by Ayesha Zaka
So, today’s zikr is one that we all already know something about (hopefully): Ayat-ul-Kursi! We all learnt it by heart when we were young, and we can recite it at top speed, and we know that it protects. Let’s look deeper into the virtues of reciting Ayat-ul-Kursi at dawn and dusk.
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
Allah! There is none worthy of worship but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists.
Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him.
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.
Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission?
He knows what happens to them in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter.
And they will never encompass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills.
His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth,
and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them.
And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
– Surah al-Baqarah, ayah 255
We learn from the hadith that:
“Whoever says this when he rises in the morning will be protected from jinns 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.”
Narrated by Al-Hakim 1 / 562, Al-Albani graded it as authentic in Sahihut-Targhib wat-Tarhib 1/273, and traced it to An-Nasa’i and At-Tabarani. He says that At-Tabarani’s chain of transmission is reliable (Jayyid).
We also learn from several authentic ahadith that this is the greatest ayah of the Book of Allah. Of all the ayaat that were revealed over the course of 23 years, this magnificent ayah has the honour of being the greatest one. How can we miss reciting it then? How can we skip out on this much-needed protection against the jinns, especially in these times of trial, when we hear scary stories doing the rounds all around us? Instead of panicking at strange sounds when in bed, or shuddering at the thought of going downstairs alone in the middle of the night, you can just recite Ayat-ul-Kursi, and rest assured of its 100% guaranteed protective effect.
There is none who can truly protect us other than Allah. And there can be no greater words or means for protection than the ones taught to us by Rasulullah (sallalahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
This magnificent ayah is very, very comprehensive and beautifully describes the Tauheed of Allah in a nutshell. It has several Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah mentioned in it. It instills awe in the heart of the reciter if and when he/she ponders over the meanings. I encourage you all to pick up an authentic tafsir today, and read the explanation of Ayat-ul-Kursi (which is Ayah 255 of Surah al-Baqarah).
On a side note, Ayat-ul-Kursi should also be recited after the five daily prayers and when we go to bed.
In a long and interesting incident found in Sahih al –Bukhari, Abu Hurairah narrates that he caught a man trying to steal some food twice, felt pity on hearing his false story about his poor family, and let him go each time. The third time, he would not let the man go, and to rescue himself, the man taught him that: “When you go to your bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi, for there will remain with you a guardian from Allah, and no devil will approach you, until morning comes.”
When the Prophet (sallalahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was informed of this, he said: “He told you the truth although he is a liar. That was a devil.”
It was narrated that the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:
“Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi immediately after each prescribed prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except death.”
(al-Nasa’i, Ibn Hibban)
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