Ayatul Kursi meaning

Verse 255 of Surah al-Baqarah, called the greatest verse in the Qur’an by the Prophet ﷺ (Muslim 810). One verse, nine statements about who Allah is.

Ayat al-Kursi

Said once

﴿اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُ 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﴾

Allahu la ilaha illa huwal-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'in min 'ilmihi illa bima sha', wasi'a kursiyyuhus-samawati wal-ard, wa la ya'uduhu hifdhuhuma, wa huwal-'Aliyyul-'Adhim

Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of 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 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.

Al-Baqarah 2:255 · Qur’an

Whoever recites it after every obligatory prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death.

When to read it

  • After every obligatory prayer: the Prophet ﷺ said nothing then stands between the reciter and Paradise except death (an-Nasa’i, al-Kubra).
  • Before sleep, a guardian from Allah stays with you until morning (Bukhari 2311), and once in the morning and evening adhkar.

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Questions

What does Ayatul Kursi mean?
Ayatul Kursi is Al-Baqarah 2:255. It states that Allah is the only deity, the Ever-Living who sustains all, that neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him, that everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him, that none intercedes without His permission, that He knows all and His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth without their keeping tiring Him, and that He is the Most High, the Most Great.
When should you recite Ayatul Kursi?
After each of the five daily prayers, before sleeping, and in the morning and evening adhkar. The Prophet ﷺ called it the greatest verse in the Qur’an (Muslim 810) and said whoever recites it before sleep has a guardian from Allah until morning (Bukhari 2311).

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