Throne verse
The throne verse ( Arabic آية الكرسي āyat al-kursī ) is a verse (255) from the 2nd sura (البقرة al-Baqara ) of the Koran , named after the throne of God mentioned therein. Like most of the 2nd sura, it was probably written around the year 624.
text
Arabic original version:
ٱلله لآ إله إلا هو ٱلحى ٱلقيوم لا تأخذه سنة ولا نوم له ما فى ٱلسموت وما فى ٱلأرض من ذا ٱلذى يشفع عنده إلا بإذنه يعلم ما بين أيديهم وما خلفهم ولا يحيطون بشىء من علمه إلا بما شآء وسع كرسيه ٱلسموت وٱلأرض ولا يوده حفظهما وهو ٱلعلى ٱلعظيم
Translation by Muḥammad Ibn Aḥmad Ibn Rassoul:
“Allāh - there is no god but Him, The Eternal One, The One who is through himself. Neither slumber nor sleep seizes him. Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth belongs to Him. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what lies ahead and what lies behind them; but they do not understand anything of His knowledge unless what He wants. His throne extends far over the heavens and the earth, and it is not difficult for him to keep them (both). And He is the High, the Almighty. "
Translation by A. Th. Khoury :
“God, there is no god but Him, the living, the constant. Slumber and sleep do not overtake him. Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth belongs to Him. Who is it that can intercede with Him unless with His permission? He knows what is in front of them and what is behind them while they grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His throne encompasses the heavens and the earth, and it is not difficult for Him to keep them. He is the sublime, the majestic. "
Transfer from Friedrich Rückert :
“God, no god apart from him!
He the living, constant,
grasps neither sleep nor slumber,
being is what is in heaven and what is on earth;
Who will intercede with him,
Than he will allow it? He knows
what is before and what is behind them,
But they contain nothing of his knowledge,
except what he wants. His throne is filled by the
vastness of heaven and earth,
And he is not burdened by the protection of both,
He is the high, great. "
Meaning in Islam
In the Ḥadīṯ , on the one hand, the special meaning of the throne verse as “ruler of all verses of the Koran” is emphasized, and on the other hand its protective function is emphasized (“Recite it in your house, then neither Satan nor anyone else will approach you”). This protective function has found wide distribution in popular belief, so that the verse is often found on amulets .
As a starting point for the interpretation as a protective verse, the words "it is not difficult for him to keep them [heaven and earth]" can be used, supplemented by the vigilance of God ("neither slumber nor sleep") and the "intercessors".
At the beginning of the verse is a basic statement of Islam with the commitment to monotheism .
With “the living one” ( al-ḥaiy ), “the constant one” ( al-qaiyūm ) follow two of the 99 names of God .
"[...] what lies before them and what lies behind them": "them" can refer either to the angels, prophets, saints, etc., whom God gives permission to intercede, or to the beings who are in the heavens and on belong to God. “What lies in front of them” can be interpreted as the hereafter, “what lies behind them”, as this world (is sometimes seen the other way around).
The statement about the “throne” of God is partly understood literally, partly as a symbol of God's power , his knowledge (cf. previous words) or his sublimity (cf. end of verse).
Two more of the “99 names” conclude: “the exalted one” ( al-ʻalī ), “the majestic one” ( al-ʻaẓīm ).
Parallels in Tanakh and New Testament
The Jewish and Christian parallels are numerous; a small selection:
- Yahweh is God, there is no one else besides him ( Dtn 4,35 EU ). - Apart from me there is no god ( Isa 44,6 EU ). - Jesus answered:… the Lord our God is the only Lord ( Mk 12.29 EU ). - There are different forces that work, but only one God ( 1.Cor 12.6 EU ).
- He is the living God; he lives in eternity ( Dan 6,27 EU ).
- The Lord is an eternal God ... He does not get tired and weary ( Isa 40,28 EU ). - He sleeps and does not slumber ( Ps 121.4 EU ).
- Heaven is my throne and the earth the stool for my feet ( Isa 66.1 EU ; Acts 7.49 EU ).
- The high and exalted ( Isa 57.15 EU ). - The majesty in heaven ( Heb. 8,1 EU ).
See also
- Al-Fātiha (Sura 1)
- Light verse (sura 24, verse 35)
- Aṣ-Ṣamadīya (sura 112)
Individual evidence
- ↑ A. Th. Khoury, Der Koran , Vol. 1, p. 159 f.
- ↑ See A. Th. Khoury, Der Koran , Vol. 1, pp. 165 f. (Nos. 4-7). Also archived copy as a whole ( Memento of the original from May 13, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ See for example the literary reference in N. Maḥfūẓ in the novel Between the Palaces (Chapter 11): “[…] Kamal got up to go to sleep. The mother followed him and waited until he was covered in bed. She put her hand on his forehead and spoke the throne verse. "(Translation by D. Kilias)
- ↑ A. Th. Khoury, Der Koran , Vol. 3, p. 166.
- ↑ A. Th. Khoury, Der Koran , Vol. 3, p. 167.
