ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ 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 ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
“Allah! There is no deity save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedeth with Him save by His leave? He knoweth that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, two views have been transmitted regarding the expression 'al-Aliyy': some understood it as Allah being above similarities and likenesses, not being characterized by space, while others interpreted it to mean that His place is superior to the places of creatures, that is, He exists above creation. Taberî presented his own preference by explaining 'al-Aliyy' as possessing greatness and superiority over creatures through His power, and 'al-Azîm' as possessing majesty such that nothing can be greater than Him.
وأما تأويل قوله: فإنه يعني: والله العلي، والعلي: الفعيل من قولك علا يعلو علوا: إذا ارتفع، فهو عال وعلي، والعلي: ذو العلو والارتفاع على خلقه بقدرته، وكذلك قوله: {العظيم} ذو العظمة، الذي كل شيء دونه، فلا شيء أعظم منه
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Zemahşerî, Allah has no need to adopt children because He is enriched with the seas, rivers, mines, and animals under His dominion. He defines the concept of blessing as 'every benefit by which goodness is intended' and explains that the creation of the entire world is a blessing to living beings either directly or indirectly. Regarding visible and hidden blessings, he transmits different views from exegetes such as Mujahid, Hasan, and Dahhak (including the emergence of Islam, the support of angels, beautiful form, knowledge, and breath).
كل نفع قصد به الأحسان ، والله تعالى خلق العالم كله نعمة ؛ لأنه إما حيوان ، وإما غير حيوان . فما ليس بحيوان نعمة على الحيوان ، والحيوان نعمة من حيث أن إيجاده حيا نعمة عليه
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the names and attributes in the verse form a connected chain of proof: it is stated that the name 'al-Hayy' shows that He is knowing and powerful, and the name 'al-Qayyum' shows that He is self-subsisting by His essence and makes everything other than Himself qayyum. It is noted that all matters in the science of tawhid are derived from these two fundamentals, and that the first of these is one in the sense that the essence of the necessary being is not composed of parts. Furthermore, different views of exegetes regarding the expression 'mâ bayna aydîhim wa mâ khalfahum' in the verse (worldly and afterlife matters, before and after creation, etc.) are transmitted, and it is noted that this contains a rebuke rejecting the worship of angels.
فإن { الحى } هو الدرك الفعال ، فبقوله { الحى } دل على كونه عالما قادرا ، وبقوله { القيوم } دل على كونه قائما بذاته ومقوما لكل ما عداه ، ومن هذين الأصلين تتشعب جميع المسائل المعتبرة في علم التوحيد
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
Kurtubî transmits different views regarding what the word 'Kursi' is in the context of Ayat al-Kursi; according to Ibn Abbas, the Kursi is Allah's knowledge, a view preferred by Taberî. Furthermore, reports are transmitted regarding the greatness of the Kursi, its relation to the Throne, and the distances between the heavens. It is also transmitted that this verse is the greatest verse of the Qur'an (sayyidat ayyi'l-Qur'an) and that idols fell to the ground upon its revelation.
وقال بن عباس : كرسيه علمه ورجحه الطبري قال : ومنه الكراسة التي تضم العلم ومنه قيل للعلماء : الكراسي لأنهم المعتمد عليهم
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Ibn Kesîr, the verse expresses that Allah knows the unseen and the visible, and that no created being can know from His knowledge except what Allah Himself informs them of. Furthermore, he states that Ayat al-Kursi declares that Allah is the only god possessing all creatures, that He is hayy and qayyum, and that no sleep nor heedlessness befalls Him. In this context, he transmits many hadiths regarding the virtue of the verse; he transmits reports such as that the one who recites it will be protected from Satan and that it is equivalent to a quarter of the Qur'an.
أي لا يطلع أحد من علم الله على شيء إلا بما أعلمه الله عز وجل وأطلعه عليه ويحتمل أن يكون المراد لا يطلعون على شيء من علم ذاته وصفاته إلا بما أطلعهم الله عليه
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Baydawi, Ayat al-Kursi is a verse that successively explains Allah's attributes of life, qayyumluk, knowledge, power, and majesty, and contains the fundamental matters of tawhid. The Kursi encompassing the heavens and the earth is a figurative expression of His majesty; in the text, the views that the kursi is not literally something one sits upon, that this is metaphorical or means knowledge/dominion, or that it is a body before the Throne are transmitted. Furthermore, it is stated that 'sinan' is a state of laxity that precedes sleep, that this negation reinforces Allah being hayy and qayyum.
ولا كرسي في الحقيقة، ولا قاعد. وقيل كرسيه مجاز عن علمه أو ملكه، مأخوذ من كرسي العالم والملك.
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes agree that Ayat al-Kursi presents Allah's attributes of tawhid, life, qayyumluk, knowledge, and majesty together in a mutually reinforcing manner; furthermore, there is a common tendency that concepts such as 'Kursi' and 'al-Aliyy' do not carry a literal/corporeal meaning and should be read as metaphor or expressions of majesty.
Differences
While Taberî and Baydawi emphasize linguistic analysis, Ibn Kesîr and Kurtubî highlight the virtue of the verse based on reports and hadiths; Râzî, on the other hand, grounds the oneness of the necessary being through rational/theological proof. Zemahşerî's analogical and linguistic approach regarding the concept of blessing differs from others' focus primarily on the Kursi and attributes; these differences stem from the methodological differences of tafsir schools (opinion-based/report-based/theological/rhetorical).
Historical context
While the early exegete Taberî was content to transmit differences of opinion, in later periods Zemahşerî and Baydawi deepened linguistic and rhetorical analysis, Râzî systematized the matter through theological proof, and Ibn Kesîr and Kurtubî enriched the hadith literature regarding the virtue of the verse by compiling transmitted reports; the fundamental emphasis on tawhid remained constant, while methods and points of emphasis became diversified over time.