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Quran 2:255آيَةُ الْكُرْسِيِّ When to recite it
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Before sleep · morning and evening

4 Qul and Ayatul Kursi

Ayatul Kursi, then Al-Kafirun, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, each with its Bismillah, in one recitation you can play, repeat three times and download as a single MP3. Below it, all five in Arabic with transliteration and meaning, and what the Sunnah says about each.
Ayatul Kursi + 4 QulTap play to startRecited by Mishary Rashid Alafasy · 3:17
Surahs
Ayatul Kursi + 4
Verses
1 + 21
Reciters
10
Length
1:53 to 5:12
Price
Free, no signup

Download Ayatul Kursi and 4 Qul MP3

Choose a reciter in the player, then tap Download as one MP3: all five in a single file, ready in a few seconds, to play offline on your phone.
Chosen recording: Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Preparing your MP3 · 10s Ayatul-Kursi-and-4-Qul-Mishary-Rashid-Alafasy.mp3

Ayatul Kursi and the 4 Qul: Arabic, transliteration and meaning

In the order of the recording. The meaning of Ayatul Kursi is this site’s own plain English; the four surahs are in Marmaduke Pickthall’s translation.

1. Ayatul Kursi Al-Baqarah 2:255 · 10 phrases

  1. اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَAllahu la ilaha illa HuwaAllah: there is no god worthy of worship except Him,
  2. الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُal-Hayyul-Qayyumthe Ever-Living, who keeps all that exists in being.
  3. لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌLa ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawmNeither drowsiness nor sleep ever overtakes Him.
  4. لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِLahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-ardEverything in the heavens and on the earth belongs to Him.
  5. مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِMan dhal-ladhi yashfa'u 'indahu illa bi-idhnihWho could intercede with Him, except with His permission?
  6. يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْYa'lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahumHe knows what is before them and what is behind them,
  7. وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَWa la yuhituna bi-shay'im min 'ilmihi illa bima sha'and they grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills.
  8. وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَWasi'a kursiyyuhus-samawati wal-ardHis Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth,
  9. وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَاWa la ya'uduhu hifzuhumaand guarding them both never tires Him.
  10. وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُWa Huwal-'Aliyyul-'AzimHe is the Most High, the Most Great.

2. Surah Al-Kafirun Surah 109 · 6 verses · The Disbelievers

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
  1. قُلۡ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ ١Qul ya ayyuha alkafiroonSay: O disbelievers!
  2. لَآ أَعۡبُدُ مَا تَعۡبُدُونَ ٢La aʿbudu ma taʿbudoonI worship not that which ye worship;
  3. وَلَآ أَنتُمۡ عَٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعۡبُدُ ٣Wala antum ʿabidoona maaʿbudNor worship ye that which I worship.
  4. وَلَآ أَنَا۠ عَابِدٞ مَّا عَبَدتُّمۡ ٤Wala ana ʿabidun maʿabadtumAnd I shall not worship that which ye worship.
  5. وَلَآ أَنتُمۡ عَٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعۡبُدُ ٥Wala antum ʿabidoona maaʿbudNor will ye worship that which I worship.
  6. لَكُمۡ دِينُكُمۡ وَلِيَ دِينِ ٦Lakum deenukum waliya deenUnto you your religion, and unto me my religion.

3. Surah Al-Ikhlas Surah 112 · 4 verses · Sincerity

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
  1. قُلۡ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١Qul huwa Allahu ahadSay: He is Allah, the One!
  2. ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ٢Allahu assamadAllah, the eternally Besought of all!
  3. لَمۡ يَلِدۡ وَلَمۡ يُولَدۡ ٣Lam yalid walam yooladHe begetteth not nor was begotten.
  4. وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدُۢ ٤Walam yakun lahu kufuwan ahadAnd there is none comparable unto Him.

4. Surah Al-Falaq Surah 113 · 5 verses · The Daybreak

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
  1. قُلۡ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلۡفَلَقِ ١Qul aʿoothu birabbi alfalaqSay: I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak
  2. مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ ٢Min sharri ma khalaqFrom the evil of that which He created;
  3. وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ ٣Wamin sharri ghasiqin ithawaqabFrom the evil of the darkness when it is intense,
  4. وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِي ٱلۡعُقَدِ ٤Wamin sharri annaffathatifee alʿuqadAnd from the evil of malignant witchcraft,
  5. وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ ٥Wamin sharri hasidin itha hasadAnd from the evil of the envier when he envieth.

5. Surah An-Nas Surah 114 · 6 verses · Mankind

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
  1. قُلۡ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ ١Qul aʿoothu birabbi annasSay: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
  2. مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ ٢Maliki annasThe King of mankind,
  3. إِلَٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ ٣Ilahi annasThe God of mankind,
  4. مِن شَرِّ ٱلۡوَسۡوَاسِ ٱلۡخَنَّاسِ ٤Min sharri alwaswasi alkhannasFrom the evil of the sneaking whisperer,
  5. ٱلَّذِي يُوَسۡوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ ٥Allathee yuwaswisu fee sudoori annasWho whispereth in the hearts of mankind,
  6. مِنَ ٱلۡجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ ٦Mina aljinnati wannasOf the jinn and of mankind.

When to recite them: the Sunnah

Each with its source and grade, so you can check it.
All hadith about Ayatul Kursi →
Before sleep: Ayatul Kursi
Whoever recites it when going to bed has a guardian from Allah through the night, and no devil comes near him until morning.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2311
Before sleep: Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas, three times
Every night the Prophet ﷺ cupped his hands, blew into them reciting these three surahs, and wiped over as much of his body as he could, starting with his head and face. He did this three times.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5017
Before sleep: Al-Kafirun, last
The Prophet ﷺ told Nawfal: recite "Say, O disbelievers", then sleep at its end, for it is a declaration of freedom from shirk.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5055 · Sahih (al-Albani)
Morning and evening: three times
Recite Al-Ikhlas and the two Mu'awwidhat (Al-Falaq and An-Nas) three times in the morning and evening: they will suffice you against everything.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5082 · Hasan (al-Albani)
After every prayer
The Prophet ﷺ told 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir to recite the Mu'awwidhat after every prayer. Ayatul Kursi after every obligatory prayer is also in the Sunnah (an-Nasa'i, as-Sunan al-Kubra 9848).
Sunan Abi Dawud 1523 · Sahih (al-Albani)

The bedtime routine, step by step

Putting the hadith above together; it takes about five minutes.
  1. Recite Ayatul Kursi once.
  2. Cup your hands, recite Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, blow lightly into your hands and wipe over your head, face and body.
  3. Do step 2 three times.
  4. Recite Al-Kafirun and sleep at its end.
No authentic hadith gives a reward for reciting them 7, 41 or 100 times. Three times, as above, is what the Sunnah teaches.

4 Qul and Ayatul Kursi PDF

A 3-page A4 PDF with the Arabic and English of all five, free to print and keep by your bed.
Open the PDF page →
First page of the Ayatul Kursi and 4 Qul PDF

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Questions about the 4 Qul and Ayatul Kursi

More questions →
What are the 4 Qul?
The four short surahs near the end of the Quran that begin with the word Qul, “Say”: Al-Kafirun (109), Al-Ikhlas (112), Al-Falaq (113) and An-Nas (114). “4 Qul” or “char Qul” is the name used in South Asia; in Malaysia “3 Qul” means the last three, without Al-Kafirun.
Is Ayatul Kursi one of the Qul?
No. Ayatul Kursi is verse 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah and does not begin with Qul. Families often recite it together with the 4 Qul, especially before sleep, because both are taught in the Sunnah for protection.
How many times should I recite the 4 Qul?
Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas three times in the morning and evening (Abu Dawud 5082), and three times before sleep, blowing into the hands and wiping over the body (al-Bukhari 5017). Ayatul Kursi once before sleep and once after each obligatory prayer.
Can I download Ayatul Kursi and the 4 Qul as one MP3?
Yes. Choose a reciter in the player above and tap Download as one MP3. You get all five in one file, each surah with its Bismillah, from about 2 to 5 minutes depending on the reciter.
Is there a version that plays three times?
Tick Play the set 3 times in the player and the whole set repeats three times without stopping. The MP3 you download is the set once; your music player’s repeat button plays it again.
Is there a 4 Qul and Ayatul Kursi PDF?
Yes: a 3-page A4 PDF with the Arabic and Pickthall’s English translation of all five, free to print. See the 4 Qul PDF page.
Is listening the same as reciting them?
Listening to the Quran with attention is worship (Quran 7:204). The Sunnah for sleep and for the morning and evening, though, is to recite them yourself. Use the audio to learn them, then say them in your own voice.
Which order should I recite them in?
Any order is allowed. A common routine before sleep is Ayatul Kursi, then Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas three times with the blowing and wiping, and Al-Kafirun last, as the hadith says to sleep at its end.
Edited by Zakir Mohammed
Arabic: Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex, Hafs), via Quran.com. Transliteration of the surahs: Tanzil. English of the surahs: Marmaduke Pickthall (1930, public domain). Every hadith checked on Sunnah.com with the grade shown.