Ayat al-Kursi, a radiant gem within Surah Al-Baqarah, serves as a window that manifests the essence, attributes, and boundless sovereignty of the Divine. This verse, renowned as the "Verse of Power," delineates monotheism at its highest echelon through a coherent structure and profound rhetoric. In this work, relying on exegetical lectures, every dimension of this noble verse is examined with an elevated, scholarly, and scientific language. The present discourse, through an in-depth perspective on the intrinsic names, intrinsic, additional, and relational sovereignty, as well as rhetorical and epistemological analyses, endeavours to provide a comprehensive elucidation of Ayat al-Kursi. The objective is to offer a text that opens a novel vista towards the understanding of Quranic wisdom for researchers and erudite audiences.
Ayat al-Kursi, with the intrinsic names of God at its outset and closure, reveals a magnificent structure. The opening phrase, اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ, establishes the foundations of monotheism, and its conclusion, وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ, perfects Divine sovereignty. These names, all of which are the very essence of the Divine Being, are connected by the conjunctive waaw (and). Contrary to some interpretations that consider this waaw merely as a conjunction, this particle unites all names in a semantic unity without granting superiority to any. This structure resembles a poem wherein the opening verse blossoms into the flowers of knowledge, and its ultimate refrain conclusively completes the discourse.
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
God, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence.
وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
In the Holy Quran, the opening and closing of verses, akin to the opening line and refrain in classical poetry, hold a special status. The introduction of Ayat al-Kursi, by elucidating monotheism and intrinsic divine names, serves as the portal to divine knowledge, whereas its conclusion with the names الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ ends the statement with unparalleled grandeur. This structure demonstrates the Qurans meticulousness in verse arrangement, guiding the audience toward profound meanings with the precision of a master poet. This analogy not only highlights the literary beauty of the Quran but also emphasises the critical role of rhetoric in comprehending Quranic knowledge.
Ayat al-Kursi expounds Divine sovereignty on three levels: intrinsic, additional, and relational.
This classification delineates Divine sovereignty at the ontological, manifest, and relational levels. Intrinsic sovereignty emphasises God's sanctity; additional sovereignty highlights ownership and manifestation, and relational sovereignty underscores dominion over relationships among beings.
لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ
Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep.
لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.
مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ
Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?
The phrase لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ illustrates God's intrinsic sovereignty. Sinah connotes heaviness and lethargy, while nawm means sleep material
