THE MAGNIFICENCE OF AYAT-UL-KURSI
Read ONLY, IF AND WHEN you have time and mood for:
Read ONLY, IF AND WHEN you have time and mood for:
“An Ayah of the Quran for 30 Days” -- November 2012
From the Pen and Perspective of a self-styled PPK Muslim (Proud, Practicing, Knowledgeable) with a humble submission that Islam totally rejects Blind Following BUT vigorously focusses on the Limitations of Pure Human Reasoning..............and clearly and comprehensively AlLAH knows best.
In the beginning of the seventh century C.E., the folks of Mecca and Medina had a fascinatingly unique window: they had direct access to the Heavens through one of their own. They were blessed with a regular stream of Divine counseling and guidelines. Question and answer sessions were part of the program. Even individual questioner was graced by an answer. In the short Introduction to this scheme they were assured that at the end of this twenty-two year project, Divine Directions and Admonitions will continue through the agency of the PEN. The whole discourse has been preserved and archived till eternity under the guarantee of our Lord and Creator. This record in known as the Quran.
It should sound unbelievable but factually appears to be true: Many of our prevalent, widespread and important concepts and opinions about religious matters do not have a basis in the Quran and sometimes even appear to be in obvious conflict with the teachings of the Quran. It would be very educative and helpful to discuss an Ayah once a month to see if it supports or rejects our views and actions in our daily life. I wish and hope this email generates a fruitful interactive discussion.
What follows is not a sermon; I do not feel qualified to give one, anyhow. I wish, it may provide some food for thought.
Surah Al-Baqaraa (2), Ayah 255
"Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory)". Yusuf Ali
Probably the only ayah in the Quran with a name, Ayatul Kursi describes the Oneness of Allah's being and attributes in a unique manner. It is very lovely and melodious ayah singing the glory and magnanimity of our Creator and the omnipresence and omnipotence of our Sustainer declaring that HIS sovereignty is unlimited and his power is absolute. This is the verse which the Messenger of Allah declared as the single greatest Verse in the entire Glorious Quran! It is very soothing to heart and very invigorating to the mind of a Muslim when he recites the ayah and understands it. As Allah says in Sura 29 ayah 45 “….and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt….” Ayat ul Kursi, the famous and well known, one of the best, if not the best in the Quran is widely memorised and frequently displayed. It is a beautiful and effective description of the power of our Lord over the entire universe. It emphasis that Allah is the only deity, eternal, the protector and the cherisher for all mankind. HIS domain encompasses the whole universe, knower of all that exists in the worlds. No slumber ever touches HIM as fatigue is unknown to HIM.
The Hadith literature is replete with the barakaat of reciting this Ayah. Ahaadith carry statements featuring its wonderful merits and blessings. It is strongly recommended to recite it after each prayer and at bed time. According to a hadith in al Nasa’i, the Holy Prophet said: If someone recites Ayah al Kursi after every fard salah, nothing stops him from entering Paradise except death. It is very comforting to do that. However it seems rather an exaggeration to prescribe it for so many specific situations. We must be extremely careful not to invent ourselves the rewards and the punishments of any act, unless one finds sufficient evidence for the same in the Glorious Quran or the authentic and established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah. Also merely chanting it as a mantra for a particular purpose robs it of its beauty and its worth and value. One must get into the beauty of it rhythm and the depth of its meaning to enjoy it. I am not sure of the numerous benefits of this great ayah for all sort of situations described in the hadith literature.1
“ Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission” declares Allah Ta’aala in this Ayah. Intercession is a highly controversial, confusing and variously defined concept amongst Muslims; the pendulum has a wide swing from it being an essential part of faith at one end to shirk and kufr at the other. The Quran has stated three different rulings on this practice on different occasions.
First, it rejects the possibility of intercession altogether.2
Second, it mentions this practice as a total prerogative of our Lord.3
Lastly, the Qluran grants, as in this ayah that intercession will be allowed but ONLY after HE has given HIS permission.4
For reasons unknown, a strong segment of Islamic scholarship has relied on the third verdict and developed an important program of Intercession, strongly supported by the hadith literature. It appeals to many because it is practiced all the time in all walks of our worldly life. However it is emphasized even by the proponents that the interceder must have HIS permission; further this is not a general permission but only for a particular individual. It is conceded by the most ardent advocate that the scope for the benefit of intercession is very limited on the day of judgement. Those who receive their account in the “left hand” will not qualify. Of those who receive it in their “right hand”, some may not need it in the first place. Some others with a great sin may be helped by intercession.
Allah Ta’aala is All-Knowing, most gracious and merciful, cherisher and sustainer of mankind and The Most Judicious of Judges -- ahkami alhakimeen (95/8). I therefore, cannot not see here any room for intercession. Do you? Allah Ta’aala declares very clearly in Surah 50/16 “ wanahnu aqrabuilayhi min habli alwareed” -- and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. Again I therefore, cannot see here any room for intercession. Do you? Lastly God Almighty assures us in Surah 2/186 “ Wa-itha saalaka AAibadeeAAannee fa-innee qareebun ojeebu daAAwata addaAAiitha daAAani” -- And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me....... Here too, I cannot see any room for intercession. Do you?
Dua and supplication is regarded as intercession. It is stated that Quran can intercede for you. Your goods deeds are considered as your intercessors. Who would disagree with any of these types of intercession?
The commentaries of some modern and renowned scholars on the ayahs of Intercession and the opinions of a few others are very educative and will help to confer some authority to my views.5
The ayah further declares “And they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills.” This is to remind us that of the infinite and all encompassing knowledge of every particle in the universe of our Lord and Creator, we can only know what he desires. I would like to suggest a significantly practical meaning to this part of the verse. The word “AAilmihi” -- His Knowledge -- used in this part of the ayah obviously includes every branch of knowledge, religious and temporal. This concept of “deeni madaaris” -- religious schools -- is very misleading. Islam is all about performing in this “dunyaa” -- world -- to achieve your grades for the “deen” -- religion. To be a complete Muslim, Logic, Philosophy, Physics and Mathematics is as important as Fiqh and Hadith. You need college and university education to properly understand, really comprehend and correctly interpret the Holy Quran for the times we are living in. The vast knowledge and experience that we humans have acquired over the centuries and the explosion of information and learning that mankind has obtained and enjoy in our century is FROM HIM, with HIS permission and we have it because HE WISHED us to have it. We are therefore required to use ALL -- deeni and dunyawi -- this knowledges in the service of our religion: for its correct interpretation and propogation. I must add however, I did not find any scholarly support for this view of mine in the commentaries I have consulted.
The assertion in this ayah “His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth” has far and deep meaning to it, far beyond my ability to describe it. I have found the following explanations by two scholars very impressive:
Dr.Asad: "His seat [of power]". Some of the commentators (e.g., Zamakhshari) interpret this as "His sovereignty" or "His dominion", while others take it to mean "His knowledge" (see Muhammad 'Abduh in Manar III, 33); Razi inclines to the view that this word denotes God's majesty and indescribable eternal glory.
Yousuf Ali: Throne: seat, power, knowledge, symbol of authority. In our thoughts we exhaust everything when we say "the heavens and the earth". Well, then, in everything is the working of God’s power, and will, and authority. Everything of course includes spiritual things as well as things of sense.
.....and Allah knows best.
May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.
FOOTNOTES
[1]
Fifteen Benefits of Ayatul Kursi: (As I have stated, I am not sure of all of these)
1. Our Holy prophet (SAW) has said: whoever recites the first 4 ayats
of Surae Baqarah, then Ayatul Kursi and then the last 3 ayats of Surae Baqarah will not be inflicted with any kind of difficulty in his wealth or himself, Shaitaan will not come near him and he will not forget the Qur'an.
2. Imam Ali (AS) was told by our Holy Prophet: Qur'an is a great word, and Surae Baqarah is the leader of the Qur'an and Ayatul Kursi is the leader of Surae Baqarah. In Ayatul Kursi there are 50 words and for each word there are 50 blessings and good in it.
3. One who recites Ayatul Kursi every morning will be in the protection, safety of Allah until the night.
4. If one ties this to ones wealth or chidren, they will be safe from Shaitaan.
5. Our Holy Prophet (SAWW) has said: These things increase ones memory; sweets, meat of an animal near the neck, Adas(Lentils), cold bread
and recitation of Ayatul Kursi.
6. For those of our dear ones who have passed away, recitation of Ayatul Kursi and giving it as Hadiya to them, gives them light (noor) in the
grave.
7. Frequent recitation makes ones own death easy.
8. When leaving home, if one recites it once, the Almighty has one group of Angels to come and protect you. If recited twice, 2 groups of
Angels are assigned to do this. If recited 3 times Allah tells the Angels not to worry as the Almighty himself takes care of him.
9. The Holy Prophet (saw) has said: If one recites Ayatul Kursi before going to sleep, Allah will send an Angel to come and look after you and protect you till the morning. His home, family and also neighbours will remain in safety until morning.
10. When one is alone in the home, recitation of Ayatul Kursi and asking Allah to help will make you remain calm and you will not fear.
11. The Holy Prophet has said: When leaving home,if one recites Ayatul Kursi the Allah will send 70,000 Angels to do Istighfaar for him until he returns home, and upon his return Poverty will be removed from him.
12. If one recites this after doing Wudhoo, the 5th Imam (AS) has said: Allah will give him a reward of 40 years of Ibadaat, his position will be raised in the Heavens 40 times (levels) and will marry him to 40 Horains.
13. One who recites it after every prayer, thier salaat will be accepted, they will remain in the safety of the Almighty and He will protect
them.
14. Allah (SWT) told P.Musa (AS): If one recites it after every salaat, the Almighty will make his heart a thankful one(Shakireen), will give him a
reward of the prophets, and his deeds will be like those of the truthful(Siddiqeen) and nothing except death will stop will stop him from
going into heaven.
15. To increase light or vision (noor) in the eyes, recite Surae Alhamd once, then Ayatul Kursi and then once the following dua:- "U-eedhu nora
basaree binuril lahi alladhi la yutfaa", "I seek refuge for the light of my eyes by the light of Allah(SWT), which does not become extinguished".
Compiled and researched upon by: 66Arifa Hudda
A few additional benefits have been reported:
1 When leaving home, if one recites it once, the Almighty has one group of Angels to come and protect you. If recited twice,
2 groups of Angels are assigned to do this.If recited
3 times Allah tells the Angels not to worry as the Almighty himself takes care of him.
4.If one recites Ayatul Kursi before going to sleep, Allah will send an Angel to come and look after you and protect you until the morning.His home, family and neighbors will remain in safety until morning.
5.If one recites this after doing Wudhoo, Allah will give him a reward of 40 years of Ibadaat, his position will be raised in the Heavens 40 times (levels) and will marry him to 40 Horains.
6.One who recites it after every prayer, their salaat will accepted, they will remain in the safety of the Almighty and He will protect them.
7. If one recites it after every salaat, the Almighty will make his heart a thankful one(Shakireen), will give him a reward of the prophets, and his deeds will be like those of the truthful(Siddiqeen) and nothing except death will stop will stop him from going into heaven...
[2]
Surah 2/123
"And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, and no compensation will be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be aided". Sahih International
Surah 2/254
"O you who have believed, spend from that which We have provided for you before there comes a Day in which there is no exchange and no friendship and no intercession. And the disbelievers - they are the wrongdoers".
[3]
Surah 32/4
"It is Allah who created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days; then He established Himself above the Throne. You have not besides Him any protector or any intercessor; so will you not be reminded"? Sahih International
[4]
Surah 10/3
"Indeed, your Lord is Allah , who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne, arranging the matter [of His creation]. There is no intercessor except after His permission. That is Allah , your Lord, so worship Him. Then will you not remember"? Sahih International
Some additional ayahs on the same subject:
Surah 2/48 -- 2/255 -- 20/109 -- 21/28 -- 74/48 -- 10/3 -- 19/87 --345/23 -- 10/18 -- 11/105 -- 22/76
[5]
Maudoodi:
Not to speak of owning something, or being a partner in the ownership of something, or being a helper of Allah in any way, there exists no one in the universe, who of his own accord may intercede for someone before Allah. You are involved in the misunderstanding that there are some beloved ones of God, or some such powerful personalities, who can force and press God to accept their intercession, whereas the fact is that no one will dare utter a word of recommendation there without Allah's permission. Only such a one will be able to make his submissions, who is permitted by Allah to do so, and will intercede for him alone for whom permission for intercession is granted. (notes on Surah 34/23)
This refutes the wrong notion of those who are under the delusion that saints, angels, etc., wield great influence with Allah, and they will intercede with Him and force Him to pardon them. They are being warned that no creature of His can stand before Him and intercede for others, not to speak of forcing Allah to pardon them. No prophet, no angel, and no saint will dare utter a word without the permission of the Sovereign of the universe.
"To speak": to intercede, and intercession has been made conditional upon two things:
(1) That the person who is granted permission by Allah to intercede for a sinner will alone be allowed to intercede and for the particular sinner only; and
(2) that the intercessor will say only what is right and proper, and nothing derogatory, and the one for whom he is interceding should have at least acknowledged the Truth in the world. That is, he should only be a sinner, not an unbeliever.
This is a fine way of saying that no such intercessors exist as can plead their cases with Allah. For if "something" is not in the knowledge of Allah, it implies that it does not exist at all, for everything that exists anywhere in the heavens and the earth is in His knowledge. (n
The Qur'an employs this sentence to refute the creed of the mushriks in regard to intercession, as if to say, "You imagine that angels, prophets, saints,and the like can intercede with Allah on your behalf and therefore you worship them. You are absolutely wrong, for none of your deities knows what is good for you and what is not: Allah alone hears everything, sees everything and knows everything. Therefore He has not given the right of intercession and recommendation to anyone except when He Himself is pleased to give such permission.
This is to warn these foolish people who depend on the promises of Their intercessors that they would protect them from the torment of the Day. They have been warned to desist from the evil deeds they are committing in the hope that their intercessors would not rest content till they succeed in obtaining from Allah permits of forgiveness for their sinful followers. This is because they believe them to be the beloved favorites of Allah Who cannot afford to displease them at any cost. Then they have been told that, not to speak of wielding any such influence, they shall not dare utter a word except with His permission. No saint, no angel, howsoever high, is so powerful or influential as to speak a word or make any recommendation in the Court of the Highest Sovereign unless He Himself permits it. Therefore such people as make offerings to others than Allah will be utterly disillusioned and disappointed on that Day, for they will come to know that they were foolish in relying on their intercessors and committing evil deeds in the world in the hope that they would deliver them from the torment of the Day.
Yousuf Ali:
After we realise that His Life is absolute Life, His Being is absolute Being, while others are contingent and evanescent, our ideas of heaven and earth vanish like shadows. What is behind that shadow is He. Such reality as our heavens and our earth possess is a reflection of His absolute Reality. The pantheist places the wrong accent when he says that everything is He. The truth is better expressed when we say that everything is His. How then can any creatures stand before Him as of right, and claim to intercede for a fellow-creature? In the first place both are His, and He cares as much for one as for the other. In the second place, they are both dependent on His will and command. But He in His Wisdom and Plan may grade His creatures and give one superiority over another. Then by His will and permission such a one may intercede or help according to the laws and duties laid on him. God’s knowledge is absolute, and is not conditioned by Time or Space. To us, His creatures, these conditions always apply. His knowledge and our knowledge are therefore in different categories, and our knowledge only gets some reflection of Reality when it accords with His Will and Plan. No one has the right to speak before the Judgment Seat; but certain great Dignitaries may be given permission to plead for mercy for sinners, and they will only so plead if the mercy is not negatory of God’s universal justice.
For Shafa'ah (Intercession, Advocacy) It follows that no one can intercede with God, except (1) by God’s permission, and (2) for those who have prepared themselves by penitence for God’s acceptance. Even in earthly Courts, Advocacy is not permitted to anyone; the Advocate must be granted the position of Advocate before he can plead before the judge. Nor can it be supposed that a plea for forgiveness or mercy can be put forward except on grounds recognised by equity and justice.
...... I have explained the two possible modes of interpretation. Each soul is individually and personally responsible. And if there is any intercession, it can only be by God’s gracious permission. For the Day of Judgment will be a terrible Day, or Day of Wrath (Dies irae) according to the Latin hymn, when the purest souls will be stupefied at the manifestation of God’s Power.
Dr. Asad:
Literally, the translation is "the intercession of intercessors" - implying that there would be none to intercede for them with God. As regards the much-misunderstood Islamic concept of "intercession", - "there is none that could intercede with Him unless He grants His leave therefor".
Literally "there is no intercessor whatever, save after His leave [has been granted]". Cf. 2:255 - "Who is there that could intercede with Him, unless it be by His leave?" Thus, the Qur'an rejects the popular belief in unqualified "intercession" by living or dead saints or prophets. As is shown elsewhere in the Qur'an (e.g., in 20:109, 21:28 or 34:23), God will grant to His prophets on Judgment Day the permission to "intercede", symbolically, for such of the sinners as will have already achieved His redemptive acceptance (rida') by virtue of their repentance or basic goodness (see 19:87 and the corresponding note 74): in other words, the right of "intercession" thus granted to the prophets will be but an expression of God's approval of the latter. Furthermore, the above denial of the possibility of unqualified intercession stresses, indirectly, not only God's omniscience - which requires no "mediator" - but also the immutability of His will: and thus it connects with the preceding mention of His almightiness.
According to the classical commentators - including some of the most outstanding Companions of the Prophet - the "bond with God" denotes, in this context, the realization of His oneness and uniqueness. Consequently, as pointed out by Razi, even great sinners may hope for God's forgiveness - symbolically expressed by the right of "intercession" which will be granted to the prophets on Judgment Day provided that, during their life on earth, they were aware of God's existence and oneness.
This relates not only to the worship of saints, angels and "deified" persons as such, but also to that of their symbolic representations (statues, pictures, relics, etc.) and, in the case of defunct human personalities, of their real or reputed tombs. Since all such practices are based on the worshipper's hope of "mediation" between himself and God, they obviously conflict with the concept of His omniscience and justice, and are, therefore - notwithstanding their widespread occurrence - utterly rejected by the Qur'an.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Allaah did not accept the intercession of His Close Friend Ibraaheem for his father Azar who was a mushrik. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Ibraaheem will meet his father on the Day of Resurrection, and Azar’s face will be dark and covered with dust. Ibraaheem will say to him, ‘Did I not tell you not to disobey me?’ His father will say, ‘Today I will not disobey you.'’ Ibraaheem will say, ‘O Lord! You promised me not to disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection; and what will be more disgraceful to me than cursing and dishonoring my father?’ Then Allah will say, ‘I have forbidden Paradise to the disbelievers.’ Then he will be addressed, ‘O Ibraaheem, what is beneath your feet?’ He will look and there he will see a Dhabh (an animal,) blood-stained, which will be caught by the legs and thrown into the Fire.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3350).
The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the believers will intercede does not justify asking them to intercede, as some people do when they ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to intercede for them even after his death.
Ibn Taymiyyah
This topic is a foundational one as it relates to Tawhid, and from the above, it should be clear that intercession (shafaa’ah) belongs to Allaah alone, that He alone grants it, and that it should be asked only from Him alone, and that likening Allaah to the kings of the Earth as it relates to how intercession takes place with them, then that is a revilement upon Allaah, and anyone who believes that this is how Allaah operates with respect to His creation has committed kufr, for Allaah is free from all the deficiencies of created beings, lofty and exalted is He from all of that.
Jaafar Subhani: (Shia scholar and theologian, as quoted in Wikipedia)
Shia believe it is permissible to perform Tawassul through Muhammad, his family, the Prophets, and pious believers. This Shia scholar summarized the forms of intercession in Shia Islam as follows:
Intercession using the Quran: He backed this form of intercession using examples of supplications where believers ask Allah by the holiness of the Quran.
Intercession using righteous deeds: In this form, the believers ask Allah by the deeds they introduce in advance such as fasting or charity.
Intercession using the term "Oh Muhammad": That means believers address directly to the prophet by calling on his name so the prophet asks Allah on their behalf.
Intercession using the supplication of other believers: This is the most common form in which a believer may ask any other believer saying: please pray for me.
A few additional observations in Fiqh Jararia:
On that Day, no intercession shall avail, except the one from whom Allah, the Most Gracious has given permission and whose word is acceptable to Him.None shall have the power of intercession except one who has received permission or a promise from Allah, the Most Gracious.
According to these verses, certain people will have permission from Allah—such as prophets, imams, and awliya' (intimate friend of Allah)—to intercede and help people by the permission of Allah. Without His permission, no intercession will be accepted. Even during their lifetime, prophets had the ability to intercede on behalf of those who repented and sought forgiveness and returned to the path of Allah. The Quran states:
The Prophet Muhammad has also mentioned to the people in regards to his own intercession:
I will be interceding on the Day of Judgment for whoever has faith in his heart.
Each prophet before me asked Allah for something which he was granted, and I saved my request until the Day of Judgment for intercession on behalf of my nation.
My intercession will be for the people who committed the cardinal sins (al-kaba΄ir) except shirk and dhulm (polytheism and oppression).
The Intercessors are five: the Quran, one's near relatives, trusts (amanah), your Prophet, and the family of your Prophet (the Ahlul Bayt).
Shafa΄ah is not to ask the prophet or the imams for protection or to ward off calamity or to bring happiness and success. Rather, it is to plead to Allah, the Almighty by the sake of those who are near to Him, like the prophets and the imams.
As the Noble Quran asserts, only those who receive promise and permission from Allah can intercede and help people on the Day of Judgment. Intercession will be for those with good intentions and good belief in this life, who neither defied Allah nor challenged His authority but, perhaps fell behind in part of their religious obligations. Their good record will help them receive the intercession of the messengers, the imams, and the believers on the Day of Judgment.
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, the sixth Imam of the school of Ahlul Bayt, at the time of his martyrdom called his relatives and companions and said, “Verily, our intercession will never reach one who takes the prayers lightly.”
