Allah! There is no god but Him: the Living, the Eternal. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. To Him belongs all that is in the Heavens and the Earth. Who can intercede with Him without His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them. They cannot gain access to any thing out of His knowledge except what He pleases. His throne is more vast than the heavens and the earth, and guarding of these does not fatigue Him. He is the Exalted, the Supreme. (Quran 2: 255).

What is the Quran? The Qur’an is the last testament from the Creator of the heavens and earth to humanity. It is an extremely engaging book which contains one hundred and fourteen (114) chapters and six thousand, six hundred and sixty-six verses (6666). The Quran is a book with a beginning without and ending, it has introduction without a conclusion. It is a book which talks about itself the same way it talks about the world.

What is the Quran? The Quran is the book of Islam, the encyclopedia of all divinely revealed books. Reading it links you up with Prophet Adam; pondering it connects you with Prophet Musa. The Quran incarnates the odyssey of Prophet Musa and the Jews in the Wilderness. It relives the saga of Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ, upon him be peace and blessings of Allah) and his people in Palestine. Open the Quran if you desire to reread the history of histories. Read the Quran if you desire to answer the un-answered questions in such fields as theology, philosophy, geography, biology, chemistry and oceanography.

One of the cardinal functions of the Quran in the Muslim life is its ability to serve as shield for the believer against all evils in the world. In other words, aside from deriving guidance for mundane life from its inner recesses, the Muslim who recites the Quran faithfully and with full concentration enters into the canopy of Allah where he or she would enjoy constant divine companion.

Brethren, one of the verses of the Quran which is renown for its special attributes is al-Kursiy. The verse, as is evident above, celebrates divine attributes. It mediates the Creator to the created in such a way that leaves the conscious reader permanently awed by the inimitability of the power of Allah. It informs us, among others, that Allah neither sleeps nor slumbers; that the protection of the heavens and the earth wearies Him not. Ibn Abbas says thus: Once Bani Israel questioned Prophet Musa (upon him be peace) whether his Lord ever sleeps? Prophet Musa replied: (FEAR HIM!) What kind of question is that? Allah then called Prophet Musa and said: Hold two bottles in your hands and keep on standing whole night. He followed Allah’s order and did exactly that, but when half of the night passed he started to slumber and bowed down on his knees, but then he quickly awoke, however in the last part of night he had a deep slumber and both bottles fell from his hands and got broken. Then Allah, May His name be exalted, said: O Musa! If I sleep then the heavens and the worlds would break into pieces just like these bottles. It is with reference to this that Allah revealed this ayah to His Prophet (Muhammad – Peace be upon him).

Even though “working” with al-Kursiy has been part and parcel of my spiritual life, I thought I should focus on the verse today because of its pertinence for the exigencies of these times. These are times when insecurity and death are on the prowl no thanks to the invasion of the polity by agents of the devil who are masquerading as revolutionaries and social reformers.

Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet’s companion once said: Allah’s Apostle ordered me to guard the Zakat revenue of Ramadan. Then somebody came to me and started stealing of the foodstuff. I caught him and said, “I will take you to Allah’s Apostle!” (Then Abu Huraira described the whole narration and said): That person said (to me), “(Please don’t take me to Allah’s Apostle and I will tell you a few words by which Allah will benefit you.) When you go to your bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursiy, for then there will be a guard from Allah who will protect you all night long, and Shaytan will not be able to come near you till dawn.” When the Prophet heard the story, he said to me, “He (who came to you at night) told you the truth although he is a liar; and it was Shaytan.”

Ubay bn K’ab also reports that he used to have a field of dates and he used to guard it but as time passed by he kept less watch over it. One night he planned to guard it, but he saw an (animal) in shape of a young boy. Ubay Ibn Ka’b offered him greetings and he replied back. Ibn Ka’b asked him whether he was a human or Jinn? He replied: He was Jinn! Ubayy asked him to show his hand, Ubayy saw that his hand was like that of a dog and it had hair on it like dog does. Ubayy asked: Are Jinns created in this fashion? He replied: Some Jinns are even more stranger than me. Ubayy asked: Who compelled you to do this (i.e. steal from my field) he replied: I have heard that you love to give Sadaqa so I thought of taking (stealing) something from you. Ubayy asked: What is it that can protect us from you? The Jinn replied: “Ayat al Kursiy” which is in Surah al-Baqarah, whosoever recites it in the evening will be safe from our evil till the morning, and whosoever recites it in the morning will be safe from us till evening.

On next morning Ibn Ka’b went to the Prophet and told him about this. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: The “Khabeeth told the truth”.

Thus, the above reports exemplify the importance of ayat al-Kursiy in Islamic theosophy and spirituality. Our teachers usually read the verse as many times as the situation warrants. Working on the suggestions of such scholars as al-Ghazalli, they sometime advise that a Muslim should recite the verse at least fifty times. The number fifty is arrived at in recognition of the fact that the words which make up the verse are fifty. Others equally advise that it may be more depending on the specific need a Muslim desires to satisfy.

No matter the number we pick, it is important we take care of the conditions governing supplications and prayers in Islam. A Muslim should pray and supplicate to Allah based on the firm conviction that it is Allah, and nobody else, who has the power to give and take; that we must exercise patience and perseverance; that our conduct and activities should be in consonance with His injunctions. Ibn Mas’ud says that a man said: “O Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) teach me something through which Allah will benefit me. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: Recite Ayat al Kursiy, Allah will protect you, your children, also protect your house rather even the houses which are near to yours.”