Aayat al-Kursiy

 

what is the significance of surah II and ayat 255? is there any proof of the greatness of this surah?

Praise be to Allaah. 

Imaam Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said in his Tafseer of Aayat
al-Kursiy from Soorat
al-Baqarah:

 This is Aayat
al-Kursiy, which has a high status. It was reported in a
saheeh hadeeth from the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that it is the greatest
aayah in the Book of Allaah… It was narrated from Ubayy, i.e., Ubayy
ibn Ka’b that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him which aayah in the Book
of Allaah was the greatest. He said, “Allaah and His Messenger know
best.” He repeated it several times, then he said, “Aayat
al-Kursiy.” The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Congratulations upon
your knowledge O Abu’l-Mundhir. By the One in Whose hand is my soul,
it has a tongue and two lips, and it glorifies the Sovereign (i.e.,
Allaah) at the foot of the Throne.” This was also narrated by Muslim,
without the phrase “By the One in Whose hand is my soul…”.

 It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Ubayy ibn Ka’b that his father told him that he had a vessel in which
he kept dates. He used to check on it and found that the number was
decreasing. So he kept guard on it one night and saw a beast that looked
like an adolescent boy. He said: “I greeted him with salaams and he
returned my greeting, then I asked him, ‘What are you, a jinn or a human?’
He said, ‘A jinn.’ I said to him, ‘Show me your hand.’ So he showed
me his hand, and it looked like a dog’s paw with dog’s fur. I said,
‘Do all the jinn look like this?’ He said, ‘I know no one among the
jinn who is stronger than I.’ I said, ‘What made you do what you did
[i.e., taking the dates]?’ He said, ‘We heard that you are a man who
loves charity, and we wanted to have some of your food.’” Ubayy asked
him, “What will protect us from you?” He said, “This aayah, Aayat
al-Kursiy.” Then the next day he [Ubayy] went to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and told him (about what had happened) and he said, “The
evil one spoke the truth.”…

 Imaam Ahmad narrated: Muhammad ibn Ja’far
told us, ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Itaab told us, he said: I heard Abu’l-Sulayl
saying: a man from among the companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) addressed the people until
a large number had gathered around him, then he climbed onto the roof
of a house and addressed the people, saying: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said, ‘Which aayah of the Qur’aan is the greatest?’ A man
said, ‘ “Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa
Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living,
the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…” [al-Baqarah 2:255
– Aayat al-Kursi – interpretation of the meaning].’ He said:
he put his hand between my shoulders and I felt coolness in the centre
of my chest, or he put his hand on the centre of my chest and I felt
coolness between my shoulders, and he said, ‘Congratulations on your
knowledge, O Abu’l-Mundhir.”

 It was narrated that Abu Dharr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst he was in the mosque
and sat down. He said, ‘O Abu Dharr, did you pray?’ I said, ‘No.’ He
said, ‘ Get up and pray.’ So I got up and prayed, then I came and sat
down. He said, ‘O Abu Dharr, seek refuge with Allaah from the devils
of men and jinn.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, are there devils among
men?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, what about salaah?’
He said, ‘It is the best, so let whoever wants to, do a little of it
and let whoever wants to, do more of it.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah,
what about fasting?’ He said, ‘It is obligatory and it is good, and
the reward with Allaah is greater.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah,
what about sadaqah (charity)?’ He said, ‘Allaah multiplies it many times
over.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, what (charity) is best?’ He said,
‘What a person gives at times of hardship, or what he gives in secret
to a poor person.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, which of the Prophets
was first?’ He said, ‘Adam.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, was he
a Prophet?’ He said, ‘Yes, a Prophet to whom Allaah spoke.’ I said,
‘O Messenger of Allaah, how many Messengers are there?’ He said. ‘Three
hundred and umpteen, a great crowd.’ And once he said, ‘(Three hundred
and) fifteen.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, what is the greatest
thing that has been revealed to you?’ He said, ‘Aayat al-Kursiy, “Allaah!
Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the
Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…” [al-Baraqah
2:255 – interpretation of the meaning].’” (Narrated by al-Nasaa’i).

 Al-Bukhaari narrated that Abu Hurayrah
said: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) appointed me to guard the
Ramadaan zakaah. Someone came and started taking some of the food. I
grabbed hold of him and said, ‘I am going to take you to the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)!’ He said, ‘Let me be, for I am in need and I
have children and am in great need.’ So I let him go. The following
morning, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘O Abu Hurayrah, what did your
prisoner do last night?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he complained
of being in great need and having children to look after, so I took
pity on him and let him go.’ He said, ‘But he was lying, and he will
be back.’ So I knew that he would come back, because of what the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) had said. I lay in wait for him, and he came
and started taking some of the food. I grabbed hold of him and said,
‘I am going to take you to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)!’ He said, ‘Let me be, for
I am in need and I have children. I will not come back again.’ So I
took pity on him and let him go. The following morning, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said, ‘O Abu Hurayrah, what did your prisoner do last night?’
I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he complained of being in great need
and having children to look after, so I took pity on him and let him
go.’ He said, ‘But he was lying, and he will be back.’ So I lay in wait
for him on the third night, and he came and started taking some of the
food. I grabbed hold of him and said, ‘I am going to take you to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)! This is the third and last time. You
said that you would not come back, then you did come back.’ He said,
‘Let me go, and I will teach you some words by which Allaah will benefit
you.’ I said, ‘What are they?” He said, ‘When you lie down in your bed,
recite Aayat al-Kursiy, “Allaah!
Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the
Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…” [al-Baraqah
2:255 – interpretation of the meaning] until the end of the
aayah, then you will have a protector from Allaah and no shaytaan (devil)
will come near you until morning comes.’ Then I let him go. The following
morning, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘What did your prisoner do last
night?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he claimed that he would teach
me some words by which he said Allaah would benefit me, then I let him
go.’ He asked, ‘What are they?’ I said, ‘He told me, when you lie down
in your bed, recite Aayat al-Kursiy, from the beginning to the end of
the aayah, “Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa
Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living,
the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…” [al-Baraqah 2:255
– interpretation of the meaning]. And he told me, you will
have a protector from Allaah and no shaytaan (devil) will come near
you until morning comes.’ And they [the Sahaabah] were always keen to
do good.’ The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘He indeed told you the truth,
although he is a liar. Do you know who you have been speaking with for
the past three nights, O Abu Hurayrah?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘That
was a shaytaan (a devil).’”

 According to another report, “… ‘I was
taking food to a very poor family among the jinn.’ So he let him go,
and he came back on the second night and then the third night. I said,
‘Did you not promise me that you would not come back? I will not leave
you today until I bring you to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ He said, ‘Do not do that.
If you let me go, I will teach you some words which, if you say them,
no one among the jinn, great or small, male or female, will come near
you.’ He said, ‘Will you do that?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘What are
they?’ He said, ‘“Allaah! Laa ilaaha
illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living,
the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…” [al-Baraqah 2:255
– interpretation of the meaning], and recited Aayat al-Kursiy
until the end. So he let him go and he went away and did not come back.
Abu Hurayrah told the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about that, and the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said to him: “Did you not know that before?” This
was narrated by al-Nasaa’i from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd-Allaah
from Shu’ayb ibn Harb from Ismaa’eel ibn Muslim from Abu’l-Mutawakkil
from Abu Hurayrah. We have noted above that something similar happened
to Ubayy ibn Ka’b, so these are three separate incidents. Abu ‘Ubayd
said in Kitaab al-Ghareeb:
Abu Mu’aawiyah told us, from Abu ‘Aasim al-Qaffi, from al-Shu’bi from
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood, who said: “A man from among the humans went
out and was met by a man from among the jinn, who said, ‘Will you wrestle
with me? If you throw me to the ground I will teach you an aayah which,
if you recite it when you enter your house, no shaytaan will enter.’
So he wrestled with him and threw him to the ground. He said, ‘I see
that you are very small and your forearms are like the front paws of
a dog. Are all the jinn like this, or only you?’ He said, ‘I am strong
among them. Let us wrestle again.’ So they wrestled again and the human
threw him to the ground. So he (the jinn) said, ‘Recite Aayat al-Kursiy,
for no one recites it when he enters his house, but the Shaytaan leaves,
farting like a donkey.’” It was said to Ibn Mas’ood, “Was that man ‘Umar?”
He said, “Who else could it have been, other than ‘Umar?” …

 It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In Soorat
al-Baqaraah there is an aayah which is the best of all the
aayahs of the Qur’aan. It is never recited in a house but the Shaytaan
leaves: Aayat al-Kursiy.” This was also narrated via another isnaad,
from Zaa’idah from Hakeem ibn Jubayr. Then he said, its isnaad is saheeh
although they [al-Bukhaari and Muslim] did not narrate it. It was also
narrated by al-Tirmidhi from the hadeeth of Zaa’idah, with the wording,
“Everything has its pinnacle and the pinnacle of the Qur’aan is Soorat
al-Baqarah. In it there is an aayah which is the greatest
in the Qur’aan: Aayat al-Kursiy.” Then he said: (it is) ghareeb, we do not
know it except from the hadeeth of Hakeem ibn Jubayr. Shu’bah discussed
it and classed it as da’eef (weak). It was also classed as da’eef by Ahmad, Yahyaa ibn Mu’een and other imaams. Ibn Mahdi
classed it is matrook
and al-Sa’di classed it as false.

 It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab went out one day to some people who had prepared
a meal. He said, “Who among you can tell me which is the greatest aayah
in the Qur’aan?”  Ibn Mas’ood said, “You are asking one who knows.
I heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘The greatest aayah
in the Qur’aan is ‘Allaah! Laa ilaaha
illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living,
the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…’ [al-Baraqah 2:255
– interpretation of the meaning].”

 Concerning the fact that it includes
the greatest name of Allaah, Imaam Ahmad said: “It was narrated that
Asmaa’ bint Yazeed ibn al-Sakan said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) say about these two aayahs (interpretation of the meanings)
-- “Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa
(none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One
Who sustains and protects all that exists…” [al-Baraqah 2:255]
and “Alif-Laam-Meem.
[These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’aan, and none but
Allaah (Alone) knows their meanings.] Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none
has the right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever
Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists)” [Aal
‘Imraan 3:1-2] – that they contain the greatest name of Allaah.’”
This was  also narrated by Abu Dawood from Musaddid and by al-Tirmidhi
from ‘Ali ibn Khashram, and by Ibn Maajah from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah,
all three of them narrating from ‘Eesa ibn Yoonus from ‘Ubayd-Allaah
ibn Abi Ziyaad . Al-Tirmidhi said: it is saheeh hasan.

 It was narrated in a marfoo’
report that Abu Umaamah said: “The greatest name of Allaah, which if
He is called by it, He responds, is in three (soorahs): Soorat
al-Baqarah, Aal ‘Imraan
and Ta-Ha.” Hishaam, i.e., Ibn ‘Ammaar, the khateeb of Damascus,
said: “In al-Baqarah, it is ‘Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has
the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains
and protects all that exist’  [al-Baraqah 2:255 – interpretation
of the meaning]. In Aal ‘Imraan it is ‘Alif-Laam-Meem.
[These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’aan, and none but
Allaah (Alone) knows their meanings.] Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none
has the right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever
Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists)’ [Aal ‘Imraan3:1-2
– interpretation of the meaning]. And in Ta-Ha it is ‘And
(all) faces shall be humbled before (Allaah), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the
Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists)’ [Ta-Ha
20:111].”

 Concerning the virtue of reciting this
aayah after the prescribed prayers, it was narrated that Abu Umaamah
said: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever recites Aayat
al-Kursiy immediately after each prescribed prayer, there
will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except
death.” This is how it was narrated by al-Nasaa’i in al-Yawm
wa’l-Laylah, from al-Hasan ibn Bishr. It was also narrated
by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh
from Muhammad ibn Humayr, who is al-Homsi, and is also one of the men
of al-Bukhaari. The isnaad meets the conditions of al-Bukhaari.

 And Allaah knows best.