Surah

Lore & Background

The word surah was used at the time of Muhammad as a term for a portion or set of verses of the Quran, as evidenced by its appearance in multiple Quranic verses such as 24:1 and 11:13. The surah are not arranged in chronological order of revelation; according to hadith, Muhammad told his companions the traditional placement of every revelation as it was revealed, and no attempt was made to edit or organize them chronologically to avoid human distortion of God's words.

Reader's Guide

The surah are fundamental to Islamic practice and belief. They are recited during the standing portions of Muslim prayers, with 'Al-Fatiha', the first surah, recited in every unit of prayer. The classification into Meccan and Medinan surah reflects thematic differences: Meccan surah generally deal with faith and scenes of the Hereafter, while Medinan surah focus on organizing social life and showing strength towards unbelievers. The arrangement of surah roughly by descending size means the Quran's structure is neither chronological nor thematic, a feature that has led to various scholarly attempts to establish a chronological order, including those by medieval writers, Theodor Nöldeke, Richard Bell, and Mehdi Bazargan, though no definitive chronology has been universally accepted. The surah serve as the primary divisions of the Quran, each with its own name and content, and their boundaries are marked by the basmalah formula except for surah At-Tawbah.

Did You Know?

• Except for surah At-Tawbah, all surah begin with the basmalah: 'In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful'.
• The surah are arranged roughly in order of descending size, not chronologically or thematically.