Allah, there is no God but He, the Living and Self-Sustaining. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes him. Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on Earth. Who is there who can intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what is in front of them and what is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the Earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Quran 2:255)
Verse 255 of chapter Al-Baqarah is known as “the Verse of the Throne” or in Arabic Ayah al-Kursi. This is because it declares:
His throne extends over the heavens and the Earth.
It is recommended for a Muslim to read this verse every night. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) confirmed that whoever reads this verse before going to bed at night will be appointed an angel by Allah for protection and Satan will be unable to approach throughout the night’s sleep.
Also, it is strongly recommended to read this verse after offering each of the five daily obligatory prayers.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
Whoever recites The Verse of the Throne immediately after each prescribed prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except death. (Sunan al-Nasa’i and Sahih Ibn Hibban)
The Verse of the Throne is important because it speaks beautifully and in detail about our belief in Allah, and emphasizes His greatness through mentioning a number of His names and attributes. It refers to His divinity and to monotheism by declaring: “there is no God but He.”
It then mentions that He is “Living” and “Self-Sustaining” and immediately follows this with that fact that He is not beset by sleep or fatigue.
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The verse reminds us of His dominion over the heavens and the Earth, and that intercession that some of His servants will be privileged to make on behalf of others on the Day of Resurrection will take place by His permission.
The verse then goes on to mention His unlimited knowledge, of which we have only what He grants us.
As Allah says elsewhere in the Quran:
He knows what is before them and behind them, but they cannot compass it in knowledge. (20:110)
Specifically, we know about our Lord only what he reveals to us about Himself, of which this verse is an example.
Then the verse declares:
His throne extends over the heavens and the Earth.
This is a declaration of Allah’s greatness, not to mention of the Throne itself the vastness of which more than rivals the Earth and all of the heavens put together. Moreover, the preservation of the heavens and the Earth and everything else within Allah’s creation is for Allah an effortless matter.
The verse, after mentioning all of these qualities, concludes by declaring that He is “the Most High, the Magnificent”. This is an encouragement for us to beseech His protection and ask of Him His bounty.
It is Allah who possesses everything and it is He who maintains it all. It is He who attends to each and every one of us and to everything that we acquire.
This verse encourages us to worship Allah and beseech Him, reminding us of many of His noble names and attributes. That’s why Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged us to read it every day.
Source: en.islamtoday.com