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, . (See Buxtorf’s Tiberias , p. 181.) Each Sūrah of the Qurʾān, with the exception of the IX th, begins with the words— بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم‎ “In the name of the Merciful, the Compa ionate.” 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 | A embly | 101 | 102 | A.H. 4 | | 60 | Mumtaḥin ah | Proved | 90 | 110 | A.H. 7 | | 61 | Ṣaff | Array | 110 | 98 | uncertain | | 62 | Jamuʿah | A embly | 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 | Me engers | 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 | Nece aries | 16 | 15 | 39 | | 108 | Kaus̤ar | Kaus̤ar | 14 | 9 | 18 | | 109 | Kāfirūn | Infidels | 17 | 12 | 38 | | 110 | Naṣr | A istance | 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 le , 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.