Surah As-Sajdah Full Text — Alif-Lam-Mim Tanzil (Hafs)

الٓمٓ﴿١﴾تَنزِيلُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ مِن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ﴿٢﴾أَمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ ۚ بَلْ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًۭا مَّآ أَتَىٰهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ﴿٣﴾ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍۢ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۖ مَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَلِىٍّۢ وَلَا شَفِيعٍ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ﴿٤﴾يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍۢ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥٓ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ﴿٥﴾ذَٰلِكَ عَٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ﴿٦﴾ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُۥ ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنِ مِن طِينٍۢ﴿٧﴾ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُۥ مِن سُلَٰلَةٍۢ مِّن مَّآءٍۢ مَّهِينٍۢ﴿٨﴾ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦ ۖ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ﴿٩﴾وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَءِنَّا لَفِى خَلْقٍۢ جَدِيدٍۭ ۚ بَلْ هُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبِّهِمْ كَٰفِرُونَ﴿١٠﴾۞ قُلْ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم مَّلَكُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ٱلَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ﴿١١﴾وَلَوْ تَرَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُوا۟ رُءُوسِهِمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ رَبَّنَآ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَٱرْجِعْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَٰلِحًا إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ﴿١٢﴾وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَءَاتَيْنَا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُدَىٰهَا وَلَٰكِنْ حَقَّ ٱلْقَوْلُ مِنِّى لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ﴿١٣﴾فَذُوقُوا۟ بِمَا نَسِيتُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَٰذَآ إِنَّا نَسِينَٰكُمْ ۖ وَذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلْخُلْدِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴿١٤﴾إِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهَا خَرُّوا۟ سُجَّدًۭا وَسَبَّحُوا۟ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ۩﴿١٥﴾تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًۭا وَطَمَعًۭا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ﴿١٦﴾فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌۭ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍۢ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ﴿١٧﴾أَفَمَن كَانَ مُؤْمِنًۭا كَمَن كَانَ فَاسِقًۭا ۚ لَّا يَسْتَوُۥنَ﴿١٨﴾أَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ فَلَهُمْ جَنَّٰتُ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰ نُزُلًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ﴿١٩﴾وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فَسَقُوا۟ فَمَأْوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُوٓا۟ أَن يَخْرُجُوا۟ مِنْهَآ أُعِيدُوا۟ فِيهَا وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ﴿٢٠﴾وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ﴿٢١﴾وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَآ ۚ إِنَّا مِنَ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنتَقِمُونَ﴿٢٢﴾وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَٰبَ فَلَا تَكُن فِى مِرْيَةٍۢ مِّن لِّقَآئِهِۦ ۖ وَجَعَلْنَٰهُ هُدًۭى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ﴿٢٣﴾وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ أَئِمَّةًۭ يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُوا۟ ۖ وَكَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ﴿٢٤﴾إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ فِيمَا كَانُوا۟ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ﴿٢٥﴾أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لَهُمْ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ يَمْشُونَ فِى مَسَٰكِنِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍ ۖ أَفَلَا يَسْمَعُونَ﴿٢٦﴾أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا نَسُوقُ ٱلْمَآءَ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ٱلْجُرُزِ فَنُخْرِجُ بِهِۦ زَرْعًۭا تَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ أَنْعَٰمُهُمْ وَأَنفُسُهُمْ ۖ أَفَلَا يُبْصِرُونَ﴿٢٧﴾وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا ٱلْفَتْحُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ﴿٢٨﴾قُلْ يَوْمَ ٱلْفَتْحِ لَا يَنفَعُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنُهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ﴿٢٩﴾فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ وَٱنتَظِرْ إِنَّهُم مُّنتَظِرُونَ﴿٣٠﴾

About Surah As-Sajdah

Surah As-Sajdah is the 32nd surah in the order of the mushaf, and one of the Meccan surahs — revealed to the Prophet ﷺ before the migration to Madinah. It contains 30 ayahs, and the Prophet ﷺ gave it a special place: he would not sleep until he had recited it, and he chose it for the Fajr prayer on Fridays.

The surah opens with the disconnected letters «Alif-Lam-Mim» followed by «Tanzilu al-kitab» — “The revelation of the Book, about which there is no doubt, is from the Lord of the worlds,” which is also why it is known as «Surah Alif-Lam-Mim Tanzil». It establishes the truth of the revelation, calls to reflection on Allah’s creation of the heavens and the earth, answers those who deny the resurrection, and paints a moving picture of the true believers — those whose sides forsake their beds at night and who fall in prostration when reminded of their Lord.

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, the reading used in most of the Muslim world, in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf.

Virtues of Surah As-Sajdah

1. The Prophetic sunnah of reading it before sleep

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ would not sleep until he had recited «Alif-Lam-Mim Tanzil» (Surah As-Sajdah) and «Tabaraka alladhi biyadihi al-mulk» (Surah Al-Mulk) (reported by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i; graded sahih by Al-Albani). This shows the greatness of its reward and the Prophet’s ﷺ care to recite it every night.

2. Recited in the Fajr prayer on Fridays

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to recite in the Fajr prayer on Friday «Alif-Lam-Mim Tanzil» (Surah As-Sajdah) and «Hal ata ‘ala al-insan» (Surah Al-Insan) (reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim). Scholars explain that these two surahs gather the great themes of creation, the resurrection and the gathering — matters that took place, and will take place, on a Friday.

3. A verse of prostration (sajdah at-tilawah)

Surah As-Sajdah contains one of the verses of prostration in the Quran — ayah 15. When a reciter reaches it, the sunnah is to prostrate once, saying the takbir and the words of prostration, and the listener prostrates with them. It is a beautiful moment of humbling oneself before Allah in the middle of recitation.

Themes of the Surah

1. The revelation of the Book ([ayahs 1–3](#ayah-1))

The surah opens by affirming that the Quran is, without doubt, sent down from the Lord of the worlds — a response to those who claimed the Prophet ﷺ had invented it, and a reminder that he came to warn a people who had received no warner before him.

Read from ayah 1 →

2. Creation and the Lordship of Allah ([ayahs 4–9](#ayah-4))

A call to reflect on Allah who created the heavens and the earth in six days, who governs all affairs, who knows the unseen and the witnessed, and who perfected the creation of the human being and breathed into him of His spirit — yet most are ungrateful.

Read from ayah 4 →

3. The denial of resurrection and its answer ([ayahs 10–14](#ayah-10))

The disbelievers wondered how they could be raised again once lost in the earth. The surah answers that the angel of death will take them, and pictures the Day when the criminals will hang their heads before their Lord, begging to be returned to do righteous deeds.

Read from ayah 10 →

4. The believers who prostrate ([ayahs 15–22](#ayah-15))

In contrast, the true believers fall in prostration when reminded of Allah’s verses (the verse of sajdah), their sides forsake their beds as they call upon their Lord in hope and fear — and no soul knows the delight kept hidden for them as a reward for what they used to do.

Read from ayah 15 →

5. Lessons from Musa and the Children of Israel ([ayahs 23–25](#ayah-23))

A reminder that Allah gave Musa the Book and made of the Children of Israel leaders who guided by His command when they were patient and certain of His verses — and that your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning their differences.

Read from ayah 23 →

6. Reminders and the closing verses ([ayahs 26–30](#ayah-26))

The surah closes by drawing lessons from the ruined generations before them, pointing to the dead earth revived with rain as a sign of the resurrection, answering their question about “the Decision” (al-fath), and commanding the Prophet ﷺ to turn away from them and wait.

Read from ayah 26 →

Tips for reading and memorising

Read it every night before sleep, paired with Surah Al-Mulk, following the Prophetic sunnah.
Recite it (with Surah Al-Insan) in the Fajr prayer on Fridays to revive the sunnah.
It is short (30 ayahs) and can be memorised in about a week at 4–5 ayahs a day.
Remember to make the prostration of recitation at ayah 15.
Use the “font size” buttons at the top of the page for a comfortable read.
You can print the surah from your browser (Ctrl+P) for a clean paper copy.

Frequently asked questions

How many ayahs are in Surah As-Sajdah?

Surah As-Sajdah has 30 ayahs. It is the 32nd surah in the order of the mushaf, and it is a Meccan surah.

Why is it called Surah As-Sajdah?

It is called Surah As-Sajdah (“The Prostration”) because of ayah 15, in which the true believers, when reminded of Allah’s verses, “fall down in prostration and exalt their Lord with praise, and they are not arrogant.” This verse is a verse of prostration (sajdah at-tilawah).

Where is the sajdah (prostration) in Surah As-Sajdah?

The prostration is at ayah 15 — the words «…they fall down in prostration and exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant.» It is a verse of recitation prostration (sajdah at-tilawah): the reciter and the listener prostrate once when they reach it.

What are the other names of Surah As-Sajdah?

Besides «As-Sajdah», the surah is also known as «Alif-Lam-Mim Tanzil» (after its opening words) and «Al-Madaji‘» (“the beds”), taken from the verse «their sides forsake their beds» which describes those who rise at night to pray.

What is the virtue of reciting Surah As-Sajdah before sleep?

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ would not sleep until he recited «Alif-Lam-Mim Tanzil» (Surah As-Sajdah) and «Tabaraka alladhi biyadihi al-mulk» (Surah Al-Mulk). (Reported by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i; graded sahih by Al-Albani.)

Why is Surah As-Sajdah read in the Fajr prayer on Fridays?

It is an established sunnah: the Prophet ﷺ used to recite in the Fajr prayer on Friday «Alif-Lam-Mim Tanzil» (Surah As-Sajdah) and «Hal ata ‘ala al-insan» (Surah Al-Insan). (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Scholars note these surahs remind the worshippers of creation, the resurrection and the gathering — matters connected with Friday.

How long does it take to read the full surah?

A complete recitation of Surah As-Sajdah takes about 4 to 5 minutes at a moderate pace. It is a relatively short surah, well suited to a daily reading before sleep.

Which recitation is the text on this page based on?

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim — the most widely used reading in the Muslim world — written in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf.

Is Surah As-Sajdah Meccan or Medinan?

Surah As-Sajdah is Meccan — that is, it was revealed before the migration to Madinah. It is one of the surahs that focus on tawhid (the oneness of Allah), the truth of the revelation, and the certainty of the resurrection.

How can I memorise Surah As-Sajdah easily?

A simple plan: split it over six days (five ayahs per day), recite it every night before sleep to anchor what you have memorised, listen to it on Quran radio, and review it regularly. Use the font-size buttons on this page to read it comfortably.

Surah As-Sajdah — Full Text in Clear Arabic Script

Listen to the recitation