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The Holy Prophet , has said that this Surah is a cure for all kinds of illnesses. According
to another Tradition (Hadith), the Surah has also been named the "Cure" (Al-Shifa), (See Qurtubi), and
al-Bukhari reports from the Companion Anas that the Holy Prophet has called
this Surah the greatest among all the Surahs of the Holy Qur'an. (See Qurtubi)

 
 

  






The Holy Prophet used to say the words (½ismika Allahumma), but when
the verse ½ismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim was revealed, he adopted these words.

The Holy Qur'an again and again instructs us to begin what we do with the name of Allah. The Holy
Prophet has said that no important work receives the blessings of Allah, unless it is begun
with His name.

According to yet another hadith (Tradition), closing the door of one's house, putting out the lamp,
covering a vessel, should all be done with the recitation of Bismillah. The Holy Qur'an and the ahadith
(Traditions) repeatedly instruct us to recite this verse while taking food, drinking water, performing the
wudu (ablution), getting on a carriage or getting down from it. (See Qurtubi)

Ruling: 'Before beginning to recite the Qur'an it is sunnah to first say, (I

seek refuge with Allah from Satan -- the accursed) and then (I begin with the
name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful). And during the tilawah (the recitation of the Holy

Qur'an) as well, saying: 'Bismillah... at the beginning of each Surah, except the Surah Al-
Bara'ah (al-Taubah), is Sunnah.





 
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The prayer which the Holy Qur'an has chosen to recommend to everyone, in every situation and for
everything one does, is the prayer for being guided in the straight path. Just as success in the Hereafter
depends on taking the straight path which leads one to Paradise, in the same way, if you come to think
about it, success in all worldly concerns too depends on keeping to the straight path.

Conversely, a little reflection will reveal that failure is always due to having strayed from the straight
path.
In view of the need for the straight path in worldly and other worldly concerns both, this is the prayer
which should constantly be on the lips and in the heart of a true Muslim -- never as an empty verbal
exercise, but with a sincere intention and with the meaning of the words fully present in the mind.

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a) The Holy Prophet has said: "Make a habit of reading the Surah Al-Baqarah, for
reading it brings down on you the barakah or blessings of Allah, and neglecting it is a matter of regret,
and a misfortune. And men of falsehood cannot overcome it". Al-Qurtubi cites the blessed Companion
Mu'awiyah to the effect that the men of falsehood referred to here are sorcerers, and the implication is
that one who keeps reading this Surah becomes immune to the effect of black magic (Qurtubi, from
Muslim, as narrated by Abu Umamah Bahili).

b) The Holy Prophet , has also said that Satan flees from the house in which this Surah is
read or recited. (Ibn Kathir from Hakim).

c) Another hadith says that this Surah is the apex of the Holy Qur'an, and that a retinue of eighty angels
had accompanied each of its verses when it was revealed (Ibn Kathir from Musnad Ahmad).

d) The blessed Companion Abu Huraira reports from the Holy Prophet , that
there is a verse in this Surah which enjoys a superiority over all the other verses of the Holy Qur'an,
and that verse is the Verse of the Kursi (Ayat al-Kursi 2:255) (Ibn Kathir from Tirmidhi).

e) The blessed Companion Abdullah ibn Masud says that ten verses of this Surah have such
an efficacy that:

- if one recites them at night, neither Satan nor jinn would enter one's house, nor would one and one's
family be afflicted with illness or calamity or sorrow that night

- if they are recited over a man suffering from a fit of madness, his condition will improve.

The ten verses are these: the first four verses of the Surah, three verses in the middle (that is, the Ayat
al-Kursi, and the two following verses), and the last three verses of the Surah.



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And when your Lord said to the angels, "I am going to create a deputy on the earth!" They said, "Will
You create there one who will spread disorder on the earth and cause bloodsheds while we, along with
your praises, proclaim Your purity and sanctify Your name?" He said, "Certainly, I know what you do
not know." And He taught Adam the names, all of them; then presented them before the angels, and
said, "Tell me their names, if you are right." They said,

'To You belongs all purity! We have no knowledge except what You have given us. Surely, You alone
are the all-knowing, all-wise." (v.30 to 32, p. 159)



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O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient.
(v. 153)

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That the patient people used to recite: : "We belong to Allah and to Him we
are to return", is, in fact, an inculcation of the principle of virtue.

The suggestion is that this is what the patient people should say as it brings excellent reward, relieves
from the burden of sorrow and suffering and consoles effectively the grieved heart.

Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly! To Allâh we belong and truly, to Him we shall return."
(v. 156) They are those on whom are the Salawât (i.e. blessings, etc.) (i.e. who are blessed and will be
forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the
guided-ones. (v. 157)

 
 

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This is the greatest verse of the noble Qur'an. Ahadith carry statements featuring its wonderful merits
and blessings. It appears in the Musnad of Ahmad that the Holy Prophet has said that this
verse is the most meritorious of all.
Sayyidna Abu Hurayrah has reported the Holy Prophet saying: 'There is a verse
in Surah Al-Baqarah which is the Sayyidah (the Chief) of the verses of the Qur'an. The Satan leaves the
house where it is recited.'

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 means that,
immediately after death, this person will start witnessing the traces of Paradise and its comfort and
tranquillity.

This verse has ten sentences which epitomize a description of Allah's Oneness and His perfections with
clarity, and in detail.

1. : 'Allah: There is no god but He.'

The word, (Allah) is like a proper noun for Allah's being. It means: 'the Being who combines all
perfections and is free of all shortcomings.' 'There is absolutely nothing worth worshipping except this
Being.

2. : : 'The Alive, the All-Sustaining.' He is Ever-living and Ever-lasting. The words,

Qayyum and Qayyam mean: 'one who himself stands firmly and keeps others sustained and supported,
all simultaneously.'

Qayyum is an attribute of Allah Almighty with which no created being can be associated, for what
depends on others for its own existence and survival can hardly be expected to support something else.

Therefore, a human being should not be called, 'Qayyum . It is not permissible. People who corrupt the
name, 'Abdul-Qayyum (the slave of the Qayyum) by casually using just the second part -- Qayyum,
commit a grave error resulting in their sinfulness.

The combination of Hayy and Qayyum from among the attributive names of Allah Almighty is
(al-ism al-a'zam: the Great Name) according to several revered elders. Sayyidna 'Ali
says: 'There was a time during the Battle of ½adr when I wished I could see what the Holy
Prophet was doing. On arrival, I saw him in the state of sajdah, (the prescribed

prostration) constantly saying, .

3. : 'Neither doze overtakes Him nor sleep.' The word ( : sinatun) denotes

drowsiness which is the preliminary effect of coming sleep, while the word, : nawm refers to full
sleep.
R. : 'To Him belongs what is in the havens and what is in the earth.'
Everything on the earth or in the heavens is all owned by Allah Almighty. He is the authority, and may
do whatever He deems fit with them.

5. : 'Who can intercede with Him without His permission?' Here are some
points implied in this sentence:

To begin with, when Allah Almighty is the master-owner of the entire universe and there is no one
above Him, certainly then, no one is entitled to question Him about anything He does. In the wake of a
command that flows from Him, the option of saying why and wherefore does not exist for anyone.

However, someone interceding on someone's behalf was possible. This too has now been made clear
that no mortal could even dare breath in the most exalted Presence of Allah Almighty; but there are
servants of Allah Almighty who have received the favour of His approval and acceptance and who
would be specially allowed to speak and intercede. In short, recommendation or intercession, from
anyone for anyone, will not be possible without Divine permission. It appears in Hadith that the Holy
Prophet said: 'On the day of resurrection, I shall be the first to intercede on behalf of all
human communities'. This is called al-Maqam al-Mahmud, the praised station, which is one of the
distinctions of our noble Prophet

6. : 'He, knows what is before them and what is behind them.'

'Before' and 'after' may mean that Allah Almighty is aware of all states and events before their birth and
after their birth.

It is also possible that 'before' refers to states and events that are open to men, and 'after' denotes states
and events that are hidden. If so, it would mean that the human knowledge covers certain things and
does not cover certain others. Some things are open before a human being and some are hidden. But,
before Allah Almighty all these are equal. His knowledge encompasses all these things equally.

7. : 'And they encompass nothing of His knowledge except

what He wills.' It means that man and the rest of the created beings cannot cover even a part of Allah's
infinite knowledge except a certain part which Allah Almighty Himself allows to be given out of His
knowledge. This is all one can know. The all-encompassing knowledge of every particle in the universe
is a particular attribute of none but Allah Almighty.

8. :'His Kursi extends to the Heavens and to the Earth.' It means that His
Kursi (translated as chair or base of power) is so magnified that its spatial infinity houses, within itself,
the seven heavens and the earth. Allah Almighty is above and beyond sitting and standing and all
spatial location and placement. Such verses should not be taken up on the analogy of our
own states and affairs. The comprehension of the state of being, and the reality of His attributes, is
above and beyond human reason. However, there are authentic narrations in ahadith which simply tell
us that 'Arsh (translated as 'throne', being a seat of authority) and Kursi (chair) are heavenly bodies
many times larger than the heavens and the earth.

Ibn Kathir has reported from Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari . that he asked the Holy Prophet
as to what the Kursi was and what did it look like. He said: 'By Allah, who is the master
of my life, the seven heavens and the earth as compared with Kursi are like the small circle of a finger-
ring lying on a huge plain.'

9. : 'And it does not weary Him to look after them.'

10. : 'And He is the High, the Supreme.' It means that He is most exalted and great in
majesty. All honour, power and superiority belongs to none but to Allah Almighty.

(One personal suggestion: the verse 255 and its translation can be learnt in ten days, each of the above ten parts a day.)



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Great merits have been attributed to the last two verses in authentic ahadith. The Holy Prophet
has said that one who recites these two verses during the night, they will be sufficient for
him.

As narrated by Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas , the Holy Prophet said that Allah
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already written them by His own hand two thousand years earlier than the creation of all things and
beings. One who is able to recite them after the Salah of 'Isha', they will stand for Tahajjud in his case.

As it appears in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim and in Bayhaqi, the Holy Prophet said that
Allah Almighty has concluded Surah al-Baqarah with these two verses, which have been given to me in
His grace from out of the special treasure that lies under the 'Arsh' (Divine Throne). Therefore, you
should make special effort to learn these verses, and at the same time, teach your women and children
how to recite them. This is why Sayyidna 'Umar and Sayyidna 'Ali (R.A) said that they thought that
anybody who has any sense in him would never go to sleep without having recited these two verses.

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According to a hadith in the Musnad of Ahmad, when the Holy Prophet recited this verse
in 'Arafat, he said right after that:

And to that, O my Lord, I too am a witness. (Ibn Kathir)

And a narration from Imam al-A'mash says: Whoever recites this verse and then says:

(And to that, O my Lord, I too am a witness), Allah Almighty will say to

the angels on the Last Day: 'My servant has made a promise while I am the Foremost to keep a promise
when I make it, so let my servant be admitted into Paradise.' (Ibn Kathir)




.

Another hadith from Sayyidna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari narrates that the Holy Prophet

said: 'Whoever recites Ayah al-Kursi (2:255) and the Ayah : Shahidal-lahu (3:18)

and : Qulil-lahumma malik al-mulki upto bighairi hisab (3:26,27), Allah

Almighty will forgive all his sins, admit him to Paradise and take care of seventy (i.e. plenty) of his
needs, the simplest of these being his forgiveness.' (Ruh al-Ma'ani with reference to Dailami)

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And the Word of your Lord is perfect in truth and justice. None is there to change His Words - al-
An'am, 6:115.

This tells us that the recitation of this verse is a tested prescription for the resolution of something
difficult. See surah 33, vol.7, p.111






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It appears in Hadith that the Holy Prophet said: Surah Al-An'am, the whole of it, was
revealed at one time. Such was the majesty of its revelation that seventy thousand angels followed
behind it reciting Tasbih (glorifying Allah). Therefore, Sayyidna Faruq al-A'zam said: Surah Al-An'am
is one of the highly merited Surahs of the Holy Qur'an.

In some narrations, it has been reported from Sayyidna 'Ali that Allah Ta'ala would become
the healer of the sick person over whom this Surah is recited.