The Verse of the Throne

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عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ

Narrated Abu Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him, said:

وَكَّلَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِحِفْظِ زَكَاةِ رَمَضَانَ

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entrusted me with the safekeeping of the Zakat of Ramadan.

فَأَتَانِيٓ آتٍ فَجَعَلَ يَحْثُو مِنَ الطَّعَامِ فَأَخَذْتُهُ

Then a man came to me and began scooping up the food, so I seized him.

وَقُلْتُ وَاللَّهِ لَأَرْفَعَنَّكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

And I said, by God, I will certainly bring you to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.

قَالَ إِنِّي مُحْتَاجٌ وَعَلَيَّ عِيَالٌ وَلِيَّ حَاجَةٌ شَدِيدَةٌ

He said, "I am in need, and I have dependents, and I have an urgent need."

قَالَ فَخَلَّيْتُ عَنْهُ فَأَصْبَحْتُ

He said, so I left him and awoke in the morning.

فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ الْبَارِحَةَ

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "O Abu Hurayrah, what did your captive do last night?"

قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ شَكًّا حَاجَةً شَدِيدَةً وَعِيَالًا فَارْحَمْهُ

He said, "I said, O Messenger of God, he complained of a severe need and dependents, so have mercy on him,"

فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ

So I let him go.

قَالَ أَمَّا إِنَّهُ قَدْ كَذَبَكَ وَسَيَعُودُ

He said, "As for him, he has indeed lied to you and he will return."

فَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّهُ سَيَعُودُ لِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّهُ سَيَعُودُ

So I realized that he would return in accordance with the statement of the Messenger of Allah, "He will return."

فَرَصَدْتُهُ فَجَاءَ يَحْثُو مِنَ الطَّعَامِ فَأَخَذْتُهُ

So I watched him. He came, scooping up from the food, so I seized him.

فَقُلْتُ لأَرْفَعَنَّكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

So I said, 'I will certainly bring you to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.'

قَالَ دَعْنِي فَإِنِّي مُحْتَاجٌ وَعَلَيَّ عِيَالٌ لَا أَعُودُ

He said, "Let me go; I am in need and have dependents. I will not return."

فَرَحِمْتُهُ فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ فَأَصْبَحْتُ

I felt pity for him, so I set him free, and morning came.

فَقَالَ لِّيَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ

The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to me, O Abu Huraira, what has your captive done?

قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ شَكَا حَاجَةً شَدِيدَةً وَعِيَالًا فَرَحِمْتُهُ فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ

I said, O Messenger of God, he complained that he had a severe need and dependents, so I took pity on him and set him free.

قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُ قَدْ كَذَبَكَ وَسَيَعُودُ

He said, "But indeed he has lied to you and he will return."

فَرَصَدْتُهُ الثَّالِثَةَ فَجَاءَ يَحْثُو مِنَ الطَّعَامِ

I watched for him a third time, and he came scooping up food.

فَأَخَذْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ لَأَرْفَعَنَّكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

So I took him and said, "I will certainly raise you to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace."

وَهَذَا آخِرُ ثَلاَثِ مَرَّاتٍ أَنَّكَ تَزْعُمُ لَا تَعُودُ ثُمَّ تَعُودُ

And this is the last of three times that you claim you will not return, and then you return.

قَالَ دَعْنِي أُعَلِّمْكَ كَلِمَاتٍ يَنْفَعُكَ اللَّهُ بِهَا

He said, "Let me teach you words by which God will benefit you."

قُلْتُ مَا هُوَ قَالَ

I asked, 'What is it?' He replied.

إِذَا أَوَيْتَ إِلَى فِرَاشِكَ فَإِقْرَأْ آيَةَ الْكُرْسِيِّ

When you lie down in your bed, then recite the Verse of the Throne.

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ حَتَّى تَخْتِمَ الْآيَةَ

Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer—until you finish the verse,

فَإِنَّكَ لَنْ يَزَالَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ اللَّهِ حَافِظٌ

So indeed, you will always have a guardian from Allah.

وَلَا يَقْرَبَنَّكَ شَيْطَانٌ حَتَّى تُصْبِحَ

And no devil will come near you until morning.

فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ فَأَصْبَحْتُ

So I let him go on his way, and morning came.

فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ الْبَارِحَةَ

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah send blessings and grant him peace, said to me, "What did your captive do last night?"

قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ يُعَلِّمُنِي كَلِمَاتٍ

I said, O Messenger of God, he claims that he will teach me some words.

يَنْفَعُنِي اللَّهُ بِهَا فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ

May Allah make it beneficial for me, so I let him go.

قَالَ مَا هِيَ قُلْتُ قَالَ لِي إِذَا أَوَيْتَ إِلَى فِرَاشِكَ

He said, "What is it?" I said, "He said to me: When you lie down on your bed."

فَإِقْرَأْ آيَةَ الْكُرْسِيِّ مِنْ أَوَّلِهَا حَتَّى تَخْتِمَ

So recite the Verse of the Throne from its beginning until you finish.

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ

God—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer.

وَقَالَ لِّيَّ لَنْ يَزَالَ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَافِظٌ وَلَا يَقْرَبَكَ شَيْطَانٌ حَتَّى تُصْبِحَ

He said to me, "A guardian from God will not cease to be upon you, and no devil will come near you until morning."

وَكَانُوا أَحْرَصَ شَيْءٍ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ

They were most eager for good.

فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسِلْمِ أَمَا إِنَّهُ قَدْ صَدَقَكَ وَهُوَ كَذُوبٌ

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: Know that he has indeed told you the truth, yet he is a liar.

تَعْلَمُ مَنْ تُخَاطِبُ مُنْذُ ثَلاَثِ لَيَالٍ يَا أَبَ هُرَيْرَةَ

You know whom you have been addressing for three nights, O Abu Hurayrah.

قَالَ لَا قَالَ ذَاكَ شَيْطَانٌ

He said, 'No.' He said, 'That one is a devil.'