Ayatul Kursi (also written Ayat al-Kursi) is the 255th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah and probably the best-known verse of the Quran. Many people learn it as children and recite it after prayer and before going to sleep. Its name comes from the word Kursi, which Sahih International leaves untranslated and which is often rendered as “footstool” or “seat”.

According to a narration in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ asked his companion Ubayy ibn Ka’b which verse in the Book of Allah was the greatest. Ubayy named Ayatul Kursi, and the Prophet ﷺ confirmed it.

Ayatul Kursi in Arabic

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

Transliteration

al-lahu lā ilāha illā huwa l-ḥayu l-qayūmu lā takhudhuhu sinatun walā nawmun lahu mā fī l-samāwāti wamā fī l-arḍi man dhā alladhī yashfaʿu ʿindahu illā bi-idh’nihi yaʿlamu mā bayna aydīhim wamā khalfahum walā yuḥīṭūna bishayin min ʿil’mihi illā bimā shāa wasiʿa kur’siyyuhu l-samāwāti wal-arḍa walā yaūduhu ḥif’ẓuhumā wahuwa l-ʿaliyu l-ʿaẓīmu

The transliteration follows quran.com and helps you read along. Long vowels and sounds such as ḥ or ʿ are best learnt by listening, ideally with someone who knows tajwid.

Ayatul Kursi in English

Allāh - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. 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 Kursī extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.

Translation: Sahih International.

What the verse means

Ayatul Kursi is a verse about Allah Himself. Almost every sentence names one of His attributes:

  • Oneness: the verse opens with the heart of faith: there is no deity except Him.
  • The Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining (al-Hayy al-Qayyum): His life has no beginning and no end. Everything depends on Him, and He depends on nothing. Not even drowsiness overtakes Him, unlike everything He has created.
  • Everything belongs to Him: whatever is in the heavens and on the earth is His. No one can intercede with Him unless He permits it.
  • His knowledge: He knows what lies before people and what comes after them. They know only as much as He lets them know.
  • The Kursi: many scholars, based on a statement attributed to Ibn Abbas, understand the Kursi as something distinct from and smaller than the Throne (’Arsh). Others interpret it as Allah’s knowledge or dominion. Either way the point of the verse is the same: even the Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not tire Allah.
  • The Most High, the Most Great: the verse closes with these two names.

Reciting the verse with its meaning in mind changes how it feels. More verses about Allah’s attributes, including Surah Al-Ikhlas, are collected under Quran verses about Allah.

When to recite Ayatul Kursi

  • After every obligatory prayer: a narration in an-Nasa’i, graded authentic by al-Albani, promises Paradise to whoever recites Ayatul Kursi after each obligatory prayer: nothing stands between them and Paradise except death. That is why many people recite it after the salam, together with the tasbih.
  • Before sleeping: al-Bukhari records the story of Abu Hurayra guarding the zakat collected in Ramadan. A thief came three nights in a row. On the last night the thief taught him that whoever recites Ayatul Kursi before sleeping has a guardian from Allah watching over them all night, and no devil comes near them. The Prophet ﷺ then told Abu Hurayra that the visitor had spoken the truth on this point, although he was a liar, and that it had been Shaytan.
  • Morning and evening: many people include it in their morning and evening adhkar. More verses on remembrance are under dhikr.

Learning it by heart

Ayatul Kursi is long but clearly structured. The small pause marks in the Arabic text divide it into about nine short sections. Learn one section at a time, attach each new one to those you already know, and finish by reciting the whole verse in one go. A step-by-step method is in How to memorise the Quran.

In the Nur app

In Nur you find Ayatul Kursi in the Verses tab, recited by Mishary Rashid Alafasy, with each word lighting up as it is recited. Under Journey → “What you’re memorizing” it is listed right at the top under “To begin with”. In learn mode you repeat it, slow it down and hide words until you can recite it without the text. The habits “Morning adhkar”, “Evening adhkar” and “Sleep early” remind you of Ayatul Kursi. Get Nur for free.