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Unit 1 · Lesson 2 of 3

Why It Is the Greatest: Knowledge That Brings Joy

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Lesson Content

The principle: why one ayah is greater than another

All of the Qur'an is the speech of Allah; "greatest" refers to the subject an ayah speaks about.
"His speech in which He praises Himself and mentions His attributes and His tawhid is greater than His speech in which He censures His enemies. For this reason Surah al-Ikhlas is better than Surah al-Masad, and it is equal to a third of the Qur'an, and Ayat al-Kursi is the greatest ayah in the Qur'an."Ibn al-Qayyim, Shifa' al-'Alil
"The preference of some ayat of the Qur'an over others is not because of the One who spoke them, since all of it is from Allah, but because of the meaning contained in those particular ayat."Ibn Taymiyyah
Same in

Who spoke it: every letter is the speech of Allah. No ayah is "less" the word of Allah than another.

Different in

The subject: an ayah about Allah Himself, His names and His tawhid is greater than an ayah about His enemies.

The Prophet ﷺ gave preference to Surah al-Fatihah over the other surahs, saying that nothing like it was revealed in the Tawrah or the Injil (at-Tirmidhi 2875), and he gave preference to Ayat al-Kursi over the other ayat. Ibn Taymiyyah added that no single ayah gathers the matters of tawhid that Ayat al-Kursi gathers; the beginning of Surah al-Hadid and the end of Surah al-Hashr contain them, but in several ayat, not one.

The same principle: "Tell him that Allah loves him"

'A'ishah reported that the Prophet ﷺ sent a man at the head of an expedition. He would lead his companions in prayer and end his recitation with "Qul huwa Allahu ahad". When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet ﷺ, and he said: "Ask him why he does that." They asked him, and he said: "Because it is the description of ar-Rahman, and I love to recite it." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Tell him that Allah loves him."al-Bukhari 7375, Muslim 813
He recitedSurah al-Ikhlas in every prayer
His reasonIt describes ar-Rahman
His love"I love to recite it"
The resultAllah loves him
"This shows that it is highly recommended to recite the attributes of Allah mentioned in the Qur'an, for Allah loves that and loves whoever loves to recite it."Ibn Taymiyyah, al-Fatawa al-Kubra 7/5

The lesson: when knowledge becomes a joy

The Prophet ﷺ said to Ubayy: may knowledge be a joy for you. Knowledge becomes a joy when it brings a person closer to Allah.

Tastes that joy

Knowledge sought to know Allah, to love Him and to worship Him better.

Does not taste it

Learning for status, a certificate, respect or money.

What does this mean for a student of this course? Every sentence of Ayat al-Kursi is about Allah. Studying it is studying the most beloved subject, and the reward of learning it is that it makes the heart closer to Him, not a grade.

Key points

  • All of the Qur'an is the speech of Allah; ayat differ in greatness by their subject.
  • Speech about Allah's names, attributes and tawhid is greater than speech about His enemies (Ibn al-Qayyim).
  • The man who loved Surah al-Ikhlas because it describes ar-Rahman: "Tell him that Allah loves him."
  • Knowledge becomes a joy when it brings a person closer to Allah.

Quiz

5 questions

Test your understanding of this lesson.

1. Why is Ayat al-Kursi greater than other ayat, if all of the Qur'an is the speech of Allah?
2. According to Ibn al-Qayyim, why is Surah al-Ikhlas better than Surah al-Masad?
3. Put the story of the man who loved Surah al-Ikhlas in order.
He ended every recitation in prayer with Qul huwa Allahu ahad
The Prophet ﷺ said: tell him that Allah loves him
His companions told the Prophet ﷺ
He said: it is the description of ar-Rahman and I love to recite it
Drag items here in correct order
4. A student studies this course mainly to be called a teacher in her community. According to the lesson, what is she likely to miss?
5. What did Ibn Taymiyyah deduce from the hadith of the man who loved Surah al-Ikhlas?

Discussion

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