Quran 2:255 · The Throne Verse

Ayatul Kursi آية الكرسي

The greatest verse of the Quran, in Arabic and English, with audio. Follow it phrase by phrase with easy transliteration, listen to well-known reciters, and learn when the Prophet taught us to recite it.

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Allahu la ilaha illa Huwa

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اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ ٢٥٥

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255 · Recited by Mishary Rashid Alafasy

Updated 4 November 2026 · How we check our sources

Surah: Al-Baqarah (2)
Verse: 255
Para: 3 (Tilkar Rusul)
Mushaf page: 42
Revealed in: Madinah
Names of Allah in it: Allah, al-Hayy, al-Qayyum, al-'Aliyy, al-'Azim

Read Ayatul Kursi line by line

Ayatul Kursi is one long verse made of ten short phrases. Tap play on any line to hear it on its own, or play the whole verse and follow the highlighted words.

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Allahu la ilaha illa Huwa

Allah: there is no god worthy of worship except Him,

الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ

al-Hayyul-Qayyum

the Ever-Living, who keeps all that exists in being.

لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ

La ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm

Neither drowsiness nor sleep ever overtakes Him.

لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ

Lahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-ard

Everything in the heavens and on the earth belongs to Him.

مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ

Man dhal-ladhi yashfa'u 'indahu illa bi-idhnih

Who could intercede with Him, except with His permission?

يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ

Ya'lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahum

He knows what is before them and what is behind them,

وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ

Wa la yuhituna bi-shay'im min 'ilmihi illa bima sha'

and they grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills.

وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ

Wasi'a kursiyyuhus-samawati wal-ard

His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth,

وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا

Wa la ya'uduhu hifzuhuma

and guarding them both never tires Him.

وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

Wa Huwal-'Aliyyul-'Azim

He is the Most High, the Most Great.

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Ayatul Kursi in English (full translation)

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.

Translation by Marmaduke Pickthall (1930), public domain. Compare 8 translations

Ayatul Kursi transliteration (full)

Allahu la ilaha illa Huwa, al-Hayyul-Qayyum. La ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm. Lahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-ard. Man dhal-ladhi yashfa'u 'indahu illa bi-idhnih. Ya'lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahum, wa la yuhituna bi-shay'im min 'ilmihi illa bima sha'. Wasi'a kursiyyuhus-samawati wal-ard, wa la ya'uduhu hifzuhuma, wa Huwal-'Aliyyul-'Azim.

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Listen to Ayatul Kursi

11 reciters, from the imams of Makkah to the great Egyptian qaris. Tap one to play, and follow the words as they light up in the reader below. Listening while you read is the easiest way to get the pronunciation right.

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When to recite Ayatul Kursi

These are the times taught in the Sunnah, with where each one comes from.

Reminders with your prayer times →

After every obligatory prayer

The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever recites it after each obligatory prayer, nothing stands between them and Paradise except death. Recite it once, quietly, after the salam.

al-Nasa'i, al-Sunan al-Kubra

Before you sleep

Recite it in bed before sleeping, and a guardian from Allah stays with you and Shaytan cannot come near you until morning.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2311

Morning and evening

Many scholars include it in the morning and evening adhkar, so it becomes part of your daily protection.

Part of the daily adhkar

When you feel afraid or anxious

Ayatul Kursi reminds you that Allah never sleeps and nothing escapes His care. “Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.”

Quran 13:28

Benefits of Ayatul Kursi and what is authentic

Every narration below names its source and how hadith scholars graded it, so you can share it with confidence.

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Narration	Grade	What scholars said
It is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah.Sahih Muslim 810	Authentic	The Prophet asked Ubayy ibn Ka'b which verse was the greatest, and praised his knowledge when he answered with Ayatul Kursi.
Whoever recites it before sleeping has a guardian from Allah, and Shaytan cannot come near him until morning.Sahih al-Bukhari 2311	Authentic	From the well-known account of Abu Hurayrah guarding the charity, confirmed by the Prophet.
Whoever recites it after every obligatory prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death.al-Nasa'i, al-Sunan al-Kubra	Authentic	Graded sahih by Ibn Hibban and al-Albani.
Allah's Greatest Name is in three surahs: al-Baqarah, Al Imran and Ta-Ha.Ibn Majah 3856	Hasan	Graded hasan by al-Albani. Scholars explained the name as al-Hayy al-Qayyum, which appears in Ayatul Kursi.
Whoever recites it with the opening of Surah Ghafir in the morning is protected until evening.al-Tirmidhi 2879	Weak	al-Tirmidhi himself pointed out a weakness in its chain. It is fine to read Ayatul Kursi in the morning, without attaching this promise to it.

Sayings to be careful with

These are shared widely online, but no authentic hadith supports them:

Recite it 313 times to marry the person you love
Recite it 1,000 times to open the doors of rizq
Recite it 7 times before sleep to see someone in a dream
Recite it 70 times and your debts will be paid

Why these are not authentic →

What Ayatul Kursi means

Ayatul Kursi is a description of Allah in one verse. It begins with His oneness, then two of His greatest names, al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) and al-Qayyum (who sustains everything). It tells us He never tires or sleeps, that everything belongs to Him, that no one can intercede without His permission, and that His knowledge covers all things while ours covers only what He allows. It ends with His Kursi spreading over the heavens and the earth, and two more names: al-'Aliyy, the Most High, and al-'Azim, the Most Great.

The Kursi is often called the Throne in English, but the Arabic word for Throne is 'Arsh, and the two are different. Ibn Abbas explained the Kursi as the place of the Feet, and a narration graded authentic by al-Albani says the seven heavens beside the Kursi are like a ring thrown in a desert, and the Kursi beside the Throne is like that ring in the desert.

Meaning, phrase by phrase Classical tafsir Word by word Compare 8 translations Why it is the greatest verse Kursi and 'Arsh All hadith, by grade For anxiety