Ibn Jarīr related: “Yūnus told me, Ibn Wahb informed us, saying that Ibn Zayd said, ‘My father narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The seven heavens, when set against the kursī (Divine Footstool), are nothing more than seven small coins cast into a turs.”’

Abū Dharr said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The kursī, in comparison with the ʿarsh (Throne), is but like an iron ring thrown down in the middle of a vast desert plain.”’

—
turs (with a ḍamma on the tāʾ): a broad, circular stretch of level ground. The word can also denote a steel shield used to ward off sword blows, but the first meaning is intended here.

falāh: an expansive, open desert.

Overall meaning of the two ḥadiths
The Prophet ﷺ informs us of the sheer immensity of the kursī and the ʿarsh. However broad, dense, and widely spaced the seven heavens may be, their size relative to the kursī is like that of seven coins lying in a spacious hollow—how much space do they really take up? Scarcely any at all.

Likewise, in Abū Dharr’s report, the Prophet ﷺ teaches that, despite its own vastness and grandeur, the kursī compared with the ʿarsh is no more than a ring of iron placed in the midst of an enormous earthly desert. This vividly proclaims the majesty of their Creator and His perfect power.

Why these two ḥadiths are cited in this chapter: they both bear witness to Allah’s greatness, His absolute power, and the might of His dominion.

Benefits derived from the two ḥadiths: