The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever recites Ayatul Kursi after every compulsory prayer will see their place in Paradise at the time of their death before they pass away.”
— Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him)
Ayatul Kursi:
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ لَهُ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ.
Meaning: Allah! There is no god worthy of worship except Him. He is the Ever-Living, the One who sustains all existence. Neither drowsiness nor sleep can overcome Him. Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. Who can plead with Him without His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them. No one can know anything from His knowledge except what He wills. His Kursi (Throne) extends over the heavens and the earth. Protecting and looking after both of them is not difficult for Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
— Surah Al-Baqarah: 255
The Story of Abu Hurairah and the Prisoner
The Prophet’s companion, Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave me the duty of protecting the charity food (Zakat) of Ramadan. One night, a man came and started taking some of the food items. I caught him and said, “I am going to take you to the Prophet (peace be upon him)!”
The man replied, “I am a poor man. I have a family and I am in great need.” So, I felt sorry for him and let him go.
The next morning, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, “O Abu Hurairah! What did your prisoner do last night?”
I replied, “O Messenger of Allah! He complained that he is very poor and has a family. So, I felt sorry for him and let him go!”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “He has certainly told you a lie, and he will come back again.” Because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said this, I believed he would return, so I waited to catch him.
The next night, he came again and started grabbing the food. I caught him and said, “I am going to take you to the Prophet (peace be upon him)!”
He said, “Let me go! I am a poor man. I have a family. I will not come back again!” I felt sorry for him again and let him go.
In the morning, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, “O Abu Hurairah! What did your prisoner do?”
I said, “O Messenger of Allah! He complained that he is in great need and has a family. So, I felt sorry for him and let him go!”
The Prophet said, “He has certainly told you a lie, and he will come back to you again.”
I waited for him a third time. He came and started grabbing the food. I caught him and said, “I am going to take you to the Prophet (peace be upon him)! Every time you say you will not come back, but you have come for the third time!”
The man said, “Let me go! I will teach you some words that will be very useful to you.”
I asked, “What are those words?”
He said, “When you go to bed, recite Ayatul Kursi from the beginning to the end. If you do this, an angel from Allah will keep protecting you until the morning, and Shaytan (the devil) will not come near you.” With that, I let him go.
When the morning came, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked me, “What did your prisoner do last night?”
I said, “O Messenger of Allah! He said he would teach me some useful words, so I let him go.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, “What are those words?”
I replied, “He told me that when I go to bed, I should recite Ayatul Kursi from the beginning to the end. He said if I recite it, an angel from Allah will protect me until the morning, and Shaytan will not come near me.”
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Even though he is a great liar, he has told you the truth. Do you know whom you have been speaking to for the past three nights?”
I replied, “No, I do not know.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “That was Shaytan.”
