Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255 • The Greatest Ayah for all

Ayat al-Kursi

The Verse of the Throne — a sublime declaration of Allah's eternal life, omnipotence, knowledge, and cosmic preservation.

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

"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 Magnificent."

The Nine Symmetrical Sentences

Explore the deep thematic structure and individual statements of the verse.

  1. Tawhid & Divine Self-Subsistence

    اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ

    Allahu la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum

    Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence.

  2. Absolute Vigilance & Perfection

    لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ

    La ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm

    Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep.

  3. Universal Dominion & Ownership

    لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ

    Lahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-ard

    To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.

  4. Absolute Authority & Just Intercession

    مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ

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

    Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?

  5. Omniscience of Past, Present & Future

    يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ

    Ya'lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahum

    He knows what is presently before them and what will be after them.

  6. Human Limitation & Divine Revelation

    وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ

    Wa la yuhituna bishay'im-min 'ilmihi illa bima sha'a

    And they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.

  7. Infinite Magnitude of Creation

    وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ

    Wasi'a kursiyyuhus-samawati wal-ard

    His Kursi (Throne/Footstool) extends over the heavens and the earth.

  8. Effortless Cosmic Preservation

    وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا

    Wa la ya'uduhu hifdhuhuma

    And their preservation tires Him not.

  9. Ultimate Transcendence & Majesty

    وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

    Wa Huwal-'Aliyyul-'Azheem

    And He is the Most High, the Most Magnificent.

Reported Virtues (Fada'il)

Reports regarding the status and recitation of Ayat al-Kursi, shown with their hadith sources.

Read the verse

  1. The Greatest Verse in the Quran

    “The Prophet ﷺ asked Ubayy ibn Ka'b: 'Which ayah of the Book of Allah with you is the greatest?' He replied: 'Allahu la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum.' The Prophet ﷺ struck his chest gently and said: 'May knowledge be pleasant for you, Abu al-Mundhir!'”

    Sahih Muslim 810

  2. Gateway to Paradise After Every Obligatory Prayer

    “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer, nothing stands between him and entering Paradise except death.'”

    Sunan an-Nasa'i as-Sunan al-Kubra 9848, Sahih at-Targhib 1595 (Sahih)

  3. Divine Guardian Through the Night

    “When Abu Hurairah was guarding the Zakat funds and captured the intruder, he was told: 'When you go to bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi from beginning to end. If you do, Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no devil will come near you until morning.' The Prophet ﷺ confirmed: 'He told you the truth, though he is a liar.'”

    Sahih al-Bukhari 2311, 5010

About Ayat al-Kursi

Ayat al-Kursi — also written Ayatul Kursi — is verse 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah, the second chapter of the Qur’an. It begins with the declaration that there is no deity except Allah, the Ever-Living and Sustainer, and continues through His knowledge, His Kursi, and His preservation of the heavens and the earth. The page presents the complete verse in Uthmani script with an English translation, then breaks it into nine sentences so the movement of the verse can be followed phrase by phrase.

The virtues section collects reports that speak about the verse’s status and recitation. Each report is shown with its collection and reference so it can be checked in the original. Translations here are meaning-based and are not intended to replace the Arabic. The page does not attach extra counts, guaranteed outcomes, or benefits beyond those stated in the cited reports.

Ayat al-Kursi also appears in the morning adhkar andevening adhkar readers. For other supplications, seeDaily Duas, and for the divine names referenced throughout the verse, see the 99 Names of Allah.

Frequently Asked Questions