Ayat al-Kursi — The Throne Verse
آيَةُ الْكُرْسِيِّ
Verse
2:255
Rank
Greatest āyah
Period
Madinan
Juz
3
Āyat al-Kursī is a single verse (2:255) that is, in essence, a complete declaration of pure tawḥīd — the oneness and majesty of Allah. In one continuous breath it affirms that there is no god but Him, names Him al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm (the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining who sustains all else), declares that neither drowsiness nor sleep ever touches Him, that everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him, that none can intercede except by His leave, that His knowledge encompasses all things, that His Kursī extends over the heavens and the earth, and that guarding them never wearies Him — closing with the two great names al-ʿAlī al-ʿAẓīm, the Most High, the Most Great.
Because it gathers so many of Allah's names and attributes into so few words, the Prophet ﷺ called it the greatest verse in the Qur'an. It is recited for its immense reward and protection: after every obligatory prayer and before sleep, as a means of nearness to Allah and a shield against harm.
Pure tawḥīdAl-Ḥayy al-QayyūmDivine knowledge & dominionProtection & reward
Before you begin
Start with sincerity — ask Allah to make this easy for you and to let what you learn benefit you. A short dua to begin with:
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
Rabbi zidni ‘ilma — “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (Qur'an 20:114)
Core message — walking through the verse
Āyat al-Kursī unfolds as a chain of declarations, each building on the last. (1) Tawḥīd — Allah, there is no deity except Him. (2) Al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm — He is the Ever-Living who never dies and the Self-Sustaining who upholds all creation. (3) Perfect life — neither drowsiness nor sleep ever overtakes Him. (4) Total ownership — to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. (5) Intercession only by His leave — no one can intercede with Him except by His permission. (6) All-encompassing knowledge — He knows what is before them and behind them, and they grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. (7) The Kursī — His Kursī extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation does not tire Him. (8) Majesty — and He is al-ʿAlī al-ʿAẓīm, the Most High, the Most Great.
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
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 Great.
Memory hook — ten clauses, one arc
Hold the verse as a descent from who Allah is to what Allah does, then back up to His majesty: tawḥīd → al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm → no slumber → ownership → intercession → knowledge → the Kursī → al-ʿAlī al-ʿAẓīm. Notice the two pairs of names that bracket the verse — al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm at the opening, al-ʿAlī al-ʿAẓīm at the close — they frame everything between them. If you anchor those two name-pairs first, the middle clauses fall into place between them.
Al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm — the greatest name
Many scholars hold that al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm contains al-ism al-aʿẓam — the greatest name of Allah by which, when He is called, He answers. Al-Ḥayy (the Ever-Living) affirms perfect, unceasing life with no beginning or end; al-Qayyūm (the Self-Subsisting Sustainer) means He stands in need of nothing while everything else depends utterly on Him. Together they explain the next clause: One whose life is perfect is never touched by drowsiness or sleep.
The meaning of the Kursī
The Kursī (often rendered “Footstool”) is described as extending over the heavens and the earth — a vivid image of how vast Allah's dominion is. Reports from the companions describe the seven heavens and the earth as small within the Kursī, and the Kursī itself as small within Allah's far greater ʿArsh (Throne). We affirm it as Allah has described without likening it to His creation; its purpose in the verse is to magnify His greatness, leading directly into al-ʿAlī al-ʿAẓīm.
Key words of Āyat al-Kursī
ٱللَّهُ
Allāhu
Allah — the one true God
v.255 — the verse opens by naming Him alone
ٱلْحَىُّ
al-Ḥayy
The Ever-Living
v.255 — perfect life with no beginning or end
ٱلْقَيُّومُ
al-Qayyūm
The Self-Sustaining Sustainer
v.255 — needs nothing; sustains all else
سِنَةٌۭ
sinah
Drowsiness / slumber
v.255 — never overtakes Him
نَوْمٌۭ
nawm
Sleep
v.255 — nor does sleep, paired with drowsiness
يَشْفَعُ
yashfaʿu
Intercedes
v.255 — none can, except by His leave
كُرْسِيُّهُ
kursiyyuhu
His Kursī (Footstool)
v.255 — extends over the heavens and the earth
ٱلْعَلِىُّ
al-ʿAlī
The Most High
v.255 — first of the two closing names
ٱلْعَظِيمُ
al-ʿAẓīm
The Most Great
v.255 — the verse's final, majestic close
When to recite
Āyat al-Kursī carries some of the most encouraged moments of recitation in the Sunnah: after every obligatory (fard) prayer, once before sleep each night, and generally as a means of protection from harm and the whisperings of Shayṭān. It is a single verse, easily memorised, so these rewards are within everyone's reach.
Āyat al-Kursī — the single verse
Verse 2:255 · for reward and protection
After every fard prayer: recite it once after the closing salām. “Whoever recites Āyat al-Kursī after every obligatory prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death.” (an-Nasāʾī; sahih per al-Albani.)
Before sleep: recite it once on going to bed. The Prophet ﷺ taught that a guardian from Allah will remain with the reciter and no devil will approach him until morning. (Sahih al-Bukhārī — the account of Abu Hurayrah and the shayṭān.)
For protection generally: because it gathers Allah's names and majesty, reciting it is a means of seeking refuge in Him from harm throughout the day and night.
Natural stopping points
v.255a
…lā taʾkhudhuhu sinatun wa-lā nawm — a clean pause after the opening tawḥīd and the two great names, having affirmed that neither drowsiness nor sleep touches Him.
v.255b
…illā bi-mā shāʾ — a pause after the clauses on intercession by His leave and the all-encompassing knowledge, before the image of the Kursī.
v.255c
…wa-huwa l-ʿAlī l-ʿAẓīm — the final close on the two majestic names; the most natural ending of the whole verse.