114 surahs
The Quran has 114 chapters, each called a sūrah (سُورَة). Each verse within a surah is called an āyah (آيَة), a word that also means “sign”.
The surahs are not in the order they were revealed. Apart from Al-Fatihah at the start, they are arranged roughly from longest to shortest.
Over 6,200 verses
The most widely used count, followed in most printed copies today, gives the Quran 6,236 verses. Scholars from different early cities counted slightly differently depending on where they marked the end of a verse. The words are the same; only the counting differs.
The longest and shortest surahs
- Longest: Al-Baqarah (chapter 2), with 286 verses.
- Shortest: Al-Kawthar (chapter 108), with 3 verses.
- Longest single verse: the verse about recording debts, Quran 2:282.
- Greatest verse: Ayat al-Kursi (Quran 2:255), which the Prophet ﷺ described as the greatest verse in the Book of Allah (Sahih Muslim 810).
The Basmalah
Every surah begins with “Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm” except one: Surah At-Tawbah (chapter 9). But the Basmalah still appears 114 times, because it also occurs in the middle of Surah An-Naml, in the letter of the Prophet Sulayman to the Queen of Sheba (Quran 27:30).
30 juz’
For reading and memorising, the Quran is divided into 30 equal parts, each called a juz’ (جُزْء), meaning “part”. Many people read one juz’ a day in Ramadan to finish the whole Quran in a month. Each juz’ is split into two ḥizb, and each ḥizb into quarters.
These divisions were added later by scholars to help readers. They are not part of the revelation itself.
The first and last revelation
The first verses revealed were the opening of Surah Al-‘Alaq, which begins with the command “Iqra’”, “Read” (Quran 96:1–5). The Prophet ﷺ received them in the cave of Hira (Sahih al-Bukhari 3). The revelation continued for about 23 years.
Makkan and Madinan surahs
Surahs are labelled Makkan or Madinan depending on whether they were revealed before or after the Hijrah to Madinah. Makkan surahs tend to be shorter and focus on belief in Allah, the Hereafter and the stories of earlier prophets. Madinan surahs include more guidance on law, family and community life.
