What Is Ayat al-Kursi, and in Which Surah Is It?
ما هي آية الكرسي؟ وفي أي سورة وردت؟
Ayat al-Kursi is verse 255 in Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow).
(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.) [Al-Baqarah 2:255]
آية الكرسي هي الآية 255 في سورة البقرة.
(اللَّـهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ) [البقرة 2: 255]
1. The Greatest Ayah in the Book of Allah | أعظم آية في كتاب الله
The Prophet asked Ubayy ibn Ka'b which ayah of the Book of Allah he knew to be the greatest. Ubayy answered: Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. The Prophet struck him on the chest and said: May knowledge be a joy to you, Abu al-Mundhir (Sahih Muslim 810).
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ (سورة البقرة: 255)
سأل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أبي بن كعب: أي آية من كتاب الله معك أعظم؟ فقال: (الله لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم)، فضرب في صدره وقال: "والله ليهنك العلم أبا المنذر" (صحيح مسلم 810).
2. The Ever-Living, the Sustainer of All | الحي القيوم
Ibn Kathir explains Al-Hayy al-Qayyum as the One who is living in Himself and never dies, and who sustains everything else: all that exists depends on Him, while He depends on nothing. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him, meaning that no deficiency or heedlessness ever touches Him. Read more about the Name Al-Hayy, the Ever-Living.
لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ (سورة البقرة: 255)
فسر ابن كثير (الحي القيوم) بأنه الحي في نفسه الذي لا يموت أبدا، القيم لغيره، فجميع الموجودات مفتقرة إليه وهو غني عنها، وقوله (لا تأخذه سنة ولا نوم) أي لا يعتريه نقص ولا غفلة ولا ذهول عن خلقه.
3. The Kursi Is Not the Throne | الكرسي غير العرش
The Kursi is distinct from the Throne ('Arsh). Ibn Kathir cites Ibn Abbas: The Kursi is the place of the two feet, and no one can estimate the measure of the Throne; al-Hakim narrated it and called it authentic on the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim. The Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and none can intercede with Allah except by His permission, as explained in what intercession means in the Quran.
وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا (سورة البقرة: 255)
الكرسي غير العرش؛ فقد نقل ابن كثير عن ابن عباس قوله: "الكرسي موضع القدمين، والعرش لا يقدر أحد قدره"، ورواه الحاكم وقال: صحيح على شرط الشيخين. وقد وسع كرسيه السماوات والأرض، ولا يشفع أحد عند الله إلا بإذنه.
4. The Firmest Handhold | العروة الوثقى
The verses that follow carry the same message: whoever rejects false gods and believes in Allah has grasped the firmest handhold, which never breaks (2:256), and Allah brings the believers out of darkness into light (2:257). Three verses after Ayat al-Kursi comes the debate in which Ibrahim argued with the king about his Lord, who gives life and causes death, told in how Ibrahim proved Allah’s existence to Namrood.
فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انفِصَامَ لَهَا (سورة البقرة: 256)
تتصل الآيات التالية بآية الكرسي في المعنى: فمن يكفر بالطاغوت ويؤمن بالله فقد استمسك بالعروة الوثقى لا انفصام لها (البقرة 2: 256)، والله ولي الذين آمنوا يخرجهم من الظلمات إلى النور (البقرة 2: 257)، وبعد آية الكرسي بثلاث آيات تأتي محاجة إبراهيم عليه السلام للملك في ربه الذي يحيي ويميت.
5. Protection When It Is Recited at Night | الحفظ بقراءتها عند النوم
Abu Hurairah was guarding the zakat of Ramadan when a visitor who kept taking from it taught him: when you go to bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi to the end of the verse, and a guardian from Allah will stay with you and no devil will come near you until morning. The Prophet told him: He spoke the truth to you, though he is a liar; that was a devil (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311).
كان أبو هريرة يحفظ زكاة رمضان، فجاءه آت يحثو من الطعام، فعلمه: إذا أويت إلى فراشك فاقرأ آية الكرسي حتى تختم الآية، فإنك لن يزال عليك من الله حافظ ولا يقربنك شيطان حتى تصبح، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: "أما إنه قد صدقك وهو كذوب"، وأخبره أنه شيطان (صحيح البخاري 2311).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What is Ayat al-Kursi, and where is it in the Quran?
It is verse 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah, known as the Verse of the Throne.
Why is Ayat al-Kursi called the greatest verse?
The Prophet confirmed Ubayy ibn Ka'b's answer that it is the greatest ayah in the Book of Allah (Sahih Muslim 810).
Is the Kursi the same as the Throne?
No. Ibn Abbas said that the Kursi is the place of the two feet and that the measure of the Throne is known to none, as reported by al-Hakim and cited by Ibn Kathir.
What is the virtue of reciting Ayat al-Kursi before sleep?
A guardian from Allah stays with the one who recites it, and no devil comes near him until morning, as the Prophet confirmed in Sahih al-Bukhari 2311.