The Ayah of Power | Hidden Treasures of the Quran | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

The Ayah of Power: Hidden Treasures of the Quran — Ayatul Kursi

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته — hope everyone is doing well. This is your brother Abdul Wahab Waheed. This is our last session for the Hidden Treasures of the Qur'an series.

We started a little late today because of Maghrib Salah and we're doing this session from our home, so getting used to a different online portal or platform that we're using. Hope everyone is doing well insha'Allah, hope everyone is safe at home.

Today's session is going to be very short, it's only going to be 20–25 minutes because I know it's already a little late and we're supposed to start at 8:30, so JazakAllah khair for joining.

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem.

Why Ayatul Kursi?

Many people in the last few days and in the past few weeks have asked me to speak about Ayatul Kursi, even when we announced our Ramadan immersion program. Many people came to us and personally asked me: why don't we have something for Ayatul Kursi, where we can learn and understand the greatest ayah of the Qur'an?

So I find it fitting that in our last session of this series, we end off this semester of Hidden Treasures of the Qur'an by speaking about Ayatul Kursi — the greatest ayah of the Qur'an — and not just going through the virtues of it, because the virtues of this ayah are very well known, but rather speaking about the internal connection and the sequencing of this ayah, which I find to be profound.

Virtues of Ayatul Kursi — Prophetic Narrations

Narration 1: The Greatest Ayah of the Qur'an

The Prophet ﷺ once came to Ubayy ibn Ka'b and said to him: "Do you know the greatest ayah of the Qur'an?" Ubayy ibn Ka'b said, "I don't know, O Prophet of Allah, you tell me." Obviously, they would always respond out of humility and refer the answer back to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ asked him again: "Do you not know the greatest ayah of the Qur'an?" He said, "No I don't. O Prophet of Allah, you tell me."

And the third time, the Prophet ﷺ responded by saying:

And referred this to be Ayatul Kursi.

Narration 2: Umar and the Jinn

Umar رضي الله عنه says that once a jinn came in his way while he was walking on a path. When he came in front of this jinn, he was about to harm him as the jinn was bothering him. The jinn said to him: "O Umar, should I not teach you an ayah that if you recite it, it will always keep you protected from me and my kind?"

Umar رضي الله عنه — these were people who were always desiring to learn more, who were always in this hunt of learning more, and it didn't really matter to them where that came from. As long as they were able to learn, they were content and they were happy. So he said: "Do tell me, what is that ayah? What is it that can protect me from all of you and your harms and your trickery?"

And he said: Ayatul Kursi. Umar رضي الله عنه says that this became the source of the jinns later on turning their path from him, where the Prophet ﷺ says that if Umar رضي الله عنه walks on a path, the jinns would take a different path, because he would be very particular about reciting Ayatul Kursi.

Narration 3: Reciting After Every Salah — The Gate to Jannah

Ali رضي الله عنه narrates this hadith, saying:

(Ali رضي الله عنه said: "I heard your Prophet ﷺ saying, while he was on the minbar for a khutbah...")

He said to all of them that if anyone recites Ayatul Kursi after every salah — as simple as reciting it after every prayer — the only thing that is stopping him or her from entering into Jannah is death.

(Sunan al-Nasa'i al-Kubra; also reported in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat of al-Tabarani)

Because they've brought the sunnah of reciting this ayah every single salah — فِي دُبُرِ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ — after every prayer. And generally, du'a after prayers is a time of acceptance. When you bring Ayatul Kursi as part of that equation, both of those two things together connect us directly to Jannah. The Prophet ﷺ said the only thing that stops us from reaching Jannah is death.

Narration 4: Abu Hurayrah and the Shaytan in the Storehouse

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2311)

"The Prophet ﷺ made me responsible to protect the wealth of the believers." While he was protecting this wealth, he fell asleep, and a shaytan or jinn came inside, and he started to fight him. The jinn told him while he was being restrained: "I'll tell you something, and if you learn it and if you read this, I will never be able to harm you."

Abu Hurayrah said: "Okay, I'll let you go — but will you leave right away, or are you going to come back?" He said: "No, I promise I'll leave, I'm not going to come back." Abu Hurayrah lets him go and he's about to tell him — and again he tries to get away. This happens three times, and finally Abu Hurayrah says: "You better tell me what it is, and then I'll let you go." And finally the jinn tells him: this is the ayah of Ayatul Kursi, and he recites it to him.

So even the enemies of humans — the ones that try to harm human beings — even they clarified to the Sahabah that if you recite this, this is your cure from any harm from us.

When Allah talks about:

These are the mu'awwidhatan, which we are supposed to recite. But the Prophet ﷺ would always supplement them with Ayatul Kursi.

The Eight Parts of Ayatul Kursi and Their Internal Connections

Now getting into the actual ayah and its detail. There are eight parts of this ayah. An ayah is not a sentence, neither is it a phrase. An ayah can be an entire paragraph, it can be an entire story. A sentence or a phrase is an attempt to translate the word ayah, but the word ayah itself is its own unique concept.

Allah has fashioned this ayah with eight parts. One of the ways we studied this ayah is how the end of it and the beginning of it connect — and each portion connects to its corresponding latter portion. So the structure is a mirror: Part 1 connects to Part 8, Part 2 to Part 7, Part 3 to Part 6, and Part 4 to Part 5.

Part 1 ↔ Part 8: Allah's Names of Magnificence

Part 1: اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ — "Allah, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining."

Part 8: وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ — "And He is the Most High, the Most Great."

Many scholars say that الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ is what Ism al-A'zam — الِاسْمُ الْأَعْظَمُ — is. These are those names of Allah that when we say them, our du'as will be accepted. Whenever those names are part of a du'a, that du'a will instantly be accepted.

Imam Ibn Ashur رحمه الله has a very interesting take on what الْقَيُّومُ means. A person, even when they have a long career, a time comes where their career dwindles — it goes on a decline. It's not as good as it was. There's always a decline, especially if a person has a long life. But Allah is saying الْقَيُّومُ actually means: I am always at the peak of my strength. My strength never has a decline and never has an incline, because I am always at the highest point of it. There never comes a point where I am going lower.

And الْحَيُّ — as many mufassirun, including Imam Alusi رحمه الله, would say — doesn't only mean "alive." الْحَيُّ means the One who gives life. Allah is the One who gives life:

He gives life to the earth after it dies. He gives life to humans after we go into the graves. And this was something difficult for the people of Makkah to believe.

Only Allah will remain. So the first part — الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ — and the last part — وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ — are connected because they both speak about the greatness of Allah's names: His magnificence, His strength, His power.

Part 2 ↔ Part 7: Allah Never Sleeps, and Guarding the Universe is Effortless for Him

Part 2: لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ — "Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep."

Part 7: وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا — "And guarding them does not tire Him."

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says He is always قَيُّومٌ — always taking care of everything. Everything is happening because He is controlling it and watching it:

Generally, what happens when a human being — even the best at what they do — gets tired? They need rest to make sure they are performing at the same level. You can be the best at whatever you're doing, but there comes a time where you just get tired. So you have to sleep, wake up, and you'll be at the same level you were the day before. But if you continue working without rest, you won't have the same efficiency.

Think of a security guard who is looking at cameras the entire day. It's natural that person falls asleep. How many times have we seen that? "Weren't you watching? I just missed it." Allah is saying: لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ — in this, me being the protector of the entire world, I don't get tired, I don't fall asleep, I don't doze off.

Why does Allah not sleep? Because the task He has is not difficult for Him. You only get tired if you are challenged, if there is something strenuous for you to complete. Allah is saying: the reason why I don't get tired is وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا — because taking care of the world is not difficult for Me. So these two parts are connected: Allah does not sleep because guarding the entire creation does not tire Him.

Part 3 ↔ Part 6: Allah Owns Everything, and His Knowledge Encompasses Everything

Part 3: لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ — "To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth."

Part 6: وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ — "His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth."

Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. All of creation. Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما said there are 120,000 creations above the earth and 80,000 creations within the seas. Where Allah says:

"There is no creature on the earth nor a bird that flies with its wings except that they are communities like you." They also have species, they also have ummah, they also have families. All of that belongs to Allah.

And yet — وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ — nothing can overtake the knowledge of Allah. Allah's knowledge engulfs everything. Despite all of this being within Allah's domain, Allah is never overwhelmed, nothing gets past Him.

If a teacher is listening to one student and a second student comes, it can happen that the first student makes a mistake and it goes unnoticed. If you have five or ten employees, someone can make a mistake and it can go unnoticed. Allah says no — this cannot happen:

Allah is all-knowing, Allah has all the news, all the information. So Part 3 and Part 6 are connected: Allah owns everything, and Allah is aware of all their doings even though they might think otherwise. His Kursi — His authority — covers the entirety of the heavens and the earth.

Part 4 ↔ Part 5: Intercession is Only by Allah's Permission, and Allah's Knowledge is Complete

Part 4: مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ — "Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?"

Part 5: يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ — "He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills."

There is no one that can bring intercession on the Day of Judgment for anyone else except with the permission of Allah. No one has the right to intercede for anybody else except with the permission of Allah. Allah gives the ability on the Day of Judgment of interceding for people — the Prophet ﷺ becomes a shafi', a source of intercession for us on the Day of Judgment. Pious predecessors are a source of intercession. The siddiqeen and shuhada are a source of intercession. But only through Allah's permission.

And the middle part — وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ — means that Allah knows who will be the ones interceding. Allah already knows that. It will happen on the Day of Judgment, but it is not unknown to Allah.

The Middle Ayah: The Heart of the Connection

The middle part of this ayah is:

Allah knows what was before and what is after. The connection between these ayahs — Allah knows what He just did. Allah was not unaware about this connection, this نَظْمٌ, this procedure in which He connected these parts. It wasn't a coincidence where the first part of the ayah was connected to the last part and each portion was connected to its corresponding latter portion. The ayah of Ayatul Kursi is not just great because it is a form of protection for us — internally, the ayah is fashioned in such a beautiful manner.

The Science of Nazm al-Quran

This science is called Nazm al-Quran — the connection between the ayat of the Quran and the connection between the surahs. It is one of the sciences that I truly love to indulge in. And of course we are just students of knowledge trying to learn more, but it is a very beautiful science.

Summary of the Eight-Part Mirror Structure

Let us go through it once more so it can firmly settle with us:

Part 1 ↔ Part 8: اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ is connected to وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ — they both speak about the greatness of Allah's names and attributes.

Part 2 ↔ Part 7: لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ — Allah does not sleep nor doze off — is connected to وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا — because protecting the earth and the world is not difficult for Allah; hence He does not fall asleep.

Part 3 ↔ Part 6: لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ — everything belongs to Allah — is connected to وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ — Allah is above everything, Allah controls everything, Allah has power over everything.

Part 4 ↔ Part 5: مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ — no one has permission to intercede except through Allah's permission — is connected to وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ — I already know who has the right of intercession.

And at the very heart, the middle of the ayah: يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ — don't think that this connection happened as a coincidence. It was designed that way. It was fashioned in that manner.

Closing Encouragement

This is just one ayah within 25 minutes where we've gone through how the first part is connected to the last part. The goal was not to give you a tafsir of every single word of this ayah, but just to give you an overview of how beautifully this ayah is internally connected.

I encourage everyone that now — since we know what it means and the power behind this ayah, how the Prophet ﷺ told us through those four narrations, and through the linguistic strength that this ayah shows us — that we can teach our children this ayah, we can read it every single night, we can read it after every salah. There is nothing that can protect us more than this ayah, because throughout this ayah, Allah shows His dominance and His strength in every single part.

The Prophet ﷺ says: whoever recites this three times before sleeping, forty houses across his or her neighborhood in every direction are protected. So not only do we become a means of protecting our own family, but it becomes an unselfish way of protecting the people around us as well.

May Allah bless us and give us the ability to read this throughout the month of Ramadan. If you don't know it memorized yet, I encourage you all to sit down and attempt to memorize it as soon as you can. It shouldn't take that long, and you have the month of Ramadan coming up — so make this a priority to memorize, insha'Allah ta'ala.

May Allah bless all of you. Ramadan Mubarak, Ramadan Kareem to everyone. We will see you in the Ramadan sessions, insha'Allah.

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ