—to offer the funeral prayer during the times when prayer is forbidden. For example, if you arrive for a funeral after the ʿAsr prayer and find that the deceased has already been buried, do not perform the funeral prayer, because you can do so at another time outside the prohibited period, such as mid-morning. If, however, you come and the body has not yet been buried, though it has been lowered into the grave, there is no objection to praying over it even if that is after ʿAsr, for in this case the prayer is occasioned by a specific cause, and prayers that have a specific cause are not restricted by the times of prohibition.

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then told us that Satan flees from the house in which Sūrah al-Baqarah is recited. That is, when you recite Sūrah al-Baqarah in your home, Satan runs away and does not come near it; the reason is that the surah contains Āyat al-Kursī. This is confirmed by the next hadith the author cites—the hadith of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, may Allah be pleased with him—in which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked, “Which verse in the Book of Allah is the greatest?” He replied, “Āyat al-Kursī.” The Prophet struck his chest and said, “May knowledge delight you, Abū al-Mundhir,” congratulating him on knowing that the greatest verse in the Book of Allah is Āyat al-Kursī.

This verse comprises ten attributes of Allah: “Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer.” It is a pure declaration of monotheism. The meaning of “there is no deity except Him” is that no one has the right to be worshipped but Him, exalted be He; every other entity that is worshipped besides Allah is worshipped without any right, even if it is called a god.