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The Arabic word Surah (or "Sura" سورة sūrah, plural "Surahs" سور) is used in Islam to mean a "chapter" of the Holy Qur'an. Literally, Surah means "something enclosed or surrounded by a fence or wall."
Each Surah is named for a word or name mentioned in an ayah (section) of that Surah. Some Surahs were surprising to Muslims at the time of the Revelation; for example, the elevated status of Mary—a Jewish woman and the mother of the Christian Jesus—which is mentioned in Surah 19 ("Maryam/Mary").
Structure
The Qur'an consists of 114 chapters of varying lengths, each known as a surah. The title of each surah is derived from a name or quality discussed in the text or from the first letters or words of the surah. Muslims believe that Prophet Mohammed himself, on God's command, gave the surahs their names. In general, the longer chapters appear earlier in the Qur'an, while the shorter ones appear later. As such, the arrangement is not connected to the sequence of revelation. Each chapter, with the exception of one, commences with the Basmala bismillah Al rahman Al rahimm,[1] an Arabic phrase meaning ("In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful"), with the exception of the ninth chapter. There are, however, still 114 occurrences of the basmala in the Qur'an, due to its presence in verse 27:30 as the opening of Solomon's letter to the Queen of Sheba.
Each Surah is formed from several Ayahs (verses) which originally means a sign or portent sent by God. The number of the ayahs are not the same in various Surahs. An individual ayah may be just few letters or several lines. The ayahs are unlike the highly refined poetry of the pre-Islamic Arabs in their content and distinctive rhymes and rhythms, being more akin to the prophetic utterances marked by inspired sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. Since the beginning of Islam, the proper number of ayahs has been a controversial issue among Muslim scholars, some recognizing 6,000, some 6,204, some 6,219, and some 6,236, although the words in all cases are the same. The most popular edition of the Qur'an, which is based on the tradition of the school of Kufa, contains 6,236 ayahs.
Types of Surahs
There are two types of surahs in the Qur'an: Madinan surahs and Meccan surahs. The division of surahs into 'Meccan surahs' and 'Medinan surahs' is primarily a consequence of stylistic and thematic considerations. Classification of the surahs into these periods is based upon factors such as the length of the verse and the presence or absence of certain key concepts or word (e.g. al-Rahman as name of God).[2]
The Madinan surahs of the Qur'an are those chapters that were revealed at Madina, after Muhammad's hijra from Mecca, when the Muslims were establishing a state rather than being, as at Mecca, an oppressed minority. They are mostly placed at the beginning of the Qur'an, and typically have longer ayat. In accordance with the new situation of the Muslims, these surahs more often deal with details of legislation, and every surah that deals with issues of warfare is Madinan, beginning with surat al-Baqara.
The Meccan surahs are the chronologically earlier surahs of the Qur'an that were revealed at Mecca. They are typically shorter, with relatively short ayat, and mostly come near the end of the Qur'an. Most of the surahs containing Muqatta'at are Meccan.
List of Surahs
The 114 surahs are:
- Al-Fatiha (The Opening), seven ayats, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Al-Baqara (The Cow), 286 ayat, 40 rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Imran (The Family of Imran), 200 ayat, 20 rukus, Madinan sura
- An-Nisa (The Women), 177 ayat, 2four rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Ma'ida (The Table), 120 ayat, 16 rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-An'am (The Cattle), 165 ayat, 20 rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-A'raf (The Heights), 206 ayat, 2four rukus Makkan sura
- Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War), 75 ayat, ten rukus, Madinan sura
- At-Tawba (The Repentance), 129 ayat, 16 rukus, Madinan sura
- Yunus (Jonah), 109 ayat, 1one rukus, Makkan sura
- Hud (Hud), 123 ayat, 10 rukus, Makkan sura
- Yusuf (Joseph), 111 ayat, 1two rukus, Makkan sura
- Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder), 43 ayat, six rukus, Madinan sura
- Ibrahim (Abraham), 52 ayat, seven rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Hijr (Al-Hijr, The Stoneland, The Rock City), 99 ayat, six rukus, Makkan sura
- An-Nahl (The Bee), 128 ayat, 16 rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Isra (Isra], The Night Journey, The Children of Israel), 111 ayat, 1two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Kahf (The Cave), 110 ayat, 1two rukus Makkan sura
- Maryam (Mary), 98 ayat, six rukus, Makkan sura
- Ta-Ha (Ta-Ha), 135 ayat, 8 rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Anbiya (The Prophets), 112 ayat, seven rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage, The Hajj), 78 ayat, ten rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Muminun (The Believers), 118 ayat, six rukus, Makkan sura
- An-Noor (The Light), 64 ayat, nine rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Furqan (The Criterion, The Standard), 77 ayat, six rukus, Makkan sura
- Ash-Shu'ara (The Poets), 227 ayat, 1one rukus, Makkan sura
- An-Naml (The Ant, The Ants), 93 ayat, seven rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Qisas (The Stories), 88 ayat, nine rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Ankabut (The Spider), 69 ayat, seven rukus, Makkan sura
- Ar-Rum (The Romans, The Byzantines), 60 ayat, six rukus, Makkan sura
- Luqman (Luqman), 34 ayat, four rukus, Makkan sura
- As-Sajda (The Prostration, Worship, Adoration), 30 ayat, three rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Ahzab (The Clans, The Coalition, The Combined Forces), 73 ayat, nine rukus, Madinan sura
- Saba (Saba, Sheba), 54 ayat, six rukus, Makkan sura
- Fatir (The Angels, Originator), 45 ayat, five rukus, Makkan sura
- Ya-Seen (Ya-seen), 83 ayat, five rukus, Makkan sura
- As-Saaffat (Those Who Set The Ranks, drawn Up In Ranks), 182 ayat, five rukus, Makkan sura
- ad (The Letter Sad), 88 ayat, five rukus, Makkan sura
- Az-Zumar (The Troops, Throngs), 75 ayat, eight rukus, Makkan sura
- Ghafir (The Forgiver), 85 ayat, nine rukus, Makkan sura
- Fussilat (Explained In Detail), 54 ayat, six rukus, Makkan sura
- Ash-Shura (Council, Consultation), 53 ayat, five rukus, Makkan sura
- Az-Zukhruf (Ornaments Of Gold, Luxury), 89 ayat, seven rukus, Makkan sura
- Ad-Dukhan (Smoke), 59 ayat, three rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Jathiya (Crouching), 37 ayat, four rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Ahqaf (The Wind-curved Sandhills, The Dunes), 35 ayat, four rukus, Makkan sura
- Muhammad (Muhammad), 38 ayat, four rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Fath (Victory, Conquest), 29 ayat, two rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Hujraat (The Private Apartments, The Inner Apartments), 18 ayat, two rukus, Madinan sura
- Qaf (The Letter Qaf), 45 ayat, three rukus, Makkan sura
- Adh-Dhariyat (The Winnowing Winds), 60 ayat, three rukus, Makkan sura
- At-Tur (The Mount), 49 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- An-Najm (The Star), 62 ayat, three rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Qamar (The Moon), 55 ayat, three rukus, Makkan sura
- Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent, The Mercy Giving), 78 ayat, three rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Waqia (The Event, The Inevitable), 96 ayat, three rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Hadid (The Iron), 29 ayat, four rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Mujadila (She That Disputeth, The Pleading Woman), 22 ayat, three rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Hashr (Exile, Banishment), 24 ayat, three rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Mumtahina (She That Is To Be Examined, Examining Her), 13 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- As-Saff (The Ranks, Battle Array), 14 ayat, two rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Jumua (The Congregation, Friday), 11 ayat, two rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Munafiqoon (The Hypocrites), 11 ayat, two rukus, Madinan sura
- At-Taghabun (Mutual Disillusion, Haggling), 18 ayat, two rukus, Madinan sura
- At-Talaq (Divorce), 12 ayat, two rukus, Madinan sura
- At-Tahrim (Banning, Prohibition), 12 ayat, two rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Mulk (The Sovereignty, Control), 30 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Qalam (The Pen), 52 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Haaqqa (The Reality), 52 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Maarij (The Ascending Stairways), 44 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Nooh (Nooh), 28 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Jinn (The Jinn), 28 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Muzzammil (The Enshrouded One, Bundled Up), 20 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Muddaththir (The Cloaked One, The Man Wearing A Cloak), 56 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Qiyama (The Rising Of The Dead, Resurrection), 40 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Insan (Human), 31 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Mursalat (The Emissaries, Winds Sent Forth), 50 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- An-Naba (The Tidings, The Announcement), 40 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- An-Naziat (Those Who Drag Forth, Soul-snatchers), 46 ayat, two rukus, Makkan sura
- Abasa (He Frowned), 42 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- At-Takwir (The Overthrowing), 29 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Infitar (The Cleaving, Bursting Apart), 19 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Mutaffifin (Defrauding, The Cheats, Cheating), 36 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Inshiqaq (The Sundering, Splitting Open), 25 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Burooj (The Mansions Of The Stars, Constellations), 22 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- At-Tariq (The Morning Star, The Nightcomer), 17 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Ala (The Most High, Glory To Your Lord In The Highest), 19 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Ghashiya (The Overwhelming, The Pall), 26 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Fajr (The Dawn, Daybreak), 30 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Balad (The City, This Countryside), 20 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Ash-Shams (The Sun), 15 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Lail (The Night), 21 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Ad-Dhuha (The Morning Hours, Morning Bright), 11 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Inshirah (Solace, Consolation, Relief), eight ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- At-Tin (The Fig, The Figtree), eight ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Alaq (The Clot, Recite), 19 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Qadr (Power, Fate), five ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Bayyina (The Clear Proof, Evidence), eight ayat, one rukus, Madinan sura
- Az-Zalzala (The Earthquake), eight ayat, one rukus, Madinan sura
- Al-Adiyat (The Courser, The Chargers), 11 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Qaria (The Calamity, The Stunning Blow, The Disaster), 11 ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- At-Takathur (Rivalry In World Increase, Competition), eight ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Asr (The Declining Day, Eventide, The Epoch), three ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Humaza (The Traducer, The Gossipmonger), nine ayat, one rukus, Makkan sura
- Al-Fil (The Elephant), five ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Quraysh (Quraish), four ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Al-Ma'un (Small Kindnesses, Almsgiving, Have You Seen), seven ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Al-Kawthar (Abundance, Plenty), three ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Al-Kafirun (The Disbelievers, The Kafirs), six ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- An-Nasr (Succour, Divine Support, Victory), three ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Al-Masadd (The Palm Fibre), five ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity), four ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Al-Falaq (The Daybreak, Dawn), five ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
- Al-Nas (Mankind), six ayat, one ruku, Makkan sura
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Basit, Abdul. Essence of the Quran: Commentary and Interpretation of Surah Al-Fatihah. Kazi Publications, 1997. ISBN 978-1871031553
- Elyasee, Halsem (ed.), Maramaduke Pickthall (trans.). Sixteen Surahs. Islamic Book Service, 2004. ISBN 978-8172311773
- Qazi, Muhmoud Ahmad. Short Surahs for Prayers: A Textbook for Elementary Quranic Studies. Kazi Publications; Bilingual edition, 1994. ISBN 978-1567443844
External links
All links retrieved February 26, 2023.
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