Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 255

255. Allah—there is no deity except Him. [361] He is the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes 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? [362] He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. [363] His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Most Great.

[361] This verse is famous by the name of Ayat al-Kursi, and in it, such complete knowledge of Allah Almighty is described, the like of which is not found elsewhere. That is why this verse has been declared the most virtuous verse of the Quran, as is clear from the following hadiths.

Virtues of Ayat al-Kursi:

1. It is narrated from Ubayy bin Ka'b ؓ that he asked me, "Abu Mundhir! Do you know which is the most magnificent verse with you from the Book of Allah?" I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He asked again: "Abu Mundhir! Do you know which verse from the Book of Allah is the greatest with you?" I said:
﴿لاَ اِلٰهَ الآَ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّوْمُ﴾
He struck his hand on my chest and said: "Abu Mundhir! May knowledge be blessed for you." [مسلم، كتاب فضائل القرآن وما يتعلق به۔ باب فضل سورة كهف و آية الكرسي]

2. Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ appointed me to guard the charity of Fitr. Someone came and started stealing the grain. I caught him and said: "I will take you to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ." He said: "I am needy, with dependents, and in great distress." So I let him go. In the morning, the Prophet ﷺ asked me: "Abu Hurairah! What did your prisoner say last night?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he complained of need and dependents. I felt pity and let him go." He said: "Be aware, he is a liar and will come to you again." The next night, he came again and started taking the grain. I caught him and said: "Today I will surely take you to the Prophet ﷺ." He said: "Let me go, I am needy and have dependents, I will not come again." I felt pity again and let him go. In the morning, the Prophet ﷺ asked: "Abu Hurairah! What did your prisoner do?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he complained of severe need and dependents, I felt pity and let him go." He said: "Be aware, he is a liar and will come again." So, the third time, I lay in wait. He came and started gathering the grain. I said: "Now I will surely take you to the Prophet ﷺ. This is the third time, and every time you say you will not come again, but you do."

Even a Liar Sometimes Speaks the Truth:

He said: "Let me go, I will teach you some words that will benefit you." I said: "What are they?" He said: "When you go to bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi. An angel from Allah will guard you, and Satan will not come near you until morning." So I let him go again. In the morning, the Prophet ﷺ asked me: "What did your prisoner do last night?" I told him the whole story, and he said: "He spoke the truth, though he is a liar." Then he said to me: "Abu Hurairah! Do you know who has been coming to you for three nights?" I said: "No." He said: "That was Satan." [بخاري۔ كتاب الوكالة باب اذا و كل رجلا فترك الوكيل شيأ..... الخ]

3. Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Everything has a hump, and the hump of the Quran is Surah al-Baqarah, and in it is a verse which is the chief of all the verses of the Quran, and that is Ayat al-Kursi." [ترمذي۔ ابواب التفسير۔ باب ماجاء فى سورة البقرة و آية الكرسي]

The Essential Attributes of Divinity and the Falsity of All False Gods:

The greatness of this verse is that it not only describes the praise and sanctity of Allah Almighty but also cuts the root of all forms of shirk. At the beginning, Allah Almighty said that there is no god except Him, and as proof of this, He mentioned two things or two attributes: one is that He is «حَيٌّ», alive from eternity and will remain forever. This means that any being that is not «حي» cannot be a god. If judged by this standard, the divinity of all other gods is invalid, because they are created, and whatever is created is necessarily subject to annihilation or death. Whether these deities belong to inanimate objects, plants, animals, humans, angels, jinn, or celestial bodies, all these things are created, and none of them fully possesses the attribute of being «حَيٌّ». The second attribute mentioned is that He is self-subsisting and sustains all other things. This attribute is also not found in any deity other than Allah. The celestial bodies themselves are bound and revolve under a law. The stone idols are dependent on their worshippers to wash and clean them, and whenever they wish, they can replace them, and their divinity is maintained by those caretakers and disciples who collect offerings from people and attribute false stories and legends to these saints to frighten people and force them to present offerings. If these people withdraw their patronage, their godhood cannot last even a day. Then it is said that neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. This is the sanctification of Allah Almighty from defects. Drowsiness is the initial stage of sleep, and sleep is an involuntary state that overtakes every living being when it becomes tired from work. In such a state, sleep overcomes and renders it unconscious, and there are some signs of death in it. That is why in hadiths, sleep is called the sister of death, and in some hadiths, it is even referred to as death. If Allah Almighty were to be overtaken by drowsiness or sleep, the entire system of this universe would be disrupted in an instant, and all gods besides Allah are either already dead or are subject to drowsiness, sleep, and death; therefore, they cannot be gods.

The Strict Condition for Intercession:

Then it is said that all things in the heavens and the earth belong to Him, and He is their owner, and it is obvious that something that is itself owned by another cannot be a god. Then it is said that no one will be allowed to intercede with Him except by His permission. Even the Arabs believed in intercession with Allah in some form, and this intercession could be for worldly matters or for salvation in the Hereafter. The belief of the polytheists regarding intercession was that their deities, angels, or saints, since they themselves possess delegated powers from Allah, can benefit them in every way, and since they are beloved to Allah, not only can they intercede with Allah, but they can also put pressure on Him to save their followers from Allah's grasp and fix their affairs. Since this belief leads to reliance and trust on others instead of Allah, it has been strongly refuted, and this door of shirk has been closed. At the same time, by saying «الا باذنه», the total negation of intercession was not made, but by imposing several conditions, the belief in reliance on intercession was completely abolished. These conditions are that Allah will grant permission to whomever He wills to intercede, and for whomever He wills, and for whatever matter He allows intercession. The intercessor will only be able to intercede regarding that matter. Then it is said that Allah is fully aware of all the past and future, the former and latter states of all people, while others have not even reached the dust of Allah's vast knowledge. Intercession is such that a certain person has committed a certain act by mistake or deliberately, but his previous record is completely clean, so his sin should be forgiven. But what addition can the supposed intercessors of these polytheists make to Allah's knowledge? They have only as much knowledge as Allah has granted them, and one who does not even have complete knowledge of himself, how can he have knowledge about others?

Ayat al-Kursi: The Treasure of Divine Knowledge:

Then it is said that His Kursi encompasses the entire universe. Here, some people have interpreted Kursi as authority, but we do not agree with their view; rather, in our opinion, the comprehensiveness in the meaning of the word Kursi is not found in authority. Then, where can anyone escape from Allah's grasp? Then it is said that the management and protection of the universe does not tire or burden Allah Almighty. Therefore, Allah Almighty should not be likened to humans and their weaknesses. The Being of Allah Almighty is above all kinds of analogies and is full of greatness. Thus, in these last sentences, again the sanctification of Allah Almighty is described. In other words, in all aspects—praise, glorification, and sanctification—this verse is a comprehensive verse.

[362] Here we mention three authentic hadiths which shed light on several aspects of intercession. For example, that the Day of Resurrection will be so terrifying that even the greatest prophets will not dare to intercede before Allah, and finally, the lot will fall to the Prophet of the Last Age; also, for whom intercession will be made; and what is the reality of those among us who make fearless promises of intercession to their disciples, or those who have based their salvation in the Hereafter solely on the intercession of their saints and spiritual leaders, etc.

1. Hazrat Anas ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: On the Day of Resurrection, the believers will gather and say: "It is better that we seek someone to intercede for us before our Lord." They will go to Adam ؑ and say: "You are the father of all people. Allah created you with His own hand, made the angels prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all things. So intercede for us with your Lord, that He may relieve us from this distress." He will say: "I am not fit for this," and remembering his mistake, he will feel ashamed to go before Allah and will say: "Go to Noah; he is the first messenger whom Allah sent to the people of the earth." The people will go to Noah, and he will say: "I am not fit for this." He will remember the question he asked his Lord without knowledge and will feel ashamed, then say: "Go to Allah's Khalil (Hazrat Ibrahim ؑ)." The people will go to him, and he will also say: "I am not fit for this. Go to Musa ؑ; he is a servant to whom Allah spoke and gave the Torah." So the people will go to Musa ؑ, and he will say: "I am not fit for this." He will remember his unjust killing and will feel ashamed to go before his Lord and will say: "Go to Isa; he is Allah's servant, His messenger, His word, and His spirit." Now the people will go to him, and he will say: "I am not fit for this. Go to Muhammad ﷺ; he is the (close) servant whose all past and future faults Allah has forgiven."

The Greatest Intercession:

Then the people will come to me, and I will go and seek permission to present myself before my Lord. I will be granted permission. When I see my Lord, I will fall in prostration, and I will remain in prostration as long as my Lord wills. Then it will be said: "Raise your head and ask, you will be given; speak, you will be heard; intercede, your intercession will be accepted." Then I will raise my head and praise Him with such praises as Allah will teach me at that time. Then I will intercede, and a limit will be set for me. I will admit those people to Paradise. Then I will return to my Lord, and when I see my Lord, I will fall in prostration as before. Then I will intercede, and a limit will be set for me, and I will admit them to Paradise. Then, for the third time, I will return to my Lord, then for the fourth time, and I will say: "O Lord! Now only those remain in Hell who, according to the Quran, deserve to go to Hell and must remain there forever." [ بخاري، كتاب التفسير] under the verse
﴿ عَلَّمَ اٰدَمَ الأَسْمَاءَ﴾

2. Hazrat Abu Sa'id Khudri ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "On the Day of Resurrection, I will be the leader of all the children of Adam, and there is no pride in this, and the banner of praise will be in my hand, and there is no pride in this, and Adam and all the other prophets will be under my banner, and the earth will be split for me first (for resurrection), and there is no pride in this." Then he said three times that the people will be very anxious that day. They will go to Adam ؑ and say: "You are our father, so intercede for us with our Lord." He will say: "I committed such a sin because of which I was sent down to earth. Rather, you should go to Noah." The people will go to Noah ؑ, and he will say: "I prayed against all the people of the earth, and they were destroyed. Rather, you should go to Ibrahim." The people will go to Ibrahim ؑ, and he will say: "I told three lies." Then the Prophet ﷺ said: "He did not tell any lies except for the sake of supporting the religion." Then Hazrat Ibrahim ؑ will say: "You should go to Musa." The people will go to Musa ؑ, and he will say: "I killed a man." Now you should go to Isa. He will say: "People made me a deity besides Allah. You should go to Muhammad ﷺ." Then all the people will come to me, so I will go with them and knock at the door of Paradise. Someone inside will ask: "Who is this?" It will be said: "It is Muhammad ﷺ." Then they will open the door for me, welcome me, and receive me with honor. I will fall in prostration. At that time, Allah will inspire me with His praise and glorification. Then I will be told: "Raise your head and ask, you will be given; intercede, your intercession will be accepted; and your word will be heard." And this is the Maqam Mahmood (the Praised Station) which Allah has mentioned in this verse:
﴿ وَمِنَ الَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهٖ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ ڰ عَسٰٓي اَنْ يَّبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُوْدًا﴾
[ترمذی، ابواب التفسیر، سورۃ بنی اسرائیل]

3. Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ says that I asked the Prophet ﷺ: "O Messenger of Allah! Who will be most deserving of your intercession on the Day of Resurrection?" He said: "Abu Hurairah! I knew that no one would ask me this before you, because I see how eager you are to hear hadith. So listen: My intercession will be most for the one who says «لا اله الا الله» with a sincere heart." [ بخاري، كتاب العلم۔ باب الحرص على الحديث]

[363]
The Vastness of Allah's Knowledge:

Because this universe and its vastness are limitless, and its comprehension is beyond human capacity. The more powerful telescopes man invents, the more his amazement increases at the vastness of the universe. Then how can he encompass its knowledge? Man's knowledge is only as much as Allah Almighty has granted to the prophets through revelation, or as man himself has acquired through experimentation with some things, and this is like a drop of water compared to the ocean.