My Notes from lesson on the meaning of Ayatul-Kursi by Ustadh Hassan Somali
At masjid
Tawheed on 7th May 2023
In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower
of Mercy.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all creation, and may the
peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and all
his Companions.
(All benefit is from Allah; any mistakes are from me)
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
Allah – there is no deity except Him, 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?
He knows what is [presently]
before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His
knowledge except for what He wills.
His Kursi extends over the
heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not.
And He is the Most High, the
Most Great.
Surah Baqarah: Ayah 255
Ayatul Kursi is an aqeedah; it
contains:
·
3 categories of Tawheed
·
5 names of Allah (Allah ٱللَّهُ, the eternal ٱلْحَىُّ, The Self-Subsisting ٱلْقَيُّومُ, the most high ٱلْعَلِىُّ, the great ٱلْعَظِيمُ.
·
20 attributes of Allah
It is advised to memorise
ayatul-Kursi 8 times a day
One after each of the salah (5)
Morning and evening athkar (2)
Before bed (1)
Narrated
Abu Umamah (RA):
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Whoever
recites Ayat al-Kursi at the end of every obligatory prayer, nothing but death
will prevent him from entering Paradise."
[An-Nasa'i
reported it, and Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (authentic).
(book 2: hadith 324): Riyad as-Salihin 1020
Narrated
Abu Hurairah:
that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"Whoever recites Ha Mim Al-Mu'min - up to - To Him is the return (40:1-3)
and Ayat Al-Kursi when he reaches (gets up in) the morning, he will be
protected by them until the evening. And whoever recites them when he reaches
the evening, he will be protected by them until the morning."
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2879
In-book reference : Book 45, Hadith 5
English translation : Vol. 5, Book 42, Hadith
2879
Abu
Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) put me in charge of
charity of Ramadan (Sadaqat-ul- Fitr). Somebody came to me and began to take
away some food-stuff. I caught him and said, "I must take you to the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)." He said, "I am a needy man with a large
family, and so I have a pressing need." I let him go. When I saw the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) next morning, he asked me, "O Abu Hurairah! What
did your captive do last night?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! He
complained of a pressing need and a big family. I felt pity for him so I let
him go." He (ﷺ) said, "He told you a lie and he will return." I
was sure, according to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that he would
return. I waited for him. He sneaked up again and began to steal food-stuff
from the Sadaqah. I caught him and said; "I must take you to the Messenger
of Allah (ﷺ)." He said, "Let go of me, I am a needy man. I have to
bear the expenses of a big family. I will not come back." So I took pity
on him and let him go. I went at dawn to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who asked
me, "O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?" I replied,
"O Messenger of Allah! He complained of a pressing want and the burden of
a big family. I took pity on him and so I let him go." He (ﷺ) said,
"He told you a lie and he will return." (That man) came again to
steal the food-stuff. I arrested him and said, "I must take you to the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and this is the last of three times. You promised that
you would not come again but you did." He said, "Let go of me, I
shall teach you some words with which Allah may benefit you." I asked,
"What are those words?" He replied, "When you go to bed, recite
Ayat-ul- Kursi (2:255) for there will be a guardian appointed over you from
Allah, and Satan will not be able to approach you till morning." So I let
him go. Next morning the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked me, "What did your
prisoner do last night." I answered, "He promised to teach me some
words which he claimed will benefit me before Allah. So I let him go." The
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked, "What are those words that he taught
you?" I said, "He told me: 'When you go to bed, recite Ayat- ul-Kursi
from the beginning to the end i.e.,[ Allah! none has the right to be worshipped
but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists.
Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the
heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him
except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in
this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never
compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi
encompasses the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not fatigue
Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Great].' (2:255). He added: 'By reciting
it, there will be a guardian appointed over you from Allah who will protect you
during the night, and Satan will not be able to come near you until
morning'." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, he has told you
the truth though he is a liar. O Abu Hurairah! Do you know with whom you were
speaking for the last three nights?" I said, "No." He (ﷺ) said,
"He was Shaitan (Satan)."
[Al-Bukhari].
Riyad as-Salihin 1020
In-book reference : Book 8, Hadith 30
Breakdown of Ayah
1. Allah – there is no deity except Him
This is a blessed statement – those who live
and die on it will enter paradise. (La ilaha ilah – is why we have paradise and
hellfire). It separates believers and disbelievers.
2.
the
Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence
Allah being described as
ever-living – Allah is perfect – no deficiency. Deserves to be worshipped
alone. The sustainer – place tawakkul (trust) in him. Allah does not need our
worship, it is legislated for your benefit.
3. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor
sleep
Allah is not over taken by any
slumber or sleep – like us. As humans, we are weak.
4.
To Him belongs whatever is in the
heavens and whatever is on the earth.
Everything belongs to Allah – he
is the true king. Intelligence tells us not to get attached to the dunya.
5.
Who is it
that can intercede with Him except by His permission?
No one can do anything without the
permission of Allah. – This is a refutation to those who worship others than
Allah. (those who ask intercession.)
6. He knows what is [presently] before
them and what will be after them
7. and they encompass not a thing of
His knowledge except for what He wills.
Allah knows
everything – Al-Alim. He knows the past/ present and future. Nothing escapes
his knowledge. His creation grasps nothing of his knowledge – without his
permission. Knowledge that makes you arrogant is not beneficial. Arrogance is
when you look down upon people – the sin of iblis. May Allah protect us from
him.
8. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not
Kursi is related to the footstool. The kursi
literally: footstool is mawdi’ul qadamayn (place of the Feet) of Allaah,
Most Mighty and Most Majestic, and it is before the arsh like a front to
it.
The
greatest of al-Kursi is clearly stated in the hadeeth in which the Prophet (ﷺ),said:
“The
seven heavens and the seven earths by the side of al kursi us naught but as a
ring thrown down in a desert land, and such is al kursi with respect to al-arsh
(the throne)” [65]
And He is the Most High, the Most Great
Allah is above all the creation
