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The 4 Quls: Arabic, Transliteration and English
The 4 Quls: Al-Kafirun, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas
Surah Al-Kafirun (109) Quran 109:1–6
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
qul yāayyuhā l-kāfirūna
Say, "O disbelievers, (109:1)
لَآ أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
lā aʿbudu mā taʿbudūna
I do not worship what you worship. (109:2)
وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَـٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ
walā antum ʿābidūna mā aʿbudu
Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. (109:3)
وَلَآ أَنَا۠ عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّمْ
walā anā ʿābidun mā ʿabadttum
Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. (109:4)
وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَـٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ
walā antum ʿābidūna mā aʿbudu
Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. (109:5)
لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِىَ دِينِ
lakum dīnukum waliya dīni
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion." (109:6)
Surah Al-Ikhlas (112) Quran 112:1–4
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
qul huwa l-lahu aḥadun
Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One, (112:1)
ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ
al-lahu l-ṣamadu
Allāh, the Eternal Refuge. (112:2)
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
lam yalid walam yūlad
He neither begets nor is born, (112:3)
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ
walam yakun lahu kufuwan aḥadun
Nor is there to Him any equivalent." (112:4)
Surah Al-Falaq (113) Quran 113:1–5
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
qul aʿūdhu birabbi l-falaqi
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak (113:1)
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
min sharri mā khalaqa
From the evil of that which He created (113:2)
وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
wamin sharri ghāsiqin idhā waqaba
And from the evil of darkness when it settles (113:3)
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
wamin sharri l-nafāthāti fī l-ʿuqadi
And from the evil of the blowers in knots (113:4)
وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
wamin sharri ḥāsidin idhā ḥasada
And from the evil of an envier when he envies." (113:5)
Surah An-Nas (114) Quran 114:1–6
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ
qul aʿūdhu birabbi l-nāsi
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, (114:1)
مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ
maliki l-nāsi
The Sovereign of mankind, (114:2)
إِلَـٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ
ilāhi l-nāsi
The God of mankind, (114:3)
مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ
min sharri l-waswāsi l-khanāsi
From the evil of the retreating whisperer - (114:4)
ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ
alladhī yuwaswisu fī ṣudūri l-nāsi
Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind - (114:5)
مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ
mina l-jinati wal-nāsi
From among the jinn and mankind". (114:6)
Saheeh International
Key takeaways
- The 4 Quls are Al-Kafirun (109), Al-Ikhlas (112), Al-Falaq (113) and An-Nas (114), the four surahs that open with the word Qul, "Say".
- The 3 Quls are the last three of them. The hadith name those three together for bedtime and for morning and evening.
- Al-Kafirun has its own bedtime hadith, and the Prophet ﷺ recited it with Al-Ikhlas before Fajr.
- All four take about 2 minutes to recite at Mishari al-Afasy's pace, and the three Quls about 1 minute 18 seconds.
The 4 Quls are Al-Kafirun, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, the four short surahs that begin with Qul, “Say”. All four are at the top of this page in Arabic, transliteration and English, in the order they appear in the Quran.
Below that: whether it’s 3 Quls or 4, what each surah is about, and when the hadith say to recite them.
What are the 4 Quls?
| # | Surah | Meaning | Verses | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 109 | Al-Kafirun | The Disbelievers | 6 | 45 sec |
| 112 | Al-Ikhlas | Sincerity | 4 | 13 sec |
| 113 | Al-Falaq | The Daybreak | 5 | 24 sec |
| 114 | An-Nas | Mankind | 6 | 41 sec |
The times are Mishari al-Afasy’s recitation on Quran.com. All four take about 2 minutes, and the last three take 1 minute 18 seconds.
Each one opens with an instruction to the Prophet ﷺ: qul, “say”. That word gives the set its name. In Urdu they’re called char qul, “four quls”.
Is it 3 Quls or 4 Quls?
Both names are in use, and they mean different sets:
- The 3 Quls are Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, the last three surahs of the Quran. The hadith name these three together for bedtime and for morning and evening.
- The 4 Quls add Al-Kafirun. It has its own hadith: a surah to sleep on, and one the Prophet ﷺ recited with Al-Ikhlas before Fajr.
Al-Falaq and An-Nas also have a name of their own, al-Mu’awwidhatayn, “the two surahs of seeking refuge”, because both begin “I seek refuge”.
What each surah is about
These summaries follow Ibn Kathir’s tafsir.
Al-Kafirun is, in Ibn Kathir’s words, “the Surah of disavowal” from the worship of idolaters. He mentions a report that the Quraysh offered a trade: they would worship the Prophet’s God for a year if he worshipped their idols for a year. This surah was the reply: “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”
Al-Ikhlas describes Allah. Ibn Kathir cites a report that the idolaters asked the Prophet ﷺ for “the lineage of your Lord”, and this surah came down. He explains as-Samad through Ibn Abbas: the One that all creation depends on for their needs. Ahad, “One”, is a word he says is affirmed of no one except Allah.
Al-Falaq seeks refuge in the Lord of the daybreak. Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn Abbas, Jabir, Mujahid and others that al-falaq is the morning. The surah names four evils: what He created, the darkness of night, “the blowers in knots” (witches, according to Mujahid and others), and an envier.
An-Nas seeks refuge through three of Allah’s attributes: Lord, King and God of mankind. The evil it names is “the retreating whisperer”. Ibn Abbas explained that the devil whispers when a person is heedless, and withdraws when that person remembers Allah.
When to recite the Quls
Each time below comes from a hadith graded hasan or higher, and each names specific surahs:
| When | Which Quls | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Before sleep | Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas, three times | Sahih al-Bukhari 5017 |
| Before sleep | Al-Kafirun | Sunan Abi Dawud 5055 (Sahih) |
| Morning and evening | Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas, three times | Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3575 (Hasan) |
| After every prayer | Al-Falaq and An-Nas (see below) | Sunan Abi Dawud 1523 (Sahih) |
| Two sunnah rak’ahs before Fajr | Al-Kafirun and Al-Ikhlas | Sahih Muslim 726 |
Before sleep
Aishah described the Prophet’s own bedtime habit:
He also taught Al-Kafirun as a surah to fall asleep on:
For the rest of the bedtime set, see which surah to read before sleeping.
Morning and evening
This is the hadith behind “which Quls should I recite in the morning”. It names three:
After every prayer
The words in brackets are the translator’s note on sunnah.com, which reads Mu’awwidhat as the last three surahs. Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2903 records the same instruction with the dual form, Al-Mu’awwidhatain, which names two: Al-Falaq and An-Nas.
Before Fajr
The benefits of the Quls
Al-Ikhlas is equal to a third of the Quran:
Al-Falaq and An-Nas were described as verses without equal:
When the Prophet ﷺ was ill, he recited them over himself:
A claim we left out
You’ll often read that Al-Kafirun equals a quarter of the Quran. That comes from two reports in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, 2893 and 2894, and sunnah.com shows both graded da’if (weak) by Darussalam, so we haven’t listed it as a benefit. The authentic reports about Al-Kafirun are the bedtime and Fajr hadith above.
How to learn the 4 Quls
Many people already know Al-Ikhlas. Learn the rest shortest first, one surah a day:
| Day | New surah | Then |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ikhlas (4 verses) | Recite it from memory |
| 2 | Al-Falaq (5 verses) | Recite Al-Ikhlas and Al-Falaq |
| 3 | An-Nas (6 verses) | Recite the three Quls together |
| 4 | Al-Kafirun (6 verses) | Recite all four in order |
Al-Kafirun comes last because its middle verses repeat with small changes (mā taʿbudūna, mā aʿbudu, mā ʿabadttum), and they’re easy to mix up. Compare verses 2 to 5 in the block at the top before you start.
For the full method, see how to memorize the Quran. The Quls pair well with Ayatul Kursi and the last two verses of Surah Baqarah, which are the other bedtime passages.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 4 Quls?
The 4 Quls are the four short surahs that begin with the word Qul ("Say"): Al-Kafirun (109), Al-Ikhlas (112), Al-Falaq (113) and An-Nas (114). In Urdu they are called char qul, "four quls".
Is it 3 Quls or 4 Quls?
Both names are used. The 4 Quls include Al-Kafirun. The 3 Quls are Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, the three surahs the hadith name together for bedtime (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017) and for morning and evening (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3575, Hasan).
Which Quls should I recite in the morning?
The morning and evening hadith names three: Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, each three times. The Prophet ﷺ said they "will suffice you against everything" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3575, Hasan). Al-Kafirun is not part of that hadith.
When should I recite the 4 Quls?
The hadith give different times for different Quls: the three Quls at bedtime and in the morning and evening; Al-Falaq and An-Nas after every prayer; Al-Kafirun at bedtime and, with Al-Ikhlas, in the two sunnah rak'ahs before Fajr.
How long does it take to recite the 4 Quls?
About 2 minutes at Mishari al-Afasy's pace on Quran.com: Al-Kafirun 45 seconds, Al-Ikhlas 13, Al-Falaq 24 and An-Nas 41.
Sources
- Quran.com: Surahs 109, 112, 113 and 114 (Arabic, Saheeh International, word-by-word transliteration)
- Ibn Kathir, tafsir of Surah Al-Kafirun (Quran.com)
- Ibn Kathir, tafsir of Surah Al-Ikhlas (Quran.com)
- Ibn Kathir, tafsir of Surah Al-Falaq (Quran.com)
- Ibn Kathir, tafsir of Surah An-Nas (Quran.com)
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5017 (sunnah.com)
- Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3575 (sunnah.com)
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1523 (sunnah.com)
- Sunan Abi Dawud 5055 (sunnah.com)
- Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2903 (sunnah.com)
- Sahih Muslim 726 (sunnah.com)
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5013 (sunnah.com)
- Sahih Muslim 814 (sunnah.com)
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5016 (sunnah.com)
- Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2893 and 2894, graded da'if (sunnah.com)
- Quran.com recitation timings, Mishari al-Afasy (api.qurancdn.com)