How many surahs are in the Quran?
The Quran has 114 surahs (chapters). They range from Surah al-Baqarah, with 286 verses, down to Surah al-Kawthar, with just three. Together they hold about 6,236 verses, and every printed Quran in the world has the same 114 surahs in the same order.
114 surahs, about 6,236 verses
A surah is a chapter of the Quran, and each one has its own name, such as al-Fatiha (The Opening), Maryam (Mary) or al-Kahf (The Cave). The total number of surahs is not disputed: every Muslim school and every mushaf (printed copy) counts 114.
The verse count is a little different. Most copies printed today follow the Kufan counting and give 6,236 verses. Other early counting systems split a few verses differently, so you may see slightly different totals. The words themselves are exactly the same; only the places where one verse ends and the next begins differ.
How the surahs are arranged
- First and last: the Quran opens with al-Fatiha and ends with an-Nas (Mankind).
- Roughly longest to shortest: after al-Fatiha, the long surahs come first and the short ones gather at the end, though not in a strict order.
- Not by time: the order is not the order of revelation. Most scholars say the Prophet ﷺ taught the arrangement himself, guided by revelation. See Why isn't the Quran in chronological order?
- Makkan and Madinan: around 86 surahs are usually classed as Makkan (revealed before the migration) and 28 as Madinan, with small differences between scholars.
Other handy numbers
Every surah except one, Surah at-Tawbah (chapter 9), begins with "Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim" (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). That phrase also appears inside Surah an-Naml (27:30), so it still occurs 114 times in total. For reading plans, the Quran is also divided into 30 equal parts, each called a juz. See How long does it take to read the whole Quran?
Preserved exactly as revealed
Muslims believe the Quran's text, surahs and all, has been kept safe by Allah Himself:
That is why a Quran printed in London, Chicago or Jakarta has the same 114 surahs. The Prophet ﷺ also said, "The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5027), so knowing your way around its chapters is a good start.
- The Quran has 114 surahs; this number is agreed on.
- Most copies count 6,236 verses; other counts differ only in verse breaks.
- The longest surah is al-Baqarah and the shortest is al-Kawthar.
- The order is not chronological; it was taught by the Prophet ﷺ.
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