ed.)
284. This verse is generally known as the ‘Verse of the Throne’ and it provides in one piece a knowledge of God without parallel.
The question that arises here is: What is the occasion for describing the Lord of the Universe and His attributes? In order to appreciate this one should rehearse the discourse beginning with (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 243) and continuing up to this point. In this discourse the believers were urged to strive with their lives and belongings to establish the true faith and were warned to get rid of the weaknesses which had characterized the conduct of the Israelites. A fundamental fact about war – that victory and success do not depend upon superiority in either numbers or weapons – was then indicated. They depend rather on faith, fortitude, discipline and firm resolution. Thereafter the Divine wisdom underlying fighting was disclosed, namely that God removes one set of people by means of another in order to maintain the good administration of the world. For were one group’s dominance to be assured in perpetuity, the lives of all other human beings mould become miserable.
This was followed by the clarification of a misunderstanding which often arises in the minds of ignorant people. This misunderstanding arose from the false assumption that God had sent His Prophets so that all diversity and disagreement might come to an end. The people who accepted this premise, however, saw considerable diversity and disagreement, and were aware that falsehood existed side by side with Truth. They were agitated by the thought that this state of affairs might suggest helplessness on God’s part, that He had failed to stamp out the evils He wanted to. In reply to this it was pointed out that it was not God’s will to compel all human beings to follow one and the same way. Had it been so, man could not have deviated from the course set for him by God. This observation was followed by a passing reference to the subject with which the discourse opened. Finally, the point is made that no matter how many divergent beliefs, viewpoints, ways of life and conduct exist in actual life, the reality underlying the order of the universe is the one stated in this verse, and it remains unaffected by the misconceptions of people. On the other hand, however, it is not God’s purpose to compel people to accept it. Whoever accepts it will find it to his own benefit; whoever rejects it, will find the result harmful.
[98]- Whose life is perfect, complete and eternal, without beginning or end, and through whom all created life originated and continues. [99]- Dependent on none for His existence while being the sustainer and administrator of all created existence. [100]- Allāh's knowledge encompasses every aspect of His creations in the past, present and future. [101]- Chair or footstool. It is not to be confused with al-ʿArsh (the Throne) , which is infinitely higher and greater than al-Kursī. [102]- Above all of His creations and superior to them in essence, rank and position. [103]- Whose greatness is unlimited, beyond description or imagination.
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