The 365 · Sunnah · Day 311 · Sleep
The Last Two Verses of al-Baqarah Before Sleep
The hadith
«مَنْ قَرَأَ بِالْآيَتَيْنِ مِنْ آخِرِ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ كَفَتَاهُ». وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: «أُعْطِيتُ خَوَاتِيمَ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ مِنْ كَنْزٍ تَحْتَ الْعَرْشِ، لَمْ يُعْطَهُنَّ نَبِيٌّ قَبْلِي».
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever recites the last two verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah at night, they will be sufficient for him.' (Bukhari 5009, Muslim 807) And in another narration: 'I have been given the closing verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah from a treasure beneath the Throne, given to no prophet before me.' (Aḥmad, al-Nāsaʳī)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Den som reciterar de två sista verserna av Sūrat al-Baqarah på natten, ska de vara tillräckliga för honom.' (Bukhari 5009, Muslim 807) Och i en annan berattelse: 'Jag har fått avslutningsverserna av Sūrat al-Baqarah från en skatt under Tronen, given till ingen profet före mig.' (Aḥmad, al-Nāsaʳī)
Bukhari 5009; Muslim 807; al-Baqarah 2:285-286
The story
On the night of the Miʿrāj, the Prophet ﷺ was given three gifts: the five daily prayers, the closing verses of al-Baqarah, and forgiveness for the major sins of his Ummah who did not commit shirk. The closing verses were given from a treasure beneath the Throne. No other prophet received them. This Ummah, alone, has these two verses as its nightly cover.
Why it's here
The closing two verses of al-Baqarah were given to the Prophet ﷺ from a treasure beneath the Throne, exclusive to him and his Ummah. They contain the believer's confession of faith, the promise of accountability matched to ability, and the supplications most beloved to Allah at the end of the longest sūrah of the Qur'an. 'Kafatāh' (they suffice him) is the Prophet's ﷺ promise: they suffice for protection, for sufficiency of prayer, for the night.
Try it today
After lying down, recite āmana al-rasūl... (2:285-286) in full. The two verses end with rabbanā wa lā taḥmil ʿalaynā iṣran kamā ḥamaltahu ʿalā alladhīna min qablinā... fa-nṣurnā ʿalā al-qawm al-kāfirīn. Approximately one minute of recitation.
In your day
When the day has been long and the heart is anxious, these two verses are the medicine. They reset the believer's posture: īmān at the front, duʿāʾ at the close, mercy in between. The promise of kafatāh is unique: nothing else in the Sunnah is described as sufficient like this.
A reflection to carry
When the Prophet ﷺ says a Sunnah 'suffices', he is making a statement no other Sunnah carries. These two verses, alone, are sufficient. Take the gift.
Read the longer reflection
The closing verses of al-Baqarah are unique among Qur'anic gifts. They were not revealed through Jibrīl in the usual way; they were given on the night the Prophet ﷺ ascended to the heavens. The Prophet ﷺ never received another revelation in that direct form. They are, in a sense, a celestial postcard, addressed to this Ummah from beneath the Throne. The verses contain everything: īmān in Allah, the angels, the books, the messengers; the assertion that Allah does not burden a soul beyond its ability; the dialogue between the Ummah and its Lord ('we have heard and obeyed; Your forgiveness, our Lord; to You is the return'); and the closing duʿāʾs that have become the believer's nightly prayer. The Prophet's ﷺ promise that 'they suffice him' is a guarantee unmatched by any other dhikr. May they suffice us tonight, and every night until our last.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Ahmad. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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