What Is a Juz in the Quran?
جُزْء
JOOZ' (plural ajza', ah-JZAA')
A juz is one of thirty roughly equal parts of the Quran. The divisions are a practical aid for reading and memorizing, so that, for example, reading one juz a day completes the whole Quran in a month.
Thirty equal parts
The word juz simply means a part or portion. The thirty parts are roughly equal in length on the page, which is why they do not follow the surahs. A juz can begin in the middle of a surah, and occasionally in the middle of a story. Juz 16, for example, begins at 18:75, partway through the account of Moses and his companion in Surah Al-Kahf.
Because the parts are equal in length rather than in verses, the number of verses in each varies a lot. Juz 2 has 111 verses, all from Surah Al-Baqarah, while juz 30 has 564 short verses across 37 surahs.
Where the divisions come from
The thirty-part division is not from the Prophet ﷺ. It was introduced by Muslims in the early centuries after him as a convenience for readers, alongside other systems. There is also a report, whose chain scholars have questioned, that some Companions divided the Quran into seven portions to read it over a week; these portions later became known as manazil. Most printed copies today mark the juz in the margin or at the top of the page.
Juz names
Each juz is traditionally known by its first words. Juz 1 is often called Alif Lam Mim, juz 3 is Tilka ar-Rusul, from 2:253, and juz 29 is Tabarak, from the opening of Surah Al-Mulk (67:1). The best known is juz 30, called Juz 'Amma after its first word at 78:1. It contains most of the short surahs that people memorize first, from An-Naba (78) to An-Nas (114).
Smaller divisions
Each juz is split into two halves called hizb, giving sixty hizb in the Quran. Each hizb is further divided into quarters. These markers help people who are memorizing or reading on a schedule find their place, and some mosques use them to plan nightly recitation.
Using the juz in Ramadan and after
Many Muslims aim to read the whole Quran during Ramadan, the month in which the Quran was first revealed (2:185). Reading one juz each day for thirty days completes it. Many mosques recite about one juz each night in the Tarawih prayer.
If a full juz a day feels like too much, it can be split into halves or quarters, or spread over a longer time. The Quran itself, in 73:20, tells believers to read as much of it as is easy for them.
Verses mentioned here
شَهۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدٗى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَٰتٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهۡرَ فَلۡيَصُمۡهُۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٖ فَعِدَّةࣱ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُكۡمِلُواْ ٱلۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ ﴿١٨٥﴾
Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed. Guidance for humanity, and clear portents of guidance, and the Criterion. Whoever of you witnesses the month, shall fast it. But whoever is sick, or on a journey, then a number of other days. Allah desires ease for you, and does not desire hardship for you, that you may complete the number, and celebrate Allah for having guided you, so that you may be thankful.
۞إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعۡلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدۡنَىٰ مِن ثُلُثَيِ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَنِصۡفَهُۥ وَثُلُثَهُۥ وَطَآئِفَةࣱ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَعَكَۚ وَٱللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ ٱلَّيۡلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَۚ عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحۡصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيۡكُمۡۖ فَٱقۡرَءُواْ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِۚ عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُم مَّرۡضَىٰ وَءَاخَرُونَ يَضۡرِبُونَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ يَبۡتَغُونَ مِن فَضۡلِ ٱللَّهِ وَءَاخَرُونَ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۖ فَٱقۡرَءُواْ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنۡهُۚ وَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُواْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَقۡرِضُواْ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗاۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُواْ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنۡ خَيۡرٖ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ هُوَ خَيۡرٗا وَأَعۡظَمَ أَجۡرٗاۚ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورࣱ رَّحِيمُۢ ﴿٢٠﴾
Your Lord knows that you stay up nearly two-thirds of the night, or half of it, or one-third of it, along with a group of those with you. Allah designed the night and the day. He knows that you are unable to sustain it, so He has pardoned you. So read of the Quran what is possible for you. He knows that some of you may be ill; and others traveling through the land, seeking Allah’s bounty; and others fighting in Allah’s cause. So read of it what is possible for you, and observe the prayers, and give regular charity, and lend Allah a generous loan. Whatever good you advance for yourselves, you will find it with Allah, better and generously rewarded. And seek Allah’s forgiveness, for Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
عَمَّ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ ﴿١﴾
What are they asking one another about?
Questions
How many juz are in the Quran?
Thirty.
How long does it take to read one juz?
Most people take somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes to read one juz in Arabic, depending on speed. Reading with a translation takes longer.
What is Juz 'Amma?
The thirtieth and last juz, from Surah An-Naba (78) to Surah An-Nas (114). It is named after its first word, 'amma.
What is the difference between a juz and a surah?
A surah is a chapter with its own beginning and end. A juz is a reading portion of equal length, which can start and end in the middle of a surah.