III.—The Divisions of the Qurʾān

The Qurʾān, which is written in the Arabic language, is divided into: Ḥarf, Kalimah, Āyah, Sūrah, Rukūʾ, Rubʿ, Niṣf, S̤uls̤, Juzʾ, Manzal.

1. Ḥarf (pl. Ḥurūf), Letters; of which there are said to be 323,671, or according to some authorities, 338,606.

2. Kalimah (pl. Kalimāt), Words; of which there are 77,934, or, according to some writers, 79,934.

3. Āyah (pl. Āyāt), Verses. Āyah (Heb. ‏אוֹת‎) is a word which signifies “sign.” It was used by Muḥammad for short sections or verses of his supposed revelation. The division of verses differs in different editions of the Arabic Qurʾān. The number of verses in the Arabic Qurʾāns are recorded after the title of the Sūrah, and the verses distinguished in the text by a small cypher or circle. The early readers of the Qurʾān did not agree as to the original position of these circles, and so it happens that there are five different systems of numbering the verses.

(a) Kūfah verses. The Readers in the city of al-Kūfah say that they followed the custom of ʿAlī. Their way of reckoning is generally adopted in India. They reckon 6,239 verses.

(b) Baṣrah verses. The Readers of al-Baṣrah follow ʿĀṣim ibn Ḥajjāj, a Companion. They reckon 6,204 verses.

(c) Shāmī verses. The Readers in Syria (Shām) followed ʿAbdu ʾllāh ibn ʿUmar, a Companion. They reckon 6,225 verses.

(d) Makkah verses. According to this arrangement, there are 6,219 verses.

(e) Madīnah verses. This way of reading contains 6,211 verses.

4. Sūrah (pl. Suwar), Chapters. A word which signifies a row or series, but which is now used exclusively for the chapters of the Qurʾān, which are one hundred and fourteen in number. These chapters are called after some word which occurs in the text, and, if the Traditions are to be trusted, they were so named by Muḥammad himself, although the verses of their respective Sūrahs were undoubtedly arranged after his death, and sometimes with little regard to their sequence. Muslim doctors admit that the K͟halīfah ʿUs̤mān arranged the chapters in the order in which they now stand in the Qurʾān.

The Sūrahs of the Muḥammadan Qurʾān are similar to the forty-three divisions of the Law amongst the Jews known as ‏סְדָרִים‎ Sidārīm, or “orders.” These were likewise named after a word in the section, e.g. The first is Bereshith, the second Noah, &c. (See Buxtorf’s Tiberias, p. 181.)

Each Sūrah of the Qurʾān, with the exception of the IXth, begins with the words—

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم‎

“In the name of the Merciful, the Compassionate.”

The Sūrahs, as they stand in Arabic editions of the Qurʾān, are as follows:—

No. Title of Sūrah. Meaning in English. The Chronological Order.

According to Jalālu ʾd-dīn. According to Rev. J. M. Rodwell. According to Sir W. Muir.

1 Fātiḥah Preface uncertain 8 6

2 Baqarah Cow 86 91 uncertain

3 Ālu ʿImrān Family of ʿImrān 88 97 A.H. 2 to 10

4 Nisāʾ Women 91 100 uncertain

5 Māʾidah Table 112 114 A.H. 6 to 10

6 Anʿām Cattle 54 89 81

7 Aʿrāf Aʿrāf 38 87 91

8 Anfāl Spoils 87 95 A.H. 2

9 Taubah Repentance 113 113 The last.

10 Yūnus Jonah 50 84 79

11 Hūd Hūd 51 75 78

12 Yūsuf Joseph 52 77 77

13 Raʿd Thunder 95 90 89

14 Ibrāhīm Abraham 71 76 80

15 Ḥijr Ḥijr 53 57 62

16 Naḥl Bee 69 73 88

17 Banū Isrāʾīl Children of Israel 49 67 87

18 Kahf Cave 68 69 69

19 Maryam Mary 43 58 68

20 T̤ā Ḥā T̤ā Ḥā 44 55 75

21 Ambiyāʾ Prophets 72 65 86

22 Ḥajj Pilgrimage 103 107 85

23 Muʾminūn Believers 73 64 84

24 Nūr Light 102 105 A.H. 5

25 Furqān Qurʾān 41 66 74

26 Shuʿarāʾ Poets 46 56 61

27 Naml Ant 47 68 70

28 Qaṣaṣ Story 48 79 83

29 ʿAnkabūt Spider 84 81 90

30 Rūm Greeks 83 74 60

31 Luqmān Luqmān 56 82 50

32 Sajdah Prostration 74 70 44

33 Aḥzāb Confederates 89 103 uncertain

34 Sabaʾ Sabaʾ 57 85 79

35 Malāʾikah Angels 42 86 66

36 Yā Sīn Yā Sīn 40 60 67

37 Sāffāt Ranks 55 50 59

38 Ṣād Ṣād 37 59 73

39 Zumar Troops 58 80 45

40 Muʾmin Believer 59 78 72

41 Fuṣṣilat Explanation 60 71 53

42 Shūrā Council 61 83 71

43 Zuk͟hrūf Ornaments 62 61 76

44 Duk͟hān Smoke 63 53 58

45 Jās̤iyah Kneeling 64 72 57

46 Aḥqāf Aḥqāf 65 88 64

47 Muḥammad Muḥammad 94 96 uncertain

48 Fatḥ Victory 111 108 A.H. 6

49 Ḥujurāt Chambers 106 112 uncertain

50 Qāf Qāf 33 54 56

51 Ẕāriyāt Scattering Winds 66 43 63

52 T̤ūr Mountain 75 44 55

53 Najm Star 22 46 43

54 Qamar Moon 36 49 48

55 Raḥmān Merciful 96 48 40

56 Wāqiʿah Inevitable 45 45 41

57 Ḥadīd Iron 93 99 uncertain

58 Mujādilah Disputer 105 106 uncertain

59 Ḥashr Assembly 101 102 A.H. 4

60 Mumtaḥinah Proved 90 110 A.H. 7

61 Ṣaff Array 110 98 uncertain

62 Jamuʿah Assembly 108 94 uncertain

63 Munāfiqīn Hypocrites 104 104 A.H. 65

64 Tag͟hābun Mutual Deceit 109 93 82

65 T̤alāq Divorce 108 101 uncertain

66 Taḥrīm Prohibition 107 109 A.H. 7 to 8

67 Mulk Kingdom 76 63 42

68 Qalam Pen 2 17 52

69 Ḥāqqah Inevitable Day 77 42 51

70 Maʿārij Steps 78 47 37

71 Nūḥ Noah 70 51 54

72 Jinn Genii 39 62 65

73 Muzzammil Wrapped up 3 3 46

74 Muddas̤s̤ir Enfolded 4 2 21

75 Qiyāmah Resurrection 30 40 36

76 Dahr Time 97 52 35

77 Mursalāt Messengers 32 36 34

78 Nabaʾ News 79 37 33

79 Nāziʿāt Those who drag 80 35 47

80 ʿAbasa He frowned 23 24 26

81 Takwīr Folding up 6 32 27

82 Infit̤ār Cleaving asunder 81 31 11

83 Tat̤fīf Short Measure 85 41 32

84 Inshiqāq Rending in sunder 82 33 28

85 Burūj Celestial Signs 26 28 31

86 T̤āriq Night Star 35 22 29

87 Aʿla Most High 7 25 23

88 G͟hāshiyah Overwhelming 67 38 25

89 Fajr Day-break 9 39 14

90 Balad City 34 18 15

91 Shams Sun 25 23 4

92 Lail Night 8 16 12

93 Ẓuḥā Sun in his meridian 10 4 16

94 Inshirāḥ Expanding 11 5 17

95 Tīn Fig 27 26 8

96 ʿAlaq Congealed blood 1 1 19

97 Qadr (Night of) Power 24 92 24

98 Baiyinah Evidence 99 21 uncertain

99 Zalzalah Earthquake 92 30 3

100 ʿĀdiyāt Swift horses 13 34 2

101 Qāriʿah Striking 29 29 7

102 Takās̤ur Multiplying 15 14 9

103 ʿAṣr Afternoon 12 27 1

104 Humazah Slanderer 31 13 10

105 Fīl Elephant 18 19 13

106 Quraish Quraish 28 20 5

107 Māʿūn Necessaries 16 15 39

108 Kaus̤ar Kaus̤ar 14 9 18

109 Kāfirūn Infidels 17 12 38

110 Naṣr Assistance 101 111 30

111 Abū Lahab Abū Lahab 5 11 22

112 Ik͟hlāṣ Unity 21 10 20

113 Falaq Day-break 19 6 uncertain

114 Nās Men 20 7 uncertain

5. Rukūʾ (pl. Rukūʾāt), an inclination of the head or bow. These are sections of about ten verses or less, at which the devout Muslim makes a bow of reverence; they are marked on the margin of the Qurʾān with the letter ʿain ع‎, with the number of the rukūʾ over it. Muḥammadans generally quote their Qurʾān by the Juzʾ or Sīpārah and the Rukūʾ.

6. Rubʿ. The quarter of a Juzʾ, or Sīpārah.

7. Niṣf. The half of a Sīpārah.

8. S̤uls̤. The three-quarters of a Sīpārah. These three divisions are denoted by the words being written on the margin.

9. Juzʾ (pl. Ajzāʾ). Persian Sīpārah. Thirty divisions of the Qurʾān, which have been made to enable the devout Muslim to recite the whole of the Qurʾān in the thirty days of Ramaẓān. Muḥammadans usually quote their Qurʾān by the Sīpārah or Juzʾ and not by the Sūrah.

10. Manzil (pl. Manāzil, Stages). These are seven in number, and are marked by the letters ف م ى ب ش و ق‎, which are said to spell Famī bi Shauq, “My mouth with desire.” This arrangement is to enable the Muslim to recite the whole in the course of a week.