The Explanation of Ayat ul Kursi
Irfa Batool from Multan, Punjab asks ‘What is the explanation for Ayat ul Kursi?’
Ayat ul Kursi is in Chapter Baqarah in the Quran.
‘Allah Hoo La Ilaha Illa Hoo’
which means there is no other creator for except God.
‘Al Hayyu al Qayyum’
which means he is the giver of life and he is the one who maintains life.
'Lā takhudhuhu sinatun walā nawmun'
which means neither does he get tired nor does he sleep.
The scholars who say that God is just a ball of light,
if God is just light and he does not have a shape, a figure, a body so to speak
then why would anyone think that this light is asleep?
If God had given cats the ability to speak and a cat comes to you and says,
‘Why can’t I eat with my hands like you?’
It means that the cat is equalling itself to a human being.
Right?
Of course, a cat is never going to say such a thing.
We are all human beings here.
I am a human being and you appear to be human too.
We appear to be human, right?
If I am feeling hot, I may ask you if you are also feeling hot
or perhaps I would know that you must also be feeling hot.
Have you ever noticed that we only tend to ask other human beings whether they are feeling hot or cold
but the dogs and cats are also living in the same weather as us but we have never asked a dog,
‘Hey dog, are you cold?’
‘Are you feeling hot, cat?'
Isn’t that right?
Therefore, you have human expectations of human beings.
Now, God states [in a Prophetic Tradition], ‘I created man in my own image’ so human beings look just like God.
Human beings…[audience: look just like God].
Because God created man in his own image.
So who does a human being look like?
God.
But then God has explained that
although you, as a human being, look like me in appearance
but do not consider yourself equivalent to me; you sleep but I do not sleep.
You get tired, I don’t.
Because a human being has been created by God in his image.
Now, this could have caused confusion.
that if God has created us in his image
then since we fall asleep, we fall ill, we cough then God must also go through the same.
May God forbid any mistake; I am just giving an example.
So God has cleared his position in this verse,
'Lā takhudhuhu sinatun walā nawmun
lahu mā fī l-samāwāti wamā fī l-arḍi'
You are poor, you have nothing in your possession.
'lahu mā fī l-samāwāti wamā fī l-arḍi'
And God is so rich that he owns everything between the earth and sky.
Everything between the earth and sky.
Then God said, 'Man dhā alladhī yashfaʿu ʿindahu illā bi-idh'nihi'
Is there anyone who can grant salvation to someone without my permission?
So in Ayat ul Kursi, God has mentioned a few sentences pertaining to his individuality.
And God mentioned certain things to clarify that he does, in fact, have a body
however some aspects are part of human life which do not apply to God
and some which are part of God and do not apply to human beings.
For instance, God has explained that although he has created human beings in his image,
however, the characteristics of God are not affixed with human beings, they must be adopted
Does that make sense?
For example, the Command Be.
God has this power.
When he wants something to happen, he simply commands it to be and it comes into existence.
Those who become united with God are also granted this power.
Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani told a deceased man to rise and he was revived.
Although this power belongs to God.
Doesn't it?
But a human being obtained it when he became one with God.
And then there was Shah Shams Subzwari.
When the son of a Hindu king died -
The son of the Hindu king loved Shah Shams dearly.
But his father forbade him from going to a Muslim saint.
And with this heartbreak, he became extremely ill and eventually died.
The Hindu king summoned Shah Shams and said, 'My son died in your love'.
'If your religion is true then revive my dead son'.
Muslim scholars didn't know how to do what was asked of them.
And so they turned to Shah Shams and asked him to do something.
And Shah Shams said, 'Kun be izn Allah (Rise with the Command of God!)'
But the boy remained dead.
Then he said it again, 'Rise with the Command of God!' Nothing happened. And again; nothing.
So Shah Shams turned to God and spiritually asked, 'O' God, what is happening?'
God replied, 'My command for him was to die, so he died'.
'So why do you ask him to rise with God's command? If that is what you want, use your own command'.
Then he said, 'Kun be izni (Rise with my command)'. And the dead boy rose.
The dead boy rose, the name of Islam was saved and yet the clerics placed verdicts of infidelity against Shah Shams.
He was sentenced to death.
Shah Shams, not caring for their punishments, skinned himself alive.
He took off his skin and threw it on the ground.
When he skinned himself, people began running away from him because of the odour.
So he went to one of his most devout female disciples, thinking she will not be repulsed by him.
But she only threw a piece of meat at him from a distance and said, 'Don't come near me, there is a foul smell coming from you'.
Shah Shams then commanded the Sun
'You and I are both Shams' [Shams in Arabic means Sun].
'I am hungry. So come down and cook this piece of meat for me'.
And then Sun came down to arm's length.
This is true.
It's not a story.
And whenever the anniversary of this day came in Multan, the heat would be so intense that it killed people.
However, this wrath was lifted from that area the moment Imam Mehdi arrived in Pakistan.
They are no longer cursed.
The knowledge I am talking about is obtained after witnessing the divine splendour.
However, there is further knowledge, greater than seeing God.
When that is obtained then you are not dependant on anyone except God.
And whether you speak or God speaks, it is the same.
This doesn't happen before witnessing the divine splendour.
But after that, God says, 'I become the tongue with which he speaks; the hands with which he holds'.
For instance, Shah Shams Subzwari.
He told the king's dead son to rise with God's command, but he remained dead.
When he tried three times and failed, God said, 'Whether you say it or I, it is the same. So use your own command'.
When he used his own command, the boy got up.
The clerics placed verdicts on him because 'he used his own command and not God's'.
And he was skinned alive.
When he was skinned - you must have heard of this incident -
his body was infested with insects and gave off a foul smell.
His very close disciples began hating him.
None of them cared that with this great miracle the dead boy was revived.
They said, 'If he was a saint he would not be infested with insects'.
They were repulsed by him and the clerics placed verdicts against him.
So he went to someone who used to feed him. The man saw him coming from a distance,
he saw his body crawling with flies and he threw a piece of meat at him, telling him not to come any closer.
He took the piece of meat and went to one of his devout female disciples to cook the meat for him.
She also told him to go away.
Then he was angered and said to the Sun, 'We are both Shams (sun), so cook this for me'.
And what happened?
It is said that the Sun came down.
Everyone came running to him, thousands of people
they came running to him and asked for forgiveness but he said, 'The Sun will only return after it cooks the meat'.
Now, someone would always end up dying on the anniversary of this day in Multan - sometimes 10, 20 or 50. The heat is so intense.
But ever since the Mehdi arrived...
After the birth of the Mehdi, that curse was lifted.
Yes, the Mehdi has arrived. He is somewhere. But he will disappear.
So here God has introduced his individuality.
He has confirmed that he does have a body.
He does have a body and that is why he had to explain that I do not get tired.
And I do not sleep.
I own everything in the entire universe.
And then God says, 'I possess the knowledge of all that I have created'.
'There is nothing that I do not know'.
When will this Ayat ul Kursi be beneficial to you?
After you have witnessed the divine splendour
then you will be granted the special angel-like creatures attached with Ayat ul Kursi.
Or else if you are granted permission by the one who has witnessed the divine splendour and has been granted the Ayat ul Kursi,
for instance, Prophet Mohammad permitted his Companions
to recite Ayat ul Kursi whenever they are fearful or in danger.
And HDE Gohar Shahi permitted His followers to recite Ayat ul Kursi for spiritual healing.
It doesn't work without permission. It only works for those who have permission.
His Divine Eminence said, 'When I was in Lal Baagh, a mute was brought to me'.
His Divine Eminence said, 'I recited Ayat ul Kursi and blew upon some water which he drank and he began to speak!'
So is this the miracle of Ayat ul Kursi? No. It's the power of the one reciting the Ayat ul Kursi.
When you also obtain this power which is in the being of God, because it is God's being that is mentioned here,
'Neither does he get tired nor does he sleep'.