How Many Surahs Are in the Quran?
There are 114 surahs in the Quran. Muslims agree on this number, and every standard printed copy contains the same 114, from Surah Al-Fatihah at the beginning to Surah An-Nas at the end.
The first and last surahs
The Quran opens with Surah Al-Fatihah, a short surah of seven verses that praises Allah and asks for guidance on the straight path. Muslims recite it in every unit of prayer. The Quran ends with three short surahs often read together for protection: Al-Ikhlas (112), Al-Falaq (113) and An-Nas (114).
Longest and shortest
The surahs vary a great deal in size. The longest is Surah Al-Baqarah (2), with 286 verses, which includes Ayat al-Kursi at 2:255 and the long verse about recording debts at 2:282, the longest single verse in the Quran.
The shortest is Surah Al-Kawthar (108), with three brief verses. Surah Al-'Asr (103) and Surah An-Nasr (110) also have three verses each, but Al-Kawthar has the fewest words. Some other well-known lengths: Surah Ya-Sin has 83 verses, Surah Ar-Rahman 78, Surah Al-Kahf 110 and Surah Al-Mulk 30.
Meccan and Medinan surahs
Surahs are traditionally labelled by whether they were revealed before or after the Prophet's migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. In the classification used on this site, which follows the widely printed Madinah Mushaf, 86 surahs are Meccan and 28 are Medinan. Scholars disagree about the label for a few surahs, and some surahs contain verses from both periods.
Why they are not in order of revelation
The surahs are not arranged in the order they were revealed. The first verses to come down were the opening of Surah Al-'Alaq, which is number 96. Broadly, the long surahs come first and the short ones at the end, though this is not strict.
Muslim scholars agree that the order of verses inside each surah was set by the Prophet ﷺ. On the order of the surahs themselves, many hold it was also taught by him, while others hold that the Companions arranged at least part of it. Either way, the order in the copies prepared under Uthman is the one used ever since.
How each surah begins
Every surah begins with the Bismillah, the words In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, except Surah At-Tawbah (9). The Bismillah also appears inside Surah An-Naml, in Solomon's letter at 27:30, so the phrase still occurs 114 times in the Quran.
Verses mentioned here
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا تَدَايَنتُم بِدَيۡنٍ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمّٗى فَٱكۡتُبُوهُۚ وَلۡيَكۡتُب بَّيۡنَكُمۡ كَاتِبُۢ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِۚ وَلَا يَأۡبَ كَاتِبٌ أَن يَكۡتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ ٱللَّهُۚ فَلۡيَكۡتُبۡ وَلۡيُمۡلِلِ ٱلَّذِي عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَلۡيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ وَلَا يَبۡخَسۡ مِنۡهُ شَيۡـٔٗاۚ فَإِن كَانَ ٱلَّذِي عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡحَقُّ سَفِيهًا أَوۡ ضَعِيفًا أَوۡ لَا يَسۡتَطِيعُ أَن يُمِلَّ هُوَ فَلۡيُمۡلِلۡ وَلِيُّهُۥ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِۚ وَٱسۡتَشۡهِدُواْ شَهِيدَيۡنِ مِن رِّجَالِكُمۡۖ فَإِن لَّمۡ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيۡنِ فَرَجُلࣱ وَٱمۡرَأَتَانِ مِمَّن تَرۡضَوۡنَ مِنَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءِ أَن تَضِلَّ إِحۡدَىٰهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحۡدَىٰهُمَا ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰۚ وَلَا يَأۡبَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءُ إِذَا مَا دُعُواْۚ وَلَا تَسۡـَٔمُوٓاْ أَن تَكۡتُبُوهُ صَغِيرًا أَوۡ كَبِيرًا إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلِهِۦۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ أَقۡسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقۡوَمُ لِلشَّهَٰدَةِ وَأَدۡنَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَرۡتَابُوٓاْ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَٰرَةً حَاضِرَةٗ تُدِيرُونَهَا بَيۡنَكُمۡ فَلَيۡسَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ جُنَاحٌ أَلَّا تَكۡتُبُوهَاۗ وَأَشۡهِدُوٓاْ إِذَا تَبَايَعۡتُمۡۚ وَلَا يُضَآرَّ كَاتِبࣱ وَلَا شَهِيدࣱۚ وَإِن تَفۡعَلُواْ فَإِنَّهُۥ فُسُوقُۢ بِكُمۡۗ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱللَّهُۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمࣱ ﴿٢٨٢﴾
O you who believe! When you incur debt among yourselves for a certain period of time, write it down. And have a scribe write in your presence, in all fairness. And let no scribe refuse to write, as Allah has taught him. So let him write, and let the debtor dictate. And let him fear Allah, his Lord, and diminish nothing from it. But if the debtor is mentally deficient, or weak, or unable to dictate, then let his guardian dictate with honesty. And call to witness two men from among you. If two men are not available, then one man and two women whose testimony is acceptable to all—if one of them fails to remember, the other would remind her. Witnesses must not refuse when called upon. And do not think it too trivial to write down, whether small or large, including the time of repayment. That is more equitable with Allah, and stronger as evidence, and more likely to prevent doubt—except in the case of a spot transaction between you—then there is no blame on you if you do not write it down. And let there be witnesses whenever you conclude a contract, and let no harm be done to either scribe or witness. If you do that, it is corruption on your part. And fear Allah. Allah teaches you. Allah is aware of everything.
إِنَّآ أَعۡطَيۡنَٰكَ ٱلۡكَوۡثَرَ ﴿١﴾
We have given you plenty.
إِنَّهُۥ مِن سُلَيۡمَٰنَ وَإِنَّهُۥ بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣٠﴾
It is from Solomon, and it is, ‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Questions
What is the longest surah in the Quran?
Surah Al-Baqarah, the second surah, with 286 verses.
What is the shortest surah in the Quran?
Surah Al-Kawthar (108), with three short verses. Al-'Asr and An-Nasr also have three verses but are slightly longer in words.
Which surah does not start with Bismillah?
Surah At-Tawbah, the ninth surah, is the only one that does not begin with the Bismillah.
How many verses are in the Quran?
6,236 in the most widely used count, though other counting traditions give slightly different totals.