What Is a Surah?

The Arabic word surah is often linked to the idea of a wall or an enclosure, something that marks off one section from another. Others connect it to rank or elevation. Either way, a surah is a self-contained unit of the Quran with a clear beginning and end.

The Quran uses the word about itself. In 2:23 and 10:38 those who doubt are challenged to produce a single surah like it. Surah An-Nur opens in 24:1 by calling itself a surah that Allah has sent down and made binding.

Most surahs take their names from a word, story or theme found in them. Surah Al-Baqarah, The Cow, is named after the story of the cow Moses' people were told to sacrifice (2:67-73). Surah Al-Kahf, The Cave, is named after the young men who took refuge in a cave (18:9-10). Some names are simply the opening letters, such as Ta Ha (20) and Ya Sin (36).

Several surahs have more than one name. Al-Fatihah is also called Umm al-Kitab, the Mother of the Book. Al-Isra (17) is also known as Bani Isra'il, and Ghafir (40) as Al-Mu'min. Some names are reported from the Prophet ﷺ, while others became common over time.

Surahs differ hugely in length. Al-Baqarah, the second surah, has 286 verses and fills about two and a half of the Quran's thirty parts. Al-Kawthar (108) has three short verses. In general the long surahs come near the beginning and the short ones at the end.

The order is not the order of revelation. The first verses revealed are at the start of Surah Al-'Alaq (96). The verses within each surah were arranged by the Prophet ﷺ, and the sequence of surahs found in the copies made under Uthman has been used ever since.

Each surah is traditionally labelled Meccan or Medinan, depending on whether it was revealed before or after the Prophet's migration to Medina. Meccan surahs tend to focus on belief in Allah alone, the Hereafter and the stories of earlier prophets, while Medinan surahs include more guidance on community life and law. Some surahs contain verses from both periods, and scholars differ on the label for a few.

Muslims recite Surah Al-Fatihah in every unit of prayer, usually followed by another surah or a passage from one. Short surahs from the end of the Quran, like Al-Ikhlas (112) and An-Nas (114), are usually the first that children learn. Certain longer surahs are often read on particular occasions, for example Surah Al-Kahf on Fridays, a practice based on a narration in the collection of al-Hakim and others.