Ubayy ibn Ka’b رضي الله عنه — The Greatest Verse in the Book of Allah
Ubayy ibn Ka'b رضي الله عنه — The Greatest Verse in the Book of Allah
Ubayy ibn Ka'b رضي الله عنه — The Greatest Verse in the Book of Allah
A question was put to the man who knew the Book of Allah best — and his first response was to decline to answer it.
Not because he did not know.
But because of who was asking him.
Ubayy ibn Ka'b رضي الله عنه was the master-reciter of the companions. Yet when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself sat as his examiner, his first instinct was not to display what he knew. It was to step back.
The Prophet ﷺ asked him:
"O Abu' al-Mundhir, do you know the verse from the Book of Allah which, according to you, is the greatest?" Sahih Muslim 810
Of all the verses of the Qur'an, one is the greatest.
Ubayy رضي الله عنه did not rush. He answered:
"Allah and His Apostle (ﷺ) know best." Sahih Muslim 810
It was the answer of respect: even a student of his rank would not parade his knowledge before his teacher.
But the Prophet ﷺ did not let the question go. He asked it a second time:
"Abu'l-Mundhir, do you know the verse from the Book of Allah which, according to you, is the greatest?" Sahih Muslim 810
The repeated question was a door opened — the teacher was inviting him to step forward and speak what he knew.
So Ubayy رضي الله عنه answered:
"Allah, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal." Sahih Muslim 810
He named the opening of Ayat al-Kursi, the Verse of the Chair, in Surah Al-Baqarah:
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
> "Allah: There is no god but He, the Living, the All-Sustaining. Neither dozing overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Who can intercede with Him without His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them; while they encompass nothing of His knowledge, except what He wills. His Kursiyy (Chair) extends to the Heavens and to the Earth, and it does not weary Him to look after them. He is the All-High, the Supreme."
Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayah 255
The Prophet ﷺ struck him on his breast in delight and approval, and said:
"May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu'l-Mundhir!" Sahih Muslim 810
The examination ended not with a mark or a rank, but with a hand on the chest and a prayer.
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📖 What the Tafsir Says
Ma'ariful Quran, the tafsir carried on this website's own page for this verse, opens its commentary on Ayat al-Kursi by recounting this very question. It records:
> This is the greatest verse of the noble Qur'an. Ahadith carry statements featuring its wonderful merits and blessings. It appears in the Musnad of Ahmad that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that this verse is the most meritorious of all. According to another hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked Sayyidna 'Ubayy ibn Ka'b ؓ 'Which is the greatest ayah (verse) of the Qur'an?' Sayyidna 'Ubayy ibn Ka'b ؓ said: "Ayah al-Kursi'.
Quran 2:255
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🌿 Stop and Think About This Scene
Look at the two answers Ubayy رضي الله عنه gave.
The first was humility: "Allah and His Apostle (ﷺ) know best." Sahih Muslim 810
The second was knowledge: "Allah, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal." Sahih Muslim 810
Both were correct — each in its moment.
Humility came first. But when the Prophet ﷺ asked again, silence would no longer have been humility — it would have been hiding what Allah had taught him.
There is a time to say that others know better than us — and a time, when asked sincerely, to say what we know. Wisdom is knowing which moment you are in.
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❤️ The Greatest Lesson
Why is this the greatest verse?
Because of Who it is about.
From its first word to its last, this verse speaks of Allah alone: His oneness, His perfect life, His sustaining of every created thing. It tells us He never sleeps: "Neither dozing overtakes Him nor sleep." Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayah 255
It tells us everything belongs to Him, no one can intercede without His permission, and guarding the heavens and the earth never tires Him. And it closes with His greatness: "He is the All-High, the Supreme." Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayah 255
The greatest subject makes the greatest verse — and the man who recognised it was congratulated not for cleverness, but for knowledge that knows Allah.
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📚 Important Lessons From This Hadith
1. Begin with humility
Ubayy رضي الله عنه, with all his learning, first said: "Allah and His Apostle (ﷺ) know best." Sahih Muslim 810
The more a person truly knows, the less eager he is to show it.
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2. A good teacher asks twice
The Prophet ﷺ repeated his question: "Abu'l-Mundhir, do you know the verse from the Book of Allah which, according to you, is the greatest?" Sahih Muslim 810
He gave his student room to move from deference to confidence. Good teachers do not crush hesitation; they invite knowledge out of it.
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3. Know why Ayat al-Kursi is the greatest
Ubayy's answer named a verse that gathers the foundations of faith: Allah is One; He is "the Living, the All-Sustaining" Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayah 255; He owns all things and knows all things. Recite it knowing what it says.
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4. Confirm knowledge with joy, not coldness
When the answer was right, the Prophet ﷺ struck his student's breast in delight and prayed: "May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu'l-Mundhir!" Sahih Muslim 810
Correct answers should be met with warmth. Encouragement is part of teaching.
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5. Being questioned by your teacher is itself an honour
The Prophet ﷺ did not choose a beginner for this question. A scholar is honoured not only when crowds ask him, but when his own teacher turns to him and asks — trusting that he knows.
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🏠 How Can We Apply This Hadith in Our Daily Lives?
When someone asks you a religious question, do not rush to answer just to appear knowledgeable. If you do not know, say so honestly — that is the first answer of Ubayy رضي الله عنه, and it is never a shame. If you do know, answer clearly, the way he did.
Learn Ayat al-Kursi with its meaning. Do not let it be only sounds on the tongue: it declares who your Lord is — the Living, the All-Sustaining, who never sleeps while He guards you.
And if you teach — a child, a student, a friend — ask the way the Prophet ﷺ did: ask, wait, ask again with gentleness, and when the answer comes, celebrate it.
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🌹 The Most Beautiful Message of This Story
The greatest verse in the Book of Allah was identified in a quiet conversation between a teacher and his student — a question asked twice, an answer spoken with humility and certainty, and a teacher's hand striking his student's chest in joy:
"May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu'l-Mundhir!" Sahih Muslim 810
May Allah make knowledge pleasant for us too — knowledge that begins with humility, and ends with knowing Him.
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📖 Authentic Reference
Hadith: Sahih Muslim 810
Chapter: The virtue of Surat al-Kahf and Ayat al-Kursi
Narrator: Ubayy ibn Ka'b رضي الله عنه
Link: Sahih Muslim 810
Verse: Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayah 255 (Ayat al-Kursi)
Link: Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayah 255
Tafsir: The passage in 'What the Tafsir Says' is from Ma'ariful Quran, the tafsir shown on this site's page for this verse: Quran 2:255