What is a Surah in the Quran?

In the holy book of Islam, the Quran, a surah (سُورَة‎, plural: سُوَر‎, suwar) is a chapter. The Quran is not a running narrative but a collection of 114 surahs, each a unique section of the divine revelations that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received from Allah (God). Surahs differ greatly in size, from only a couple of verses to several pages.

Imagine the Quran as a book composed of chapters, with each chapter, or surah, tending to deal with certain themes, narratives, or legal and moral teachings. Although the order of the surahs in the Quran is usually by decreasing length (with some variations), it is not chronological in terms of the sequence of revelation. This implies that earlier revelations and subsequent revelations are mixed within the book.

Every surah, or chapter of the Quran, is broken down into ayat (آيَات‎), which means "verses" or "signs." These are the basic units of the Quran. The shortest surah, Al-Kawthar (Chapter 108), contains just three verses, and the longest one, Al-Baqarah (Chapter 2), has 286 verses. The whole Quran consists of about 6,236 verses in total, spread over its 114 surahs.

The term "surah" has been interpreted in a variety of ways. One shared understanding is that it derives from the Arabic term "soor" (سُور), which translates to a wall or a fence. This indicates that every surah is an independent and independent unit, such as an enclosure that has some particular divine messages. Another proposal, put forward by Arthur Jeffery, relates it to the Syriac term "surṭā," which refers to "writing." Whether its exact etymological origin is known or not, the word "surah" was utilized even in the days of Prophet Muhammad to refer to a part or a group of verses in the Quran, as indicated by its occurrence in several Quranic verses.

Except for Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9), every surah begins with the Basmalah (بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ), which translates to "In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful." This formula serves as a marker separating one surah from the next and signifies the divine origin of the content that follows.

The surahs are not presented in a chronological or thematic order. Rather, the present organization is said to have been guided by God and completed during Uthman ibn Affan's caliphate. Such a special arrangement invites readers to read the Quran as a whole, contemplating how its different themes and messages fit together irrespective of their sequence of revelation.

Muslims read surahs in their day-to-day prayers (Salah). Al-Fatihah (The Opening), the opening surah of the Quran, is also of unique importance in that it is read in every unit (rak'ah) of prayer. Other surahs or parts of them are also commonly read along with Al-Fatihah.

Knowledge of a surah as a chapter of the Quran is essential to learning and dealing with Islam's sacred book. These Quran chapters are coherent units of divine revelation that cover such a broad array of subjects associated with faith, morality, law, history, and the nature of humanity in relation to God.

By reading through every chapter of the Quran, faithful believers hope to better understand Allah's word and implement its teachings into their lives. The fact that the Quran is subdivided into these manageable portions, or chapters of the Quran, allows both for solo study as well as collective recitation, thus presenting the divine wisdom to everyone.