Continuation of the Explanation of the Hadith: “O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of the Book of Allah with you is the greatest...?”
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The Shaykh : But we return to explaining the Verse of the Throne, as we began yesterday, where we stopped at the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Baqarah 2:255] And slumber and sleep are well known. [Al-Baqarah 2:255] : This is a statement indicating the generality of the dominion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and that He is unique in dominion, Glorified and Exalted is He [Al-Baqarah 2:255] , and the evidence for the generality of His dominion is: In His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:116] "Al-Malik" is a relative noun, meaning "the One to whom," and the relative noun indicates generality. The evidence for His uniqueness in dominion is that the news (predicate) was placed before the subject in it; the news [Al-Baqarah 2:116] and placing the news before the subject indicates restriction. So no one possesses anything in the heavens or on the earth except Allah. My ownership of the clothes I am wearing and my cloak, and my ownership of this house, is a restricted ownership. I am not able to dispose of it as I wish. If a person wanted to burn his clothes, he would be prevented, and he cannot burn his clothes. He is not free; he is not free in his wealth to dispose of it as he pleases. Thus, the ownership that is my ownership—I am not free in my disposal of it; I do not dispose of it except according to the Shari'ah. For this reason, it is not permissible for us to engage in usury or interest in our wealth, even though the one who gave the usury or interest may be willing to it, but it is not permissible, because we are not free in our possessions. We do not own them except with a restricted ownership. The complete, absolute ownership in which the owner does what he wills is the ownership of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: [Al-Baqarah 2:255] "Who" is an interrogative noun with the meaning of negation, meaning: no one intercedes with Allah except by the permission of Allah. And intercession is well known. "O so-and-so, intercede for me with so-and-so" means "mediate for me to him." So intercession is: "mediating for another to bring a benefit or remove a harm" , this is the intercession.
It is well known that the kings of this world, however great their dominion, a person comes and intercedes with them without any permission. Even the great king, the king, his wife intercedes with him without asking his permission. But the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, no one intercedes with Him except by His permission. His most honored servants with Him do not intercede except by the permission of Allah. And this is evidence of the perfection of His sovereignty, Mighty and Majestic, and that due to the perfection of His sovereignty, no one is able to speak with Him, not even through intercession, which is good, except by His permission.
Who is the most honored of creation from the children of Adam with Allah? Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And on the Day of Resurrection, he cannot intercede except after asking permission from Allah. Then he prostrates in a long prostration, and Allah opens to him from the praises what He had not opened to him before, then he intercedes. And whoever is below him is even more so. No one intercedes except by the permission of Allah. Why? For the perfection of what? Answer! For the perfection of His sovereignty, for the perfection of His sovereignty, Mighty and Majestic. No one intercedes except by His permission.
[Al-Baqarah 2:255] Allah, Mighty and Majestic, knows. [Al-Baqarah 2:255]: All future matters. : All past matters. And this is evidence of the perfection of His knowledge, Mighty and Majestic, and that He encompasses everything, past, present, and future. So what is before you that you will face, even if it is a moment, and what is behind you that you have left behind, even if it is a moment. For example, now, our salam from this prayer of 'Asr, is it before us or behind us?
The student: Behind us.
The Shaykh : Behind us. My words now: I say, now, what is after now is future, and now is present, and what has passed is past, behind. So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, knows everything that will be before us, the present and the future, and what is behind us. And this indicates the perfection of His knowledge, Exalted and Majestic is He, because the knowledge of others is deficient.
First: We are ignorant of many matters, then knowledge is renewed for us.
Second: If we know something, there is a defect in our knowledge, which is forgetting. But the knowledge of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has no forgetting and no prior ignorance. As Musa (peace be upon him) said when Pharaoh said to him:[Taha 20:51]: Meaning, inform us about it, what is its matter? [Taha 20:52]: He does not err: meaning He does not be ignorant, and He does not forget what has passed. So our knowledge is surrounded by two defects: a prior defect, which is ignorance, and a subsequent defect, which is forgetting. And the knowledge of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is free from all of that. [Al-Baqarah 2:255], and the rest of the speech on this verse will come, if Allah wills.
The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on encouraging specific surahs and verses: “It was narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: يا أبا المنذر أتدري أيُّ آية من كتاب الله معك أعظم ؟ قلت : الله لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم ، فضرب في صدري وقال : لِيهنك العلم أبا المنذر O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of the Book of Allah is the greatest with you? I said, "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting." He struck my chest and said, "May the knowledge bring you joy, O Abu al-Mundhir.". Narrated by Muslim”.
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
This hadith was mentioned by al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book *Riyad al-Salihin* in the chapter on the recommendation of specific surahs and verses:
And it is what this hadith indicated of the virtue of the Verse of the Throne, that it is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah. And the speech on most of it has preceded, up to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:255]: Meaning that creation does not encompass anything of His knowledge except what He wills. And knowledge here means the known, meaning that we do not encompass anything of what Allah knows except what Allah, Mighty and Majestic, wills. And this is like His saying: [Al-Jinn 72:26-27].
Likewise, we do not encompass anything of His knowledge, meaning: of the knowledge of His essence and attributes, except what He wills. So we do not know what pertains to the essence of Allah and His names and attributes except what He wills. For this reason, the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said: “The names and attributes are based on what is transmitted”, meaning that their affirmation or negation is restricted to what has come in the Shari'ah. Because we do not know of the attributes of our Lord except what we have been taught, and of His names except what we have been taught, and of His essence except what we have been taught, Mighty and Majestic is He.
And in this phrase is evidence of the human's need for the knowledge of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and that it is obligatory for the person to ask Allah the Exalted to teach him what he did not know from that which is in the benefit of his religion and his worldly life.
[Al-Baqarah 2:255]: The Kursi (Footstool): Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: , and it is less than the 'Arsh (Throne), and the 'Arsh is greater than it. And in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . The small ring of the armor, if you throw it in a desert of the earth, meaning: in a wide land, it would be nothing. So these seven heavens and the earths, in relation to the Kursi, are like a ring thrown in a desert of the earth. Sahih Ibn Hibban 6:55: So the 'Arsh is much greater than the Kursi, and the Creator of the 'Arsh, Exalted and Majestic is He, is greater and greater, Glorified and Exalted is He.
So if this is the status of the Kursi, that it is vast and encompasses the heavens and the earth, then the 'Arsh is greater, and the Lord, Exalted and Majestic is He, is greater than everything, and greater than everything.
[Al-Baqarah 2:255] Meaning: It does not burden Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to preserve the heavens and the earth, with what is in them of creation, and with their greatness and vastness, and with His elevation, Mighty and Majestic, above everything. So nothing is hidden from Him. It does not burden Him to preserve the heavens and the earth. It does not burden Him to preserve what is in the heavens and the earth. [Ar-Ra'd 13:11], [Yusuf 12:64], so Allah, Mighty and Majestic, with His elevation, Blessed and Exalted is He, above everything: it does not weary Him, meaning: it does not burden Him, to preserve the heavens and the earth.
[Al-Baqarah 2:255] He is the Most High, Exalted and Majestic is He, above everything, and He is the Great over everything. The people of knowledge said: “And elevation is of two types: elevation of His essence, Mighty and Majestic is He, so He is above everything. And elevation of His attributes: so His attributes are above everything”.
And the Great means the One possessing greatness, majesty, might, and glory. And with these few meanings, in relation to this great verse, it becomes clear that it is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah. And Allah is the One who grants success.
Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep.
لا تأخذه سنة ولا نومTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth
له ما في السماوات وما في الأرضTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth
له ما في السماوات وما في والأرضnot
ماwhatever is in the heavens
ما في السماواتto Him belongs whatever is in the heavens
له ما في السماواتTo 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?
له ما في السماوات وما في الأرض من ذا الذي يشفع عنده إلا بإذنهIt is well known that the kings of this world, however great their dominion, a person comes and intercedes with them without any permission. Even the great king, the king, his wife intercedes with him without asking his permission. But the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, no one intercedes with Him except by His permission. His most honored servants with Him do not intercede except by the permission of Allah. And this is evidence of the perfection of His sovereignty, Mighty and Majestic, and that due to the perfection of His sovereignty, no one is able to speak with Him, not even through intercession, which is good, except by His permission.
Who is the most honored of creation from the children of Adam with Allah? Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And on the Day of Resurrection, he cannot intercede except after asking permission from Allah. Then he prostrates in a long prostration, and Allah opens to him from the praises what He had not opened to him before, then he intercedes. And whoever is below him is even more so. No one intercedes except by the permission of Allah. Why? For the perfection of what? Answer! For the perfection of His sovereignty, for the perfection of His sovereignty, Mighty and Majestic. No one intercedes except by His permission.
He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them
يعلم ما بين أيديهم وما خلفهمwhat is [presently] before them
ما بين أيديهمand what is behind them
وما خلفهمThe student: Behind us.
The Shaykh : Behind us. My words now: I say, now, what is after now is future, and now is present, and what has passed is past, behind. So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, knows everything that will be before us, the present and the future, and what is behind us. And this indicates the perfection of His knowledge, Exalted and Majestic is He, because the knowledge of others is deficient.
First: We are ignorant of many matters, then knowledge is renewed for us.
Second: If we know something, there is a defect in our knowledge, which is forgetting. But the knowledge of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has no forgetting and no prior ignorance. As Musa (peace be upon him) said when Pharaoh said to him:
Then what is the case of the former generations?"
فما بال القرون الأولى[Moses] said, "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a record. My Lord neither errs nor forgets."
قال علمها عند ربي في كتاب لا يضل ربي ولا ينسىHe knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them
يعلم ما بين أيديهم وما خلفهمThe reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on encouraging specific surahs and verses: “It was narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: يا أبا المنذر أتدري أيُّ آية من كتاب الله معك أعظم ؟ قلت : الله لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم ، فضرب في صدري وقال : لِيهنك العلم أبا المنذر O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of the Book of Allah is the greatest with you? I said, "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting." He struck my chest and said, "May the knowledge bring you joy, O Abu al-Mundhir.". Narrated by Muslim”.
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
This hadith was mentioned by al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book *Riyad al-Salihin* in the chapter on the recommendation of specific surahs and verses:
And it is what this hadith indicated of the virtue of the Verse of the Throne, that it is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah. And the speech on most of it has preceded, up to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
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
من ذا الذي يشفع عنده إلا بإذنه يعلم ما بين أيديهم وما خلفهم ولا يحيطون بشيء من علمه إلا بما شاء(26) [He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone (27) Except whom He has approved of messengers, and indeed, He sends before each messenger and behind him observers
عالم الغيب فلا يظهر على غيبه أحدًا * إلا من ارتضى من رسول فإنه يسلك من بين يديه ومن خلفه رصدًاLikewise, we do not encompass anything of His knowledge, meaning: of the knowledge of His essence and attributes, except what He wills. So we do not know what pertains to the essence of Allah and His names and attributes except what He wills. For this reason, the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said: “The names and attributes are based on what is transmitted”, meaning that their affirmation or negation is restricted to what has come in the Shari'ah. Because we do not know of the attributes of our Lord except what we have been taught, and of His names except what we have been taught, and of His essence except what we have been taught, Mighty and Majestic is He.
And in this phrase is evidence of the human's need for the knowledge of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and that it is obligatory for the person to ask Allah the Exalted to teach him what he did not know from that which is in the benefit of his religion and his worldly life.
His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth
وسع كرسيه السماوات والأرضIt is the place of the feet of Allah the Exalted.
هو موضع قدمي الله عز وجلThe seven heavens and the seventy earths in the Footstool are like a ring cast into a vast expanse of the earth.
ما السماوات السبع ، والأرض السبعون في الكرسي إلا كحلقة ألقيت في فلاة مِن الأرضAnd the excess of the Throne over the Footstool is like the excess of the desert over this ring.
وإن فضل العرش على الكرسي كفضل الفلاة على هذه الحلقةSo if this is the status of the Kursi, that it is vast and encompasses the heavens and the earth, then the 'Arsh is greater, and the Lord, Exalted and Majestic is He, is greater than everything, and greater than everything.
and their preservation tires Him not
ولا يؤده حفظهماFor each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah
له معقبات من بين يديه يحفظونه من أمر اللهBut Allah is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of the merciful."
فالله خير حافظا وهو أرحم الراحمينAnd He is the Most High, the Most Great.
وهو العلي العظيمAnd the Great means the One possessing greatness, majesty, might, and glory. And with these few meanings, in relation to this great verse, it becomes clear that it is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah. And Allah is the One who grants success.