Sura

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Al-Fatiha, first sura of the Quran to be revealed in its entirety.

A sura (also spelled surah, surat; Arabic: سورة‎ sūrah) (pl. Arabic: سور‎ suwar) is a division of the Quran, although it can be approximately referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura (Al-Kawthar) has only three ayat (verses) while the longest (Al-Baqara) contains 286 ayat. Of the 114 suras in the Quran, 86 are classified as Meccan while 28 are Medinan - this classification is only approximate as regards location of revelation - in fact, any sura revealed post-Hijrah is termed Medinan and any revealed before that event is termed as Meccan. The Meccan suras generally deal with faith and scenes of the Hereafter, while the Medinan suras are more concerned with organizing the social life of the (then) nascent Muslim community. The word sura is derived from the Pahlavi word suri meaning red color, also the walls around the cities, castles, etc. for protection.^{[citation needed]}

Significance [edit]

According to the theory of Nazm-e-Quran proposed by Hamiduddin Farahi, each sura has a central theme (umud) around which the ayat of the sura revolve.^[1] Notable scholars like Irfan Ahmad Khan and Mohammed al-Ghazali have also supported this view.^[2][3] The Quran is composed of 114 suras of very unequal lengths. The word "sura" is sometimes roughly translated as "chapter" in English, but this is not universally supported. Thus it is often used untranslated as a technical term in Islamic literature. Sometime in early Islamic history suras were divided into rukus (each comprising several ayat) to improve readability.

Recitation [edit]

Suras are recited during the standing portions (Qiyam) of Muslim prayers (salah). Sura Al-Fatiha is recited in every unit of prayer. Some units of prayer also involve recitation of all or part of any other sura. Islamic tradition holds that there are some suras, or parts thereof, that have certain benefits when recited. For example, several hadith recommend reciting sura Al-Fatiha when someone is ill.

Sequence of suras in the Quran [edit]

Suras in the Quran are not arranged in the chronological order of revelation. The first sura Al-Fatiha, meaning opening, is brief; the next sura is the longest, and the remainder are in descending order of length. Amin Ahsan Islahi says that the order of revelation has no significance for the present times, and the present arrangement is divinely ordained.^[4] Suras are identified either by their sequential number or by name.

Names of suras in the Quran [edit]

The verses and suras when revealed to Muhammad in the Quran did not come with a label attached to them. Muhammad, as we find in many hadith, used to refer to shorter suras not by name, rather by their first verse. For example: Abu Hurairah quoted Muhammad as saying, "Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabb il-`Aalameen is the Mother of the Qur'an, the Mother of the Book, and the seven repeated Ayat of the Glorious Qur'an." (Tirmidhi). We also find hadith in which Muhammad used to refer to them by their name. For example, 'Abdullah bin Buraydah narrated from his father, "I was sitting with the Prophet and I heard him say, 'Learn Surat ul-Baqarah, because in learning it there is blessing, in ignoring it there is sorrow, and the sorceresses cannot memorize it."' (Ahmad ibn Hanbal)

Arab tradition, similar to other tribal cultures of that time, was to name things according to their unique characteristics. They used this same method to name suras. Most sura names are found in hadith. Some suras were named according to their central theme, such as Al-Fatiha (The Opener) and Yusuf (Joseph), and some were named for the first word at the beginning of the sura, such as Qaf, Ya Sin, and ar-Rahman. Some suras were also named according to a unique story or topic within the sura, such as al-Baqara (The Cow), An-Nur (The Light), while other suras were named according to a unique word used in them, such as Az-Zukhruf (The Ornaments of Gold), Al-Hadid (The Iron), and Al-Ma'un (The Small Kindness).

Most names of the suras are still used to this day. Several are known by multiple names: sura Al-Masadd (The Palm Fibre) is also known as al-Lahab (The Flame). Sura Fussilat (Explained in Detail) is also known as Ha-Meem Sajda ("...it is a surah that begins with Ha Mim and in which a verse requiring the performance of sajdah (prostration) has occurred.")^[5]

Mathematical structure of suras based on the number 19 [edit]

The Miracle of 19 researched by Rashad Khalifa is a claim that the Quran is characterized by a unique phenomenon wherein the suras are mathematically structured based on the number 19. His work was initially accepted and endorsed by mainstream Muslims but was rejected later.^[6] Here are a few of the facts highlighted by Dr Khalifa:

1. The Quran consists of 114 suras, which is 19 × 6^[7][8]
2. The famous first revelation (96:1-5) consists of 19 words.^[9]
3. This 19-worded first revelation consists of 76 letters, i.e. 19 x 4.^[10]
4. Sura 96, first in the chronological sequence, consists of 19 verses.^[11]
5. Sura 96 consists of 304 Arabic letters, and 304 equals 19 x 16.^[12]
6. The last revelation (Sura 110) consists of 19 words.^[13]
7. The first verse of the last revelation (110:1) consists of 19 letters.^[14]

See also [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Surahs

• List of suras in the Quran

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Al-Quran project - list of all Chapter names
• Detailed list of verses in each Rukus
• Read all Surah line by line in both in Arabic and English
• List of all Suras of the Qur'an
• Quran Sura Statistics A comprehensive study of frequency of letters and words of the entire Qur'an and its Suras by Intellaren Articles.
• Qur'ān Verses in Chronological Order
• The Meaning of the Quran Abul Ala Maududi's introductions to Quran chapters (a small concise of the 6 volumes The Meaning of the Qur'an at Compendium of Muslim Text, University of Southern California).]
• The Noble Quran Translation (all Suras)
• The True Furqan Translation (all Suras)

Resources [edit]

• Gardner, Martin (1980), Mathematical Games, Scientific American, September 1980, pp16–20.
• Akher Sa'a magazine, Egypt, January 24, 1973.
• Akher Sa'a magazine, Egypt, November 28, 1973.
• Akher Sa'a magazine, Egypt, December 31, 1975.
• Y.Y. Haddad and J.I. Smith, Mission to America; Five Islamic Sectarian Communities in North America, University Press of Florida, 1993. ISBN 0-8130-1216-3.