Ayat al-Kursi: Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · Medinan · Verse 255 of 286
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
Translation
God: there is no god but Him, the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful.Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth; it does not weary Him to preserve them both. He is the Most High, the Tremendous.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Ayat al-Kursi, which the Prophet ﷺ called the greatest verse in the Qur'an. 'God, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living (al-Hayy), the Sustainer of all (al-Qayyum). Neither drowsiness overtakes Him, nor sleep. To Him belongs all in the heavens and the earth... His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation does not weary Him. He is the Most High, the Most Great.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note it is pure, unbroken majesty, a portrait of God with no request, no story, only who He is. al-Biqa'i and al-Saadi dwell on 'al-Qayyum': the One who stands over everything and by whom everything stands, joined to 'no drowsiness nor sleep', He never once looks away, which is precisely why the universe never falls. Ask yourself: I recite this verse for protection, but its power is not a charm, it is the reality it describes. If the One sustaining all existence never sleeps, never tires, never lapses in His watch, then there is no instant in which I am unheld, unwatched, or forgotten. My anxiety assumes gaps in His attention that this verse says do not exist. When I truly grasp that the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining, never-sleeping God is holding me and everything else this very second, what fear survives it? Do I recite Ayat al-Kursi as words, or let its portrait of God actually still my heart?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i, al-Saadi.
Wording
Ayat al-Kursi, the Throne Verse, is a majestic declaration from Allah Himself, revealing His absolute nature. It is a profound statement of divine oneness, power, and knowledge, serving to affirm belief for the faithful and refute misconceptions about Him. Each word is carefully chosen to build an awe-inspiring portrait of the Creator.
The Singular Reality
The verse begins with "ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ" (Allah, there is no deity except Him). Ibn Ashur notes that using the personal name "Allah" is the clearest way to refer to the Unique Being, as it needs no further explanation. The phrase "لا إله إلا هو" is a statement of absolute monotheism, negating any other god and affirming that only Allah is truly worthy of worship. As al-Jalalayn explains, it means "no deity worthy of worship truly exists" apart from Him.
The Sustaining Life
Following this, Allah describes Himself as "ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ" (The Ever-Living, The Self-Sustaining, Sustainer of all). "الحي" (The Ever-Living) comes from the root for life, emphasizing a complete and perfect life, free from any weakness or end that afflicts created beings, as Ibn Ashur clarifies. "القيوم" (The Self-Sustaining, Sustainer) is a special Arabic form (فعول) that implies intense, continuous action. It signifies that Allah is self-existent and constantly upholds and manages everything else, providing for all creation. This directly refutes the idea of inanimate idols that cannot even sustain themselves.
The verse reinforces this with "لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ" (Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him). "سِنَةٌ" refers to slumber, the precursor to sleep, while "نَوْمٌ" is full sleep. By negating both, the Quran emphasizes Allah's perfect, continuous awareness and activity, without even the slightest lapse. As al-Razi explains, sleep is impossible for Allah because it implies an absence or weakness of knowledge, which contradicts His perfect attributes.
Absolute Dominion and Knowledge
His absolute control is declared: "لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ" (To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth). The possessive "لَهُۥ" (to Him) comes first for emphasis, signifying that ownership is exclusively His. The word "ما" (what) rather than "من" (who) encompasses all of creation, both animate and inanimate, highlighting that everything is His creation and under His control.
This leads to a powerful rhetorical question: "مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ" (Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?). The use of "مَن ذَا" (who is it) is an emphatic way to declare that absolutely no one can intercede with Allah unless He grants them permission. This directly challenges the polytheistic belief that idols or saints could intercede on their own without God's will.
Allah's perfect knowledge further clarifies His authority: "يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ" (He knows what is before them and what is behind them). This phrase universally encompasses all of existence – the past, present, and future, the seen and the unseen. This boundless knowledge explains why intercession can only happen by His permission, as only He truly knows who deserves it. The creatures, in contrast, "وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ" (and they do not encompass anything of His knowledge except that which He wills). Humans and jinn cannot grasp Allah's vast knowledge except for what He chooses to reveal to them, often through His prophets.
Immense Majesty and Power
To illustrate His greatness, Allah states: "وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ" (His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth). The "Kursi" (Divine Footstool/Throne) is a massive creation, its vastness demonstrating Allah's immense power and dominion. The word "وسع" (extends over, encompasses) powerfully conveys its immense breadth. Despite this incredible scale, "وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا" (and their preservation does not burden Him). The word "يئوده" means to burden or tire. The negation emphasizes that maintaining all of creation, no matter how vast or complex, is utterly effortless for Allah.
The Transcendent Conclusion
The verse concludes with two culminating Divine Names: "وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ" (And He is the Most High, the Most Great). "العلي" (The Most High) signifies His supreme status and transcendence above all creation, not a physical location. "العظيم" (The Most Great) conveys His magnificent power and majesty, completing the profound declaration of His unparalleled attributes.
Source: Ibn Ashur, al-Zamakhshari, al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran, al-Razi, al-Jalalayn
Sources: Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), al-Jalalayn
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255 is discussed in 17 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
- Intercession (Shafa'ah) (key verse)
- Preservation (Hifz) (key verse)
- Divine Seizing (Akhdh)
- Abundance (Sa'ah)
- Attributes of Allah (Sifat Allah)
- Sincerity (Ikhlas)
- Faith (Iman)
- The Jinn
- Envy (Hasad)
- Life (Hayah)
- Understanding (Fiqh)
- Death (Mawt)
- Forgetfulness (Nisyan)
- Evil (Sharr)
- Idolatry (Shirk)
- Praise (Madh)
- Responsibility (Mas'uliyyah)
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.