and they grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His Throne (kursī) extends over the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not weary Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (2:255) [al-Baqarah]
As for the kursī, the authentic narrations state that it is the place where the Lord—glorified and exalted—rests His feet.
– Āyah: its original form is awyah; the consonant wāw was changed to an alif because it became vowel-bearing and was preceded by a fathah. The adjectival form is awī; its plurals are āyāt and āy. Abū al-Baqāʾ explained that, at root, an āyah is an evident sign. In Qur’anic usage it denotes a set of letters whose break before and after it is fixed by revelation.
- Lessons drawn from the ḥadith:
1 – The excellence of this mighty verse, for it contains the Most Beautiful Names and Sublime Attributes, pure oneness, perfect life, perpetual self-subsistence, boundless knowledge, all-embracing dominion, tremendous power, sound authority, and an irresistible will.
Imam Aḥmad (20771) and Muslim (810) relate that the Prophet ﷺ asked Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, “Which verse in the Book of Allah is the greatest?” He replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Prophet repeated the question several times. Ubayy answered, “The Verse of the Throne.” The Prophet said, “Rejoice in your knowledge, Abū al-Munḏir!”
2 – Some of the meanings contained in this majestic verse:
• Allah: this proper name gathers within it all the implications of divinity that none but He deserves. Worship of anyone other than Allah is false. He—glorified and exalted—is the possessor of perfect attributes: hearing, sight, power, will, and every other praiseworthy quality.
• al-Qayyūm: the One who subsists by Himself and is independent of all creation, while all existents stand in need of Him; He brought them into being, maintains them, and supplies them with all that is necessary for their existence and continuance.
• “Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him”: sunnah is the light doze that comes over the eyes, whereas sleep is