Arrangement of the Quran

Understanding the Quran During Taraweeh

The Arrangement of the Quran
By Rafiq Zakaria

(Excerpted from the authors book Muhammad and the Quran. Rafiq Zakaria (1920-2005) was an Islamic theologian and a politician with the Indian National Congress. He was the father of Fareed Zakaria, a CNN host and columnist for The Washington Post.)

The Quran was revealed to Muhammad (s.a.w) piece by piece, depending on the occasion; he then recited these revelations to his followers who learned them by heart and conveyed them to others. The first revelation came to the Prophet (s.a.w) in 610, when he was past forty. It was followed by a series of revelations that were sent down after intervals that were sometimes short and sometimes long. Muhammad (s.a.w) continued receiving the revelations sent down until his death in 632. These constitute the whole Quran, which is broadly divided into two parts: (1) the earlier revelations, sent down to Makkah; and (2) the later revelations, which came to the Prophet after he migrated to Madinah.

According to tradition, the Prophet (s.a.w) divided the revelations into separate surahs, or chapters, of which there are 114. Some are three to five verses, while some contain more than 200. They are arranged by and large in order of decreasing length, the main exception being the first surah, which is of seven verses in the form of a common prayer. The second surah is the longest comprising 286 verses; from here the decreasing order is more or less followed to the end.

The authenticity of this arrangement is borne out by the fact that the Prophet (s.a.w) used to recite the whole Quran during Ramadan, the month of fasting, during the special prayer known as Taraweeh. For this purpose, the Quran was divided into thirty parts, or juz, of more or less equal length, so that each part could be recited on one night; the thirty juz could thus be completed by the end of Ramadan. Since the faithful recited it loudly together, there could have been no tampering with the text. This arrangement of the Quran has been handed down to successive generations, and so its authenticity is clear.

Each of the 114 surahs contains a certain number of ayat, or verses; these are numbered for reference. Eighty-eight of the surahs were revealed at Makkah and twenty-six in Madinah. In the traditional arrangement, the name of the surah is given first, then the number of verses it contains, and finally the period of its revelation. No exact date is mentioned, only whether it is Makkan, which means it is from 610 to 622, or Madinan, which means between 622 and 632. Commentators are, however, of the view that several surahs are composite, containing revelations received at Makkah and Madinah. But most of the surahs were revealed in full in one place.

Accordingly, the following 88 surahs are said to have been received at Makkah:
1, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111 and 112.

The following 26 surahs were received at Madinah:
2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 22, 24, 33, 47, 48, 49, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 98, 110, 113 and 114.

Each surah begins with Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful). The only exception is Surah 9, At-Taubah. Each surah contains a number of verses, and each verse is marked by a rhythm or a resonance, though there is no fixed meter of syllables or stresses. A surah does not generally deal with a particular subject; most surahs refer to a variety of topics and are a combination of parables, stories, injunctions, commandments and invocations. That is the reason why the title of the chapter has hardly any bearing on the content of the surah. In some cases, two titles are given to one surah, for instance, surah 9 (Taubah or Baraat), surah 17 (Bani Israel or Israa), surah 40 (Ghafir or al-Mumin), surah 41 (Fussilat or Ha-Meem), and surah 76 (Dahr or Insaan). The mystery surrounding the names remains, although scholars have advanced various theories.

The common perception among Muslims is that they are mystical symbols pregnant with spiritual implications.

Quranic verses are of various kinds. The simplest are the didactic ones; they number about 250 and are found in a number of surahs. In some cases, these are answers to questions, in others they are counterarguments, and on other occasions, they are explanations or clarifications of the fundamentals of the faith. Many a verse begins with the word say, for the revelation is directed to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) to relate to people what Allah has told him.

Two of the most moving surahs in the Quran are Ya Sin (surah 36) and Ar-Rahman (surah 55), which convey Allahs merciful and benevolent attributes. But the emphasis throughout the Quran is more on two other qualities of Allah: Tauhid, or Oneness, and Zikr, or remembrance. These are repeated frequently and are, indeed, the bedrock of faith. Next in importance is the theme of the Hereafter, with picturesque descriptions of the pleasures of heaven and the tortures of hell. Other subjects deal with human stewardship of Allah on earth, humankinds social, economic, political and administrative problems, matrimonial, inheritance and other family affairs, and rites and rituals. Stories of prophets who preceded Muhammad (s.a.w) are in different surahs, some of which are named after them. The Quran states, There is in their (messengers and prophets) stories of a lesson for people of understanding. (12:111)

The arrangement of the subjects is such that verses on a specific issue are dispersed over various surahs. They have to be pieced together to obtain a correct, complete and holistic picture, whether in respect of the morals to be drawn or the social or legal rules to be obtained.

It should be borne in mind that it did not suit the purpose of the Quran that all surahs dealing with common subjects should be put together. Hence it became essential that the Makkan surahs should be mixed with Madinan surahs; similarly, the earliest Makkan surahs should be placed between those revealed in the later Madinan period, so that a composite picture of Islam emerges.

The shorter Makkan surahs, which come at the end of the Quran, are an introduction to the values the Quran preaches. Their emphasis is more on the fundamentals of the faith than the specifics. Consequently, these verses are short and rhythmic, ethereal and poetic. They contain picturesque imagery and cast a spell of serenity on the reader. The Madinan surahs, on the other hand, deal with the hard realities of life and are full of injunctions, commandments and admonitions for the observance of laws and regulations by the faithful. Their language is naturally more prosaic and assertive; the mode of speech also changes with varying subjects. In the narration of historical anecdotes, it becomes more vigorous as the story develops, intending to emphasize the morals to be drawn from it.
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For an informative and enlightening discussion on the revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) spanning 23 years, please see the following video of the Khutbah delivered by Hafiz Khan, a founding member of Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC), during the Friday Jumah Prayers on 1st March 2024 at EIC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4belrmSITU\