Surah Al-Baqarah · Verse 255
Arabic Text
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
English Translation
Allāh - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living,98 the Self-Sustaining.99 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,100 and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursī101 extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High,102 the Most Great.103
— Noor International Center
- [98] Whose life is perfect, complete and eternal, without beginning or end, and through whom all created life originated and continues. ↩
- [99] Dependent on none for His existence while being the sustainer and administrator of all created existence. ↩
- [100] Allāh's knowledge encompasses every aspect of His creations in the past, present and future. ↩
- [101] Chair or footstool. It is not to be confused with al-ʿArsh (the Throne) , which is infinitely higher and greater than al-Kursī. ↩
- [102] Above all of His creations and superior to them in essence, rank and position. ↩
- [103] Whose greatness is unlimited, beyond description or imagination. ↩
Word by Word
Transliteration
Allahu la ilaha illa huwa, al-hayyu l-qayyum. La ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm. Lahu ma fi s-samawati wa ma fi l-ard. Man dha l-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 kursiyyuhu s-samawati wa l-ard, wa la ya'uduhu hifdhuhuma, wa huwa l-'aliyyu l-'adhim.
Context in This Surah
Divine sovereignty and responsible faith — verses 255-256
Ayat al-Kursi presents divine life, knowledge, and sovereignty. The following verse rejects compulsion in religion. Read together, they place human response before a God whose authority does not depend on coerced belief. This context guards the passage against becoming an isolated shortcut and keeps its warning, promise, or instruction in the chapter’s own balance.
Interpretation Notes
- Family, financial, criminal, and conflict-related passages require qualified jurisprudential and historical context; this overview is not a fatwa.
- Descriptions of earlier religious communities should not be turned into ethnic or religious stereotypes.
- The report about recitation in a house is a specific hadith claim, not a guarantee that no harm or hardship can occur there.
Recitation: Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary
Arabic text: Tanzil Project · English translation: QuranEnc (Noor International Center, v1.1.2) · sources and licensing information