The Last Two Verses of Surah Al-Baqarah With Tajweed

The last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah (2:285–286) are among the most loved verses of the Quran. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever recites them at night, they will be enough for him (reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). Many Muslims read them every night before sleep.

This guide goes through both verses phrase by phrase with the tajweed rules you need, in the recitation of Hafs from ‘Asim.

Rules you will meet

Verse 285

آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ

• آمَنَ: the hamza followed by a long alif is madd badal: two counts only.
• الرَّسُولُ: ر is a sun letter, so the lam is silent.
• بِمَا أُنزِلَ: long alif before a hamza in the next word — madd munfasil, 4 or 5 counts.
• أُنزِلَ: noon sakinah before ز is ikhfa.
• إِلَيْهِ مِن: the ha after ya is short here.
• مِن رَّبِّهِ: noon sakinah before ر is idgham without ghunnah: mir-rabbihi.

وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ

• كُلٌّ آمَنَ: tanween before hamza is izhar: say the n clearly.
• بِاللَّهِ: lam of Allah after a kasra is light.
• وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ: alif followed by a hamza in the same word — madd muttasil, 4 or 5 counts.

لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ

• نُفَرِّقُ: ra with kasra is light; the qaf is heavy.
• أَحَدٍ مِّن: tanween before meem is idgham with ghunnah.
• مِّن رُّسُلِهِ: idgham without ghunnah again.

وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

• وَأَطَعْنَا: make the ط heavy and the ع from the middle of the throat.
• غُفْرَانَكَ: غ is heavy, and the ra has a fatha, so it is heavy too.
• رَبَّنَا: ra with fatha is heavy.
• الْمَصِيرُ: م is a moon letter. When you stop, the ya can be lengthened 2, 4 or 6 counts.

Verse 286

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

• يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ: the lam of Allah after a damma is heavy.
• نَفْسًا إِلَّا: tanween before hamza is izhar.

لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ

• مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ: the alif of ma is not lengthened, because it meets a sukoon: mak-tasabat.

رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا

• تُؤَاخِذْنَا: the ذ has a sukoon — make it clear (it is not a qalqalah letter).
• إِن نَّسِينَا: noon into noon is idgham with ghunnah, two counts.
• أَخْطَأْنَا: the خ and ط are heavy.

رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا

• تَحْمِلْ: deep ح from the throat.
• إِصْرًا: heavy ص; ra with tanween fatha is heavy.
• مِن قَبْلِنَا: noon sakinah before ق is ikhfa; the ب has a sukoon, so it gets a light qalqalah.

رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ ۖ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا

• طَاقَةَ: both ط and ق are heavy, and the alif after ط is heavy too.
• عَنَّا: noon with shaddah — ghunnah of two counts.
• وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا: the ra has a sukoon after a kasra, so it is light. In Hafs, the ra is read clearly before the lam — it is not merged.
• وَارْحَمْنَا: the ra has a sukoon after a fatha, so it is heavy.

أَنتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

• أَنتَ and فَانصُرْنَا: noon sakinah before ت and ص is ikhfa. Before ص, the ikhfa is heavier.
• فَانصُرْنَا: ra sakinah after a damma is heavy.
• الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ: ق and ك are moon letters. When you stop on al-kafirin, lengthen the ya 2, 4 or 6 counts.

Common mistakes

• Short madd in bima unzila and mala'ikatihi.
• Saying the noon in mir-rabbihi and mir-rusulihi.
• Light ق and ط in nufarriqu, ata‘na and taqata.
• Merging the ra into the lam in waghfir lana. In Hafs it stays clear.
• A plain h instead of a deep ح in tahmil and warhamna.

Related guides

For other verses many people recite daily, see our tajweed guides to Ayat al-Kursi, Surah Al-Fatiha and the three Quls. For the rules themselves, read about ikhfa, idgham and heavy and light letters. To learn with live correction, see our online Tajweed course.