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Quran

Ayatul Kursi, the greatest ayah.

Ayat al-Kursi, the Verse of the Throne, is ayah 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah. Listen, repeat it to memorise, and read what it means.

2:255

ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿٢٥٥﴾

Allahu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwal Haiyul Qaiyoom; laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; lahoo maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; man zal lazee yashfa'u indahooo illaa bi-iznih; ya'lamu maa baina aydeehim wa mww khalfahum wa laa yuheetoona bishai'im min 'ilmihee illaa bimaa shaaa'; wasi'a Kursiyyuhus samaawaati wal arda wa laa ya'ooduho hifzuhumaa; wa Huwal Aliyyul 'Azeem

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Arabic text: Tanzil, Uthmani script, via AlQuran.cloud. Audio: EveryAyah. Transliteration is a learning aid. Read from the Arabic when you can.

Guide

Ayat al-Kursi, its virtue and meaning.

The Prophet ﷺ asked Ubayy ibn Kab which ayah of the Book of Allah is the greatest. He answered: "Allahu la ilaha illa huwal-hayyul-qayyum", and the Prophet ﷺ struck his chest and said: "May knowledge be a joy for you, Abu al-Mundhir."1

When to recite it

  • After every fard prayer: "Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every prescribed prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death."2
  • Before sleeping: a guardian from Allah stays with you and Satan cannot come near until morning.3
  • Morning and evening: it is part of the adhkar.

What it means

In one ayah it gathers the core of belief in Allah: that He alone is God, the Ever-Living who sustains everything, untouched by sleep, owning all in the heavens and the earth, knowing all, with no one interceding except by His leave, and that His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth without tiring Him.

Reciting it without wudu or during menstruation

Hanafi position

Reciting the Quran from memory without wudu is allowed. Someone in janabah, or a woman during her period, may not recite the Quran as Quran. Many Hanafi scholars allow them to say ayat that are dhikr or dua, such as Ayat al-Kursi, with the intention of dhikr and protection rather than recitation.

Other madhhabs
Maliki
A woman on her period may recite the Quran from memory, so Ayat al-Kursi is allowed.
Shafi'i, Hanbali
Someone in janabah or on their period may not recite it as Quran, but may say its words as dhikr with that intention.
  1. Sahih Muslim 810.
  2. Al-Nasai, al-Sunan al-Kubra; graded sahih by al-Albani.
  3. Sahih al-Bukhari 2311.
  4. Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, on what is permitted in janabah. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Questions

Good to know.

What is Ayatul Kursi?

Ayah 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah, known as the Verse of the Throne. The Prophet ﷺ called it the greatest ayah in the Quran (Muslim 810).

When should I read Ayatul Kursi?

After every fard prayer, before sleeping, and in the morning and evening adhkar.

How long does it take to memorise Ayatul Kursi?

Most people learn it in a few days. Set Repeat to 5 or 10 and learn one phrase at a time.