Explanation of the Verse of the Throne
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner says: Please explain to me the Verse of the Throne in the statement of the Blessed and Exalted: I seek refuge[An-Nahl 16:98] [Al-Baqarah 2:255].
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. This verse is the Verse of the Throne, and it is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah the Exalted and Majestic, because of the names of Allah and His attributes that it contains. It consists of eight sentences. "Allah, there is no deity except Him," meaning there is no one worthy of worship in truth other than Him. "The Ever-Living," the perfect life that is not subject to any deficiency, no death, no sleep, no negligence, and no heedlessness. His life is perfect, Glorified is He.
"The Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting." The Self-Subsisting, and in another reading, "The One Who Establishes." It is a form of exaggeration. The One who manages the affairs of His servants, His disposition over His creations, Glorified and Exalted is He.
The scholars said that al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) encompasses the attributes of essence, and al-Qayyum (the Self-Sustaining) encompasses the attributes of actions. He is the One who manages the affairs of His servants, attends to their concerns, and exercises authority over them with perfect, comprehensive, and complete perfection. No drowsiness overtakes Him, which is the beginning of sleep, nor does He experience deep sleep. His life is perfect, (Glorified and Exalted is He). His Kursi (the Footstool) encompasses the heavens and the earth. The Kursi is mentioned in the hadith as the place where the feet are placed, and it is distinct from the 'Arsh (the Throne). The 'Arsh is greater than the Kursi, and since the Kursi encompasses the heavens and the earth, how much greater is the 'Arsh? This is known only to Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He).[Al-Baqarah 2:255] meaning that preserving them does not burden or weigh Him down. Preserving them means preserving the heavens and the earth and those within them. [Al-Baqarah 2:255] Absolute elevation belongs to Him, (Glorified and Exalted is He): elevation of essence, elevation of dominion, and elevation of rank. All of these are established for Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He). He is the Most High, the Magnificent, and there is none greater than Him, (Glorified and Exalted is He). Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh
The questioner says: Please explain to me the Verse of the Throne in the statement of the Blessed and Exalted: I seek refuge
in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].
بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِAllah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep.
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌAnswer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. This verse is the Verse of the Throne, and it is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah the Exalted and Majestic, because of the names of Allah and His attributes that it contains. It consists of eight sentences. "Allah, there is no deity except Him," meaning there is no one worthy of worship in truth other than Him. "The Ever-Living," the perfect life that is not subject to any deficiency, no death, no sleep, no negligence, and no heedlessness. His life is perfect, Glorified is He.
"The Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting." The Self-Subsisting, and in another reading, "The One Who Establishes." It is a form of exaggeration. The One who manages the affairs of His servants, His disposition over His creations, Glorified and Exalted is He.
The scholars said that al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) encompasses the attributes of essence, and al-Qayyum (the Self-Sustaining) encompasses the attributes of actions. He is the One who manages the affairs of His servants, attends to their concerns, and exercises authority over them with perfect, comprehensive, and complete perfection. No drowsiness overtakes Him, which is the beginning of sleep, nor does He experience deep sleep. His life is perfect, (Glorified and Exalted is He). His Kursi (the Footstool) encompasses the heavens and the earth. The Kursi is mentioned in the hadith as the place where the feet are placed, and it is distinct from the 'Arsh (the Throne). The 'Arsh is greater than the Kursi, and since the Kursi encompasses the heavens and the earth, how much greater is the 'Arsh? This is known only to Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He).
His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires
وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَا يَئُودُهُand their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High
وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّThe presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/118 — archive.org (0:52)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.