What Does the Kursi Mean? The Origin and Meaning of Ayat al-Kursi
Ayat al-Kursi (Verse 255) of Surah Al-Baqarah expresses the fundamental tenets of Tawhid (the Oneness of God). This special verse is named Ayat al-Kursi due to its profound meaning.
The word “Kursi” in Arabic refers to a term with deep meanings such as ‘throne,’ ‘dominion,’ ‘knowledge,’ and ‘power.’ This significant word within the content of the verse has been influential in giving it the name Ayat al-Kursi.
Ayat al-Kursi: Recitation and Meaning
Ayat al-Kursi in Arabic
اَللّٰهُ لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَۚ اَلْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌۜ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمٰوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْاَرْضِۜ مَنْ ذَا الَّذ۪ي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُٓ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِه۪ۜ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ اَيْد۪يهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْۚ وَلَا يُح۪يطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِه۪ٓ اِلَّا بِمَا شَٓاءَۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْاَرْضَۚ وَلَا يَؤُ۫دُهُ حِفْظُهُمَاۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظ۪يمُ
Ayat al-Kursi in Turkish (Transliteration)
Bismillâhirrahmânirrahîm. Allahü lâilâhe illâ hüvel hayyül kayyüm. Lâ te’hızühû sinetün velâ nevm. Lehü mâ fissemâvâti vemâ fil ard. Men zellezî yeşfeu indehû illâ bi iznih. Ya’lemü mâ beyne eydîhim vemâ halfehüm velâ yühîtûne bi şey’in min ilmihî illâ bimâ şâe. Vesia kürsiyyühüssemâvâti vel ard. Velâ yeûdühû hifzuhümâ vehüvel aliyyül azîm. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 255)
Meaning of Ayat al-Kursi
Allah is [God], there is no deity except Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who intercedes with Him except by His permission? He knows what lies before them and what lies behind them. And they do not encompass anything of His knowledge except what He has willed. His Kursi (Throne) encompasses the heavens and the earth, and it does not burden Him to preserve them. And He is the Exalted, the Magnificent. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 255)
The Virtues of Ayat al-Kursi
Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) stated in his hadith that Ayat al-Kursi is the greatest verse in the Quran. He mentioned that those who recite this verse when going to bed will be under Allah’s protection, and the devils will not approach them. He also emphasized that it contains Allah’s most sublime names and is the most virtuous of all verses in the Quran. (Muslim, “Müsâfirîn”, 258; Abu Dawud, “Ṣalât”, 352, “Ḥurûf”, 1; Bukhari, “Wakala”, 10; Musnad, VI, 461; Tirmidhi, “Fazailul-Quran”, 2)