Every seventh inhabitant of the planet professes Islam. Unlike Christians whose holy book is the Bible, among Muslims it’s the Qur'an. In terms of plot and structure, these two wise ancient books are similar to each other, but the Koran has its own unique features.
What is the Qur'an?
Before you figure out how many surahs are in the Qur'an and how many verses, it is worth to learn more about this wise ancient book. The Qur'an is the basis of the creed of Muslims. It was written in the 7th century by the prophet Muhammad (Mohammed).
According to the admirers of Islam, the Creator of the Universe sent the archangel Gabriel (Jabrail) to transmit through Mohammed his message to all mankind. According to the Qur'an, Mohammed is far from the first prophet of the Almighty, but the last to whom Allah ordered to pass his word to the people.
The writing of the Qur'an lasted for 23 years, until the death of Muhammad. It is noteworthy that the prophet himself did not collect all the texts of the epistle together - this was done after the death of Mohammed by his secretary Zeid ibn Sabit. Prior to this, all the texts of the Koran, the followers memorized and wrote down on everything that turns up by the arm.
There is a legend that in his youth, the prophet Mohammed was interested in Christianity and even intended to accept baptism himself. However, faced with the negative attitude of some priests towards him, he abandoned this venture, although the very ideas of Christianity were close to him. Perhaps this has a grain of truth, as some of the storylines of the Bible and the Qur'an intertwine. This suggests that the prophet was clearly familiar with the holy book of Christians.
Quran Content
Like the Bible, the Qur'an is both a philosophical book, a collection of laws, and a chronicle of Arabs.
Most of the book is written in the form of a dispute between Allah, opponents of Islam and those who have not yet decided whether to believe or not.
Thematically, the Quran can be divided into 4 blocks.
- The basic principles of Islam.
- The laws, traditions and rites of Muslims, on the basis of which the moral code of the Arabs was subsequently created.
- Historical and folklore data of the pre-Islamic era.
- Legends of the deeds of Muslim, Jewish and Christian prophets. In particular, in the Qur'an there are such Bible heroes as Abraham, Moses, David, Noah, Solomon, and even Jesus Christ.
Quran structure
As for the structure, here the Quran is similar to the Bible. However, unlike her, his author is one person, so the Quran is not divided into books by the names of the authors. In this case, the holy book of Islam is divided into two parts, according to the place of writing.
The chapters of the Koran written by Mohammed before 622, when the prophet, fleeing the opponents of Islam, moved to the city of Medina, are called Meccan. And all the others that Muhammad wrote in the new place of his dwelling are called Medinsky.
How many suras are in the Qur'an and what is it
Like the Bible, the Qur'an consists of chapters that the Arabs call surahs.
In total, this holy book consists of 114 chapters. They are not arranged in the order of their writing by the prophet, but in meaning. For example, the very first written one is considered a chapter called Al-Alak, which tells us that Allah is the Creator of all that is visible and invisible, as well as the person’s ability to sin. However, in the holy book it is recorded in the 96th, and the first one is Sura Fatih.
The chapters of the Qur'an are not the same in length: the longest is 6,100 words (Al-Bakar), and the shortest is only 10 (Al-Qausar). Starting from the second chapter (Bakara sura), their length becomes smaller.
After the death of Mohammed, the whole Quran was evenly divided into 30 Juzes. This is done so that during the holy month of Ramadan, reading one jusa per night, the faithful Muslim can read the Koran completely.
Of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an, 87 (86) are suras written in Mecca. The remaining 27 (28) are Medina chapters written by Mohammed in the last years of his life. Each surah from the Qur'an has its own name, which reveals the brief meaning of the whole chapter.
113 of 114 chapters of the Qur'an begin with the words “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Merciful!” Only the ninth surah, At-Taub (Arabic means “repentance”), begins with a story about how the Almighty acts with those who worship several gods .
What are ayahs
Having learned how many suras are in the Qur'an, it is worth paying attention to another structural unit of the holy book - the ayah (an analogue of the biblical verse). Translated from Arabic, “ayah” means “signs.”
The length of these verses is different. Sometimes there are verses longer than the shortest chapters (10-25 words).
Due to the problems with the division of suras into ayahs, Muslims count their different numbers - from 6204 to 6600.
The smallest number of verses in one chapter is 3, and at most 40.
Why the Quran needs to be read in Arabic
Muslims believe that only words from the Qur'an in Arabic, in which the sacred text was dictated by the archangel Mahomet, possess miraculous power. That is why any, even the most accurate translation of the holy book, loses its divinity. Therefore, it is necessary to read prayers from the Koran in the original language - Arabic.
Those who do not have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Koran in the original in order to better understand the meaning of the holy book should read the tafsirs (interpretations and clarifications of the holy texts by the companions of Muhammad and famous scholars of later periods).
Russian-language translations of the Koran
Currently, there is a wide variety of translations of the Koran into Russian. However, all of them have their drawbacks, therefore, they can serve only for an initial acquaintance with this great book.
Professor Ignatius Krachkovsky in 1963 translated the Koran into Russian, but he did not use the commentaries on the holy book of Muslim scholars (tafsirs), so his translation is beautiful, but in many ways far from the original.
Valeria Porokhova translated the holy book in poetic form. Surahs in Russian in its translation rhyme, and when reading the holy book sounds very melodic, somewhat reminiscent of the original. However, she translated from the English interpretation of the Qur'an Yusuf Ali, and not from Arabic.
Quite good, although containing inaccuracies, are the popular translations of the Koran into Russian by Elmira Kuliev and Magomed-Nuri Osmanov.
Surah al-Fatiha
Having figured out how many suras are in the Qur'an, we can consider several of the most famous of them. The head of Al-Fatiha is called among the Muslims the "mother of Scripture", as she opens the Qur'an. Surah Fatih is sometimes called Alham. It is believed that it was written by Mohammed as the fifth, but the scientists and associates of the prophet made it the first in the book. This chapter consists of 7 verses (29 words).
This Surah begins in Arabic with the traditional phrase for 113 chapters - “Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim” (“In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful!”). Later in this chapter, Allah praises and also asks for His mercy and help on the path of life.
Surah al-Bakar
The longest surah from the Qur'an Al-Bakar is in it 286 verses. Translated, its name means "cow." The name of this surah is associated with the story of Moses (Musa), the plot of which is also in chapter 19 of the Bible book of Numbers. In addition to the parable of Moses, this chapter also tells about the ancestor of all Jews - Abraham (Ibrahim).
Also, Surah Al-Bakar contains information on the basic tenets of Islam: on the unity of Allah, on a godly life, on the upcoming Day of God's Judgment (Kiyamat). In addition, this chapter provides guidance on trading, pilgrimage, gambling, age for marriage, and various nuances related to divorce.
Bakara sura contains information that all people are divided into 3 categories: believers in Allah, rejecting the Almighty and His teachings and hypocrites.
The “heart” of Al-Bakar, and indeed of the entire Qur'an, is the 255th ayah, called Al-Kursi. It tells about the greatness and power of Allah, His power over time and the universe.
Surah An-Nas
The Quran is completed by Surah Al Nas (An-Nas). It consists of only 6 verses (20 words). The title of this chapter translates as "people." This sura talks about the fight against adversaries, regardless of whether they are genies (evil spirits) or shaitan. The main effective means against them is the pronunciation of the Name of the Most High - in this way they will be put to flight.
It is generally accepted that the two final chapters of the Qur'an (Al-Falak and An-Nas) have protective power. So, according to contemporaries of Mohammed, he advised reading them every night before going to bed, so that the Almighty would protect from the machinations of dark forces. Beloved wife and faithful companion of the prophet Aisha (Aisha) said that during her illness Muhammad asked her to read aloud the two final suras, hoping for their healing power.
How to read the holy book of Muslims
Having learned how many surahs in the Qur'an, as the most famous of them are called, it is worth familiarizing yourself with how Muslims are usually treated with the holy book. Muslims regard the text of the Koran as a shrine. So, for example, from a blackboard on which the words from this book are written with chalk, you can not erase them using saliva, you need to use only clean water.
In Islam, there is a separate set of rules regarding how to behave properly when reading the surahs, verses from the Koran. Before you start reading, you need to take a small bath, brush your teeth and dress in festive clothes. All this is due to the fact that the reading of the Quran is a meeting with Allah, for which you need to prepare with awe.
While reading, it is better to be alone so that outsiders do not distract from trying to comprehend the wisdom of the holy book.
As for the rules for handling the book itself, it must not be laid on the floor or left open. In addition, the Qur'an should always lie on top of other books in a pile. Quran leaflets cannot be used as wrappers for other books.
It is customary to read the Qur'an either in the early morning (then Allah will bless a person for the whole day) or in the late evening, shortly before sleep (then the Almighty will give rest until the morning).
The Quran is not only a holy book of Muslims, but also a monument of ancient literature. After reading the Qur'an, everyone who is even very far from Islam will find in him a lot of interesting and instructive. In addition, today it is very simple to do this: you just need to download the appropriate application from the Internet to your phone - and the ancient wise book will always be at hand.