Quranic Passage 1

Surah 2.255 (Al-Baqarah)

ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

Translation

Allah. There is no god but He, the living, the self-subsisting, eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permits? He knows what is before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass any of His knowledge except as He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme.

Main Theme(s)

The main themes are: God in Himself and Tawhid, One God; that He is unlike creation; that His knowledge is infinite; that the Throne represents His power.

This passage is from the theme of God in Himself. It says that He looks after all the Heavens and earth and no-one is needed to look after Him. He doesn’t sleep nor get tired in what He does. Humans only know what He allows them. His throne is understood as His majesty, uniqueness, knowledge, and having total power. It emphasises how He is the only one who can make decisions about His creation, yet is transcendent, i.e. completely independent from His creation. The Holy Qur’an says:

“…and is firmly established on the throne (of authority)…” (10:3, Yunus)

Importance of these Themes in a Muslim’s life today

The importance of these themes is that these verses allow Muslims to learn and understand something about God in a way relevant to them. God’s self-subsistence shows how certain attributes that affect humans do not affect Him, e.g. sleep, clearing the concept of God’s reality, which shows Muslims how superior He is. It reinforces Tawhid, which strengthens faith and understanding of God. The Holy Qur’an declares:

“…but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise.” (35:15, Fatir)

He has the knowledge and power over all things hence Muslims do not disobey Him or sin even when alone and this passage is used as a prayer for protection. It was said by the Prophet to be one of the best passages of the Qur’an, so Muslims might recite it daily for protection. A Muslim student recites this surah before the start of the day in school.