Ayatul Kursi (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255)
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ 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 ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿٢٥٥﴾
Transliteration: Allaahu laa ilaaha illaa huwal-hayyul-qayyoom. Laa ta'khudhuhoo sinatun wa laa nawm. Lahoo maa fis-samaawaati wa maa fil-ard. Man dhal-ladhee yashfa'u 'indahoo illaa bi-idhnih. Ya'lamu maa bayna aydeehim wa maa khalfahum. Wa laa yuheetoona bi shay'im-min 'ilmihee illaa bimaa shaa'. Wasi'a kursiyyuhus-samaawaati wal-ard. Wa laa ya'ooduhoo hifzuhumaa. Wa huwal-'aliyyul-'azeem.
Meaning: Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. (Quran 2:255, Saheeh International)
What Ayatul Kursi means, line by line
Ayatul Kursi is a short summary of who Allah is. Each phrase describes one of His attributes:
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Allaahu laa ilaaha illaa huwa | There is no god worthy of worship except Allah. |
| al-hayyul-qayyoom | The Ever-Living, who sustains everything that exists. |
| laa ta'khudhuhoo sinatun wa laa nawm | He never becomes drowsy and never sleeps. |
| lahoo maa fis-samaawaati wa maa fil-ard | Everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him. |
| man dhal-ladhee yashfa'u 'indahoo illaa bi-idhnih | No one can intercede with Him except by His permission. |
| ya'lamu maa bayna aydeehim wa maa khalfahum | He knows what is before people and what is behind them. |
| wasi'a kursiyyuhus-samaawaati wal-ard | His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth. |
| wa laa ya'ooduhoo hifzuhumaa | Protecting them does not tire Him. |
| wa huwal-'aliyyul-'azeem | He is the Most High, the Most Great. |
Virtues of Ayatul Kursi from authentic hadith
- The greatest verse of the Quran. The Prophet ﷺ asked Ubayy ibn Ka'b which verse of the Book of Allah is the greatest, and he answered Ayatul Kursi; the Prophet ﷺ congratulated him on his knowledge (Sahih Muslim 810).
- Protection at night. Whoever recites it when going to bed will have a guardian from Allah with him, and no devil will come near him until morning (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311).
- After the obligatory prayers. A narration reported by an-Nasa'i in as-Sunan al-Kubra, and graded authentic by several scholars, encourages reciting it after every obligatory prayer.
When do Muslims recite Ayatul Kursi?
- Before going to sleep
- After each of the five daily obligatory prayers
- As part of the morning and evening remembrance (adhkar)
How to help a child memorise Ayatul Kursi
- Listen first. Play the audio above every day for a week, especially at bedtime.
- Split it into the nine phrases in the table and learn one or two phrases a day.
- Join the phrases: recite yesterday's phrase before adding today's.
- Recite it together at bedtime so it becomes a habit linked to the hadith above.
- Check the pronunciation with a teacher. Letters such as ح, ع, ظ and ق are hard to learn from transliteration alone.
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