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The Greatest Ayah in the Book of Allah

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Out of more than six thousand ayat, a Companion chose the one that speaks about Allah, and the Prophet ﷺ congratulated him for it.
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ"Allah: there is no god worthy of worship except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not tire Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Great."al-Baqarah 2:255

About this course

This course follows the class notes Ayat al-Kursi and the Proofs of Tawhid, based on Ayat al-Kursi wa Barahin at-Tawhid by Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaq ibn 'Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr, with points of benefit from the tafsir of Ayat al-Kursi by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-'Uthaymeen.

The Shaykh shows how every sentence of Ayat al-Kursi is a proof of tawhid, and gives a brief tafsir of the ayah, quoting al-Sa'di, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim. The aim is not only to understand the ayah, but to recite it eight times a day with a heart that knows what it is saying.

Unit 1The greatest ayah and its virtues
Unit 2Sentences 1-2: la ilaha illa huwa, al-Hayy al-Qayyum
Unit 3Sentences 3-5: no sleep, ownership, intercession
Unit 4Sentences 6-7: His knowledge and ours
Unit 5Sentences 8-10: the Kursi, preservation, the Most High

The greatest ayah in the Book of Allah

The Prophet ﷺ asked Ubayy ibn Ka'b twice which ayah is the greatest. The first time Ubayy left it to Allah and His Messenger; the second time he answered.

لِيَهْنِكَ الْعِلْمُ أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِUbayy ibn Ka'b said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which ayah of the Book of Allah that you have with you is the greatest?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which ayah of the Book of Allah that you have with you is the greatest?" I said: "Allahu la ilaha illa huwa al-Hayyu al-Qayyum." He struck me on the chest and said: "By Allah, may knowledge be a joy for you, O Abu al-Mundhir!"Sahih Muslim 810

"May knowledge be a joy for you" means: congratulations for this knowledge that Allah has given you, made easy for you and blessed you with. The Prophet ﷺ swore by Allah to show how great this answer was.

Who Ubayy was

ArabicTermMeaning
أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبUbayy ibn Ka'bCompanion from the Ansar
أَبُو الْمُنْذِرKunyaAbu al-Mundhir
سَيِّدُ الْقُرَّاءTitleThe master of the reciters

He was one of those who gathered the whole Qur'an in the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ and reviewed it with him. Adh-Dhahabi called him the leader of the reciters and a leader in knowledge and in acting upon it.

Anas ibn Malik said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Ubayy: "Allah has commanded me to recite to you." He said: "Did Allah name me to you?" He said: "Allah named you to me." And Ubayy began to weep.al-Bukhari and Muslim; in al-Bukhari 4959 the surah is named: al-Bayyinah

Why his answer shows deep understanding

What he choseOut of more than 6,000 ayat, on prayer, zakat, reward, punishment, Jannah and the stories of the prophets, he chose the one about Allah.
How fastNot after a week or a month of reviewing the ayat: he answered at once, when the Prophet ﷺ repeated the question.
What it containsThe three categories of tawhid and five of the greatest names of Allah, gathered in one ayah.

"This ayah includes tawhid of Allah's divinity, His lordship and His names and attributes. It also includes the completeness of His dominion, what His knowledge encompasses, the vastness of His power, majesty, greatness and highness over all His creation. This ayah alone contains the 'aqidah of Allah's names and attributes."

Ubayy's choice shows how much tawhid filled the hearts of the Companions. The matter the Qur'an cares about most is the matter they cared about most.

Key points

  • Ayat al-Kursi (al-Baqarah 2:255) is the greatest ayah in the Book of Allah (Muslim 810).
  • Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Abu al-Mundhir, the master of the reciters, chose it immediately out of more than 6,000 ayat.
  • The Prophet ﷺ swore by Allah and said: may knowledge be a joy for you.
  • The ayah gathers the three categories of tawhid and five of the names of Allah.

Quiz

5 questions

Test your understanding of this lesson.

1. When the Prophet ﷺ first asked Ubayy which ayah is the greatest, what did Ubayy say?
2. What does "may knowledge be a joy for you, O Abu al-Mundhir" mean?
3. Match each fact to Ubayy ibn Ka'b.
Items
Kunya
Title
Honour
Surah recited to him
Matches
Allah named him to the Prophet ﷺ
al-Bayyinah
The master of the reciters
Abu al-Mundhir
4. Which detail shows how deep Ubayy's understanding was?
5. Which three categories of tawhid does Ayat al-Kursi gather, according to al-Sa'di?

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