أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ﴿اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَاء وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلاَ يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ﴾.
al-lahu lā ilāha illā huwa l-ḥayu l-qayūmu lā takhudhuhu sinatun walā nawmun lahu mā fī l-samāwāti wamā fī l-arḍi man dhā alladhī yashfaʿu ʿindahu illā bi-idh'nihi yaʿlamu mā bayna aydīhim wamā khalfahum walā yuḥīṭūna bishayin min ʿil'mihi illā bimā shāa wasiʿa kur'siyyuhu l-samāwāti wal-arḍa walā yaūduhu ḥif'ẓuhumā wahuwa l-ʿaliyu l-ʿaẓīmu
Allāh - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. 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 Kursī extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
Hisn al-Muslim 27 · Hisn al-Muslim
Source & authenticity
Source: Hisn al-Muslim · Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 27
Translation: Saheeh International via quran.com API v4, edition 20
This supplication also appears, with small differences in the Arabic wording, under What to say before sleeping.
IslamicInfo presents the source information available in its current verified database and does not issue religious rulings.
Context & meaning
These words make no request at all. They are a sustained description: that there is no deity except Him, that He is the Ever-Living and the Self-Sustaining, and that neither drowsiness nor sleep ever reaches Him. From there the wording widens outward — everything in the heavens and on the earth belongs to Him, no one may intercede without His permission, and He knows what lies before people and what will come after them. The passage closes by placing His Kursi over the heavens and the earth, and stating that upholding them does not tire Him.
When & how to recite
Recited at both ends of the day, morning and evening.
Reflection
Two denials sit at either end of the passage — no sleep overtakes Him at the opening, no fatigue reaches Him in preserving creation at the close. Between them nothing is ever asked for; the wording only establishes who is being addressed.
About these notesThe notes above explain the wording of the supplication as it is translated on this page. They add no commentary, history or ruling beyond it.
Common questions
Where does this dua come from?
It is recorded at Hisn al-Muslim 27:75.
What do these words mean?
The English of it is: “Allāh - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. 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.
How is it pronounced if you cannot read Arabic?
Romanised, it runs: “al-lahu lā ilāha illā huwa l-ḥayu l-qayūmu lā takhudhuhu sinatun walā nawmun lahu mā fī l-samāwāti wamā fī l-arḍi man dhā alladhī yashfaʿu ʿindahu illā bi-idh'nihi yaʿlamu mā bayna aydīhim wamā khalfahum walā yuḥīṭūna bishayin min ʿil'mihi illā bimā shāa wasiʿa kur'siyyuhu l-samāwāti wal-arḍa walā yaūduhu ḥif'ẓuhumā wahuwa l-ʿaliyu l-ʿaẓīmu”
At what point is it recited?
Recited at both ends of the day, morning and evening. Two denials sit at either end of the passage — no sleep overtakes Him at the opening, no fatigue reaches Him in preserving creation at the close.