What is Ayatul Kursi?
Ayatul Kursi (The Throne Verse) is the 255th verse of Surah al-Baqarah. It is known as the greatest verse in the Qur’an and is recited daily by Muslims around the world as a means of protection from evil. Ayatul Kursi is memorized by Muslim children at a young age due to its importance and key teachings. Memorizing, understanding, and often reciting this important verse of the Qur’an is an important act of worship.
Ayatul Kursi – Arabic, transliteration and English translation
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
Allahu laa ilaaha illaa Huwa al-Hayyul Qayyoom; laa ta’khudhuhu sinatun wa laa nawm; lahu maa fissamawati wa maa fil-ard; man dhalladhi yashfa’u ‘indahu illaa bi-idhnihi; ya’lamu maa bayna aydeehim wa maa khalfahum; wa laa yuheetoona bishay’im min ‘ilmihi illaa bimaa shaa’a; wasi’a kursiyyuhu assamawati wal-ard; wa laa ya’ooduhu hifdhuhumaa; wa Huwa al-‘Aliyyul ‘Adheem
Allah! There is no god (worthy of worship) except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither tiredness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge, except what He wills. His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Highest, the Greatest. (Surah al-Baqarah 2:255)
The primary theme of Ayatul Kursi
Ayatul Kursi summarizes some of the core beliefs and principles of Islamic monotheism. It introduces the attributes of Allah and the methodology of understanding these attributes. Ayatul Kursi teaches us that there is only one true god, Allah, who alone is worthy of worship. Allah is Perfect in His Names and Attributes. He does not sleep, nor does He get tired. He controls and knows everything, and nothing can happen unless He wills it. There is nothing like Allah, and His Attributes are unique and perfect.
Ayatul Kursi also reminds us that only Allah can protect us from all evil. He is perfect, never sleeps, and controls everything. Therefore, all protection is from Him alone. Ayatul Kursi serves a dual purpose of being an affirmation of the key beliefs of Islam and a protection prayer that we are recommended to recite daily.
Why is it called the greatest verse in the Qur’an?
There is some debate regarding whether we can refer to some passages of the Qur’an as more virtuous than others. The different opinions on this have been covered in detail by Shaykh Yousef Wahb in his paper “Are Some Qur’anic Verses More Virtuous Than Others? Reconciling Diverse Scholarly Views”. Keeping in mind the predominant view that some verses are greater than others, Ayatul Kursi is the greatest verse of the Qur’an as per the following narrations.
Ubayy ibn Ka’b reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “O Abu Mundhir, do you know which verse in the Book of Allah with you is greatest?” I recited the Verse of the Throne, “Allah, there is no God but Him, the Living, the Sustainer,” (2:255). The Prophet struck me on the chest, saying, “By Allah, O Abu Mundhir, rejoice in this knowledge!” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 810)
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Everything has a summit, and the summit of the Qur’an is Surah al-Baqarah. It contains a verse which is the chief of the Qur’an, the verse of the Throne.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2878)
These narrations indicate that Ayatul Kursi is the greatest verse of the Qur’an. This is because it summarizes the most important beliefs of Islam and is an extremely powerful means of protection as well. Surah al-Baqarah is listed here as the summit of the Qur’an because it contains Ayatul Kursi. Surah al-Baqarah is an explanation of the core teachings of Islam, and Ayatul Kursi encompasses the most important lesson of them all.
The benefits of Ayatul Kursi
There are many narrations that indicate the virtues of Ayatul Kursi. Besides being called the chief of the Qur’an and the greatest verse in the Qur’an, it is also a means of protection from harm, a daily protection prayer, a means of ruqya (spiritual protection from jinn, evil eye, and magic), and a means through which people enter paradise. The following narrations serve as evidence for these virtues.
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entrusted me to protect the charity of Ramadan. Someone came to me and began taking from the food. I took hold of him, and I said, “I will certainly take you to the Messenger of Allah!” Abu Huraira told the story to the Prophet, saying, “The man told me that when I go to bed, I should recite the Verse of the Throne. Allah will appoint a protector over me, and no devil will come near me until morning.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “He told you the truth, although he is a liar. That was Satan.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5010)
In the above narration, we learn that Ayatul Kursi is a protection prayer that keeps people safe from evening to morning, and vice versa. It is therefore recommended to recite it early each morning, usually after Fajr, and in the early evening, after Asr or Maghrib prayers. In this narration, Abu Huraira catches a devil trying to steal from the treasury. The devil teaches him this prayer in exchange for his freedom. In any other case, something that the devil teaches would be considered suspicious, but here the Prophet ﷺ confirms that he spoke the truth, despite being a liar. So we act on this hadith, not because of what the devil said, but because the Prophet ﷺ confirmed that this specific statement is true.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whenever it is recited in a home, the devil flees therefrom; that verse is: Ayatul Kursi.” (al-Targhib, vol.2, p. 370)
It is also narrated that the devils flee from homes in which Surah al-Baqarah is recited. (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 780) As Ayatul Kursi is the most important verse in Surah al-Baqarah, it suffices to chase away the devils in many cases. This makes Surah al-Baqarah, and specifically Ayatul Kursi, an important ruqya. Ruqya refers to anything that is recited to ward off devils, magic, and evil eye. If someone feels the presence of devils or magic in their homes, it is advisable to recite Ayatul Kursi frequently to ward off the evil presence. If this does not work, then try reciting the entire Surah al-Baqarah for a stronger ruqya.
Best times to recite Ayatul Kursi
Ayatul Kursi should be part of our daily recitations. There are ideally two sets of timings daily in which we should recite Ayatul Kursi. It should be recited after every obligatory prayer as per the following narration.
Abu Umamah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever recites the ‘verse of the Throne’ after every prescribed prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and entry into paradise but his death.” (al-Mu’jam al-Awsaṭ lil-Ṭabarānī 8068, Grade: Sahih)
Reciting Ayatul Kursi after every prayer is a means of entering into Paradise. Ayatul Kursi should also be recited every morning after Fajr, and evening after Asr or Maghrib as a means of daily protection. This is understood from the earlier narration by Abu Hurairah and stated in the following narration as well.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever says this when he rises in the morning will be protected from devils until he retires in the evening, and whoever says it when retiring in the evening will be protected from them until he rises in the morning.” (Al-Hakim 1: 562, Grade: Sahih)
Conclusion
Ayatul Kursi is one of the most important verses in the Qur’an. It is known as the greatest verse in the Qur’an and should be memorized, understood, and often recited. It serves as a daily means of protection from worldly harm, and also as a means of protection from unseen sources of harm (devils, magic, evil eye). Furthermore, reciting it after every prayer leads to paradise. These are some of the authentic virtues of Ayatul Kursi narrated in various noble hadiths.
