The Qur'an and Its Study. Adnan Zarzour

everywhere in the world, since the beginning of the printing age, were written by people named after him. May God also bestow mercy on Shaykh Amir ibn al-Sayyid Uthman, who was the Head of all Egyptian reciters of the Qur’an. He also had a share of this name, and he was among the leading members of the committee that supervised the Madinah muṣḥaf. I wish to record that I have benefited greatly by his comments and advice on his frequent visits to the Egyptian National Library in the 1960s. He was often accompanied by our colleague ‘Abd al-Ṣabūr Shāhīn. May God bestow mercy on them both and grant them rich reward for the care they took of His book, the Qur’an.

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      Verses, Surahs and their Arrangement

1. Names and Methods of Reading

      We start by saying that it was God, in His infinite wisdom, Who divided the parts of the Qur’an into surahs and āyahs, which are often referred to as chapter and verse, respectively.¹⁷⁶

      The angel Gabriel also gave instruction on how to read these surahs and āyahs, calling their reading ‘recitation’. Thus, on God’s orders, Gabriel recited the Qur’an to the Prophet (peace be upon him). God says: ‘Thus [it has been revealed] so that We might strengthen your heart with it, and We have imparted it to you by gradual recitation’ (25: 32). ‘We shall see to its collection and recitation. When We recite it, follow its recitation’ (75: 17–18). This, then, was the instruction to the Prophet (peace be upon him): to recite it in the same way as Gabriel had recited it.

      The name surah is mentioned in the Qur’an nine times in the singular form and once in its plural form suwar, which occurs in verse 13 of Surah 11.

      The word āyah occurs hundreds of times in the Qur’an, and it carries several meanings. It is often used to signify ‘a portion of the Qur’an that may be a sentence, a phrase or a word’. This applies particularly at the opening of some surahs where a word is often considered a verse, or an āyah, according to the Kufi count as taught by ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib.

2. Definition of Āyah and Surah

      2.1 Linguistically speaking, the word āyah has several meanings including ‘evidence, proof, group, clear sign and lesson to be learnt’. In a Qur’anic context it means: a portion of the Qur’an that is separate from what comes before and after it, and has a beginning and end, and is included in a surah. It is known by revelation. The word āyah is often translated as ‘verse’, but the Qur’an is unlike poetry, although it has rhythm and music.

      A portion of the Qur’an is given this name because it indicates the separation of what comes before it from what comes after it. As such it is separated from the text around it. Hence, it is recommended that one pauses at the end of an āyah. Many scholars, however, subscribe to the explanation that says: since a complete sentence of the Qur’an is a sign confirming that the one who says it is stating the truth and that the one challenged with it is unable to counter it, it has been given the name āyah.¹⁷⁷

      The āyahs differ in length, some being short and others long. The shortest is one word as in the case of the openings of Surahs 89 and 93, respectively starting with walfajr and waḍḍuḥā, meaning ‘by the morning hours’ and ‘by the dawn’, respectively. Another example is the word mudhāmmatān (55: 64), meaning ‘deep green colour’.

      The longest āyah in the Qur’an is verse 282 of Surah 2, which outlines legislation on loans. It starts: ‘Believers, when you contract a debt for a fixed term, put it in writing.’ It consists of 128 words made up of 540 characters.

      The total number of āyahs or verses of the Qur’an is 6,236. We may add here that such long and short ways of expression is largely unknown in common parlance.

      2.2 In its linguistic sense, the word ‘surah’ means ‘an elevated dwelling or place’, and it also means ‘high status’. The same root gives the word sūr which means ‘fence’ or the ‘walls surrounding a city’. It is said that a piece of the Qur’an that includes a number of verses, not less than three, and with an opening and an ending is called a ‘surah’, because it surrounds its verses like a fence or a wall,¹⁷⁸ or because it has a high status. It is further said that it is called ‘surah’ because it is complete and perfect.

      We may indeed combine all these explanations because, literally speaking, a surah groups together its verses, while it is a noble portion of the Qur’an commanding high status. It is also complete and perfect, having its independent character reflected in its style, the presentation of its subject matter and its special effect.

      Scholars also say that the Qur’an has been divided into surahs because each one is a miracle and a sign of God’s work. Moreover, the word indicates that each surah has its own special pattern.¹⁷⁹ This is absolutely fine. It also indicates that the Qur’anic style varies from one surah to another.

3. The Number of Surahs, their Names and Different Lengths

      The Qur’an consists of 114 surahs, differing considerably in length. The shortest is Surah 108, Al-Kawthar, consisting of three short verses totalling ten words. The longest is Surah 2, ‘The Cow’, which consists of 286 verses most of which are of the long type. This makes it clear that the length of the surah is not a condition for its being inimitable. Scholars have classified these surahs into four types, giving each a different name: Ṭiwāl, Mi’īn, Mathānī and Mufaṣṣal. The Ṭiwāl, meaning ‘lengthy’, are seven surahs, namely 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10, while some scholars consider Surahs 8 and 9 as one surah because they are not separated by the Basmalah, and because they have the same subject matter, which is war. The Mi’īn are the surahs that include around 100 verses. The Mathāni are those surahs that are next in length. Al-Farra’ said that they include those surahs that have less than 100 verses, because they are more frequently read than the longer ones. This term is also sometimes applied to all surahs of the Qur’an, both long and short. The Mufaṣṣal includes those surahs at the end part of the Qur’an, starting at Surah 47, ‘Muhammad’,¹⁸⁰ but al-Nawawī says it starts with Surah 49, ‘The Compartments’. This part is called Mufaṣṣal, which means ‘separated’, because the Basmalah is used frequently to separate its surahs. It is further sub-divided into three portions: long, medium and short. The long surahs are Surahs 49–85, the medium ones are Surahs 86–98, while the short ones are Surahs 99–114.¹⁸¹

      As we have noted earlier, we may consider this variation in the lengths of Qur’anic surahs as an aspect of the Qur’an’s inimitability. Every surah, long or short, is perfect and complete, containing its own features or character that distinguishes it from the rest. To find the same beauty and cohesion in the writings of scholars and literary figures would be very unusual to say the least.

      The large majority of Qur’anic surahs have one name each, but some have two such as Surah 2 which is called both ‘The Cow’ and ‘The Lounge of the Qur’an’. The latter name is given to it because of its great length and aura. Surah 16 is known as ‘The Bee’, but it is also called ‘The Bounties’, because it mentions a great many bounties God has given to His servants. Surah 42 is called ‘Consultation’ and also named by the first five separate letters with which it opens. Surah 47 is called ‘Muhammad’ and ‘Fighting’, while Surah 35, commonly known as ‘The Originator’, is also called ‘The Angels’. Surah 17 is known as ‘The Night Journey’, whilst its other name is ‘The Children of Israel’. Some surahs even have three or more names. For example, Surah 40 has three names, while the first surah in the Qur’an has four names.

      Some scholars do not like giving any such name to the Qur’anic surahs, preferring to say: ‘The surah that mentions the cow’, or ‘The surah that discusses the House of ‘Imrān’, etc. This is not a well supported view, because authentic Hadiths mention that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used such names on some occasions. Al-Bukhārī relates many Hadiths in a separate chapter headed: ‘People who had no objection to calling surahs by their names.’ The first of these Hadiths quotes Abū Mas‘ūd al-Anṣārī attributing to the Prophet (peace be upon him) the statement: ‘Whoever reads the last two verses of Surah ‘The