تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ اللّهُ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٍ وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخْتَلَفُواْ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ آمَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلُواْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ {253}

253. "These are the Messengers We have made some of whom excel the others; of them are some to whom Allah has spoken, and some of them He has raised in degrees. And We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear Signs, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. And had Allah willed, those who came after them would not have fought (one another) after the clear Signs had come to them; but they differed. So, of them (there were) some who believed and some who disbelieved. Yet, had Allah willed, they would not have fought (one another); but Allah does whatever He wills."

Commentary:

In this verse some particular privileges of a few prophets are referred to. For instance, as the following separate verse indicates, Moses (a) talked to Allah, and it was the Will of Allah to choose him for that purpose; as the Qur'an says: "He said: 'O' Moses! Verily I have chosen you above the people with My Messages and with My words (discourse)..." [1]

So, the verse under discussion says:

"These are the Messengers We have made some of whom excel the others; of them are some to whom Allah has spoken ..."

In this regard, the holy Prophet of Islam (s) had some more privileges than other prophets before him, such as; being 'the seal of the prophets', the immunity of his Book (the Qur'an) from distortion, and being entitled as 'a Mercy unto the worlds'. This is the word of Allah:

"And We sent you not (O' Our Apostle Muhammad) but a Mercy unto all the worlds." [2]

Or, Abraham (a) and Noah (a)  received the best regards from the side of Allah. Or, as the above verse says, that Jesus (a) was strengthened with the Holy Spirit. It says:

"... and some He has raised in degrees. And We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear Signs, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit..."

By the way, it is also mentioned in this Verse that if Allah willed, He could stop the opposition and fighting between people who came after those prophets and set them in one peaceful way. But Allah's way of treatment is that people be free and wilful in order that they be able to accept or reject a proper path by their own choice.

"... And had Allah willed, those who came after them would not have fought (one another) after the clear Signs had come to them; but they differed. So of them (there were) some who believed and some who disbelieved. Yet, had Allah willed, they would not have fought (one another); but Allah does whatever He wills."

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يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَنفِقُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لاَّ بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلاَ خُلَّةٌ وَلاَ شَفَاعَةٌ وَالْكَافِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ {254}

254. " O' you who have Faith! spend (in alms) of that which We have provided for you, before there comes a day wherein shall be no bargaining, neither friendship, nor intercession; and the infidels -they are the unjust."

Commentary:

This verse is rendered as a warning to the believers, telling them to give alms and not to lose the respite they have in this life. They are recommended to provide some fitting provisions thereby for their certain journey; the next life, the Hereafter. It says:

"O' you who have Faith! spend (in alms) of that which We have provided for you..."

On the Resurrection Day, there will be neither any bargain to buy the means of felicity and security against one's infidelity, nor any friend or intercessor to make their infidelity invalid.

"... before there comes a day wherein shall be no bargaining neither friendship, nor intercession; and the infidels - they are the unjust."

They are deprived from intercession in that world because they were the cause of deprivation for others in this world. For example, a miser person not only is unjust to himself, since he extinguishes the light of generosity inside his self and wastes his situation in the Hereafter, but also practically proves inequity against others when he ignores the Divine commandments.

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اللّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَاء وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَلاَ يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ {255}

255. "Allah! there is no god but He, the Ever-living, the Self-Subsisting (the Sustainer of all things); slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep; to Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, while they comprehend nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His Kursi (knowledge) extends over the heavens and the earth; and preserving them both tires Him not; and, He is the Highest, the Greatest."

'Ayat-ul-Kursi, One of the Most Important Verses

Upon the importance and excellence of this verse, the only holy tradition narrated from the holy Prophet (s), explained in the following, is enough.

Once, the Messenger of Allah (s) asked Ubayy-ibn-Ka'b which verse of the verses of the Qur'an was the most important one, and he answered the verse saying:

"Allah! there is no god but He, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting (the Sustainer of all things)..."

Then the Messenger of Allah (s) touched his chest as a sign of favour and told him "May your knowledge be wholesome to you. By the One in Whose hand is Muhammad's soul, this verse has two tongues and two lips which glorify the Lord below the Divine throne of authority," [3]

Another tradition narrated from Imam Baqir (a) says: "The one who recites Ayat-ul-Kursi once, Allah will remove one thousand unbecoming things from his worldly unbecoming affairs, the easiest of which is poverty, and one thousand unbecoming things from his (affairs) in the Hereafter, the easiest one among which is the pain of grave," [4]

Commentary:

The verse begins with the Pure Essence of Allah and continues with the subject of Unity, Asma'-ul-Husna, and His attributes. It says:

"Allah! there is no god but He…"

"Allah" is the particular appellation for God Which means the Essence that includes all the attributes of Divine Perfection, Glory, and Beauty.

Then, it adds two other attributes of Allah, saying that He is the Lord Who is Alive forever and is self-subsisting so that all other creatures in the universe depend on Him. It says:

"the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting (the Sustainer of all things); "

It is evident that life for Allah is the real life, because His life is the same as His Essence, His Knowledge, and His Power. It is not like that of living creatures whose lives are casual and after a length of time they die.

Allah is completely different from His creatures from the point of life, as verse 58 from Sura Al-Furqan. No.25 says: "And rely you on the (Ever) Living One Who dies not..."

Then, to indicate that neither drowsiness, nor deep sleep seizes Him and never He stops managing the world, it continues saying:

"…slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep;.."

The Arabic term /sanah/ 'slumber' is the sleep which appears first in the eyes, but when it becomes deeper and reaches the mind, it is termed in Arabic /naum/ 'sleep'. This verse, pointing to the latter state, means that the governance of the Absolutely Bountiful, Allah, is perpetual and never ceases, even for a moment.

Then, it refers to the absolute ownership of Allah, saying:

"….to Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, …"

This is the fifth attributes from the attributes of Allah mentioned here. Formerly, four other attributes of Allah were referred to: Oneness of Allah, the Everliving, the Self -subsisting, and that He never sleeps.

It is quite clear that this attribute, that everything belongs to Allah, has a great training effect in human beings. When they know that whatever they have does not really belong to themselves and it is temporarily handed over them as a deposit to use for a short time, they will surely avoid of transgressing others' rights. These people, with this cognition, will certainly withdraw committing such wrong actions as colonization, hoarding, greed, miserliness, and the like.

For the sixth attribute, it says:

"…Who is it that can intercede with Him save by His leave?…"

In fact, by a positive interrogation with a negative sense, it says that no person can intercede at His presence but by His leave.

Intercession was discussed fairly vastly when commenting on verse 48, Sura Al-Baqarah No.1, in vol. part 1, pp. 174-177,

Referring to the seventh attribute, it says:

"…He knows what is before them and what is behind them..."

Therefore, whatever is in the expose of time and place is entirely manifest in His Knowledge. That is why everything, even intercession, depends upon His command.

In stating His eighth attribute, this fact is pointed out that He has let others know only a small part of His knowledge that has been advisable and proper for them. It says:

"….while they comprehend nothing of His knowledge except what He wills, …"

Thus, the limited knowledge of others is a beam of the light of His unlimited knowledge.

So, two other points is also understood from the above phrase. The first is that no creature has cognition from his own and all human cognizances are from the source of Allah.

The second is that Allah may award a part of some concealed knowledge and some hidden secrets to those He pleases.

His ninthly and tenthly attributes are stated thus:

"...His Kursi (knowledge) extends over the heavens and the earth; and preserving them both tires Him not..."

Then, power and sovereignty of Allah encompass the totality of the heavens and the earth, and His Knowledge (Kursi) encompasses all of these expansions wholly, so that nothing is out of His dominion and authority.

It is, even, understood from some of the Islamic traditions that the expansion of Kursi is very larger than the heavens and the earth. For example, in a tradition Imam Sadiq (a) has said: "Heavens and earth, comparing Kursi, is like a ring in the midst of a desert; and Kursi, in comparison with 'Arsh, is like a ring in the midst of a desert." [5]

It is true, of course, that science has not discovered the secret of this meaning yet.

Describing His eleventh and twelfth attributes, it says:

"...and, He is the Highest, the Greatest."

The Lord, Who is the Highest and the Infinite, is able to do everything so that nothing is difficult for Him. Never has He tired of managing the world of existence. Never He remains neglectful, unaware and feeble of it. His Knowledge involves all things because He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent.

It is worthy to note that, in spite of what is popular, the verse entitled 'Ayat-ul-Kursi is this very single verse alone.

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[1] Sura Al-A'raf, No.7, verse 144.

[2] Sura Al-'Anbya', No.21, verse 107

[3] Durr-ul-Manthur, vol. 2, p. 8

[4] Bihar-al-Anwar, vol. 92, p. 262

[5] Al-Burhan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an, vol. 1, p. 241