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Surah Themes & Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Central themes, authentic virtues, and the occasions of revelation for each surah
At a glance
Makkī
87 · 76%
Madanī
27 · 24%
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1
Al-Faatiha
سُورَةُ ٱلْفَاتِحَةِ
The Opening
The opening sūrah and the essence of the Qurʾān in seven verses: praise of Allah as Lord of all worlds, the Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement. It then turns to direct worship and the heartfelt plea for guidance to the straight path — the way of those Allah has favoured, not of those who earned His anger or went astray. It is recited in every rakʿah of the prayer.
Makki
Virtue
2
Al-Baqara
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ
The Cow
The longest sūrah, a comprehensive charter for the new Muslim community in Madīnah. It contrasts the believers, the disbelievers and the hypocrites; recalls Ādam, the Children of Israel and Ibrāhīm raising the Kaʿbah; and lays down core law — the change of qiblah, fasting, pilgrimage, marriage and divorce, and the longest verse on debt. It closes with Āyat al-Kursī and the testament of faith of the believers.
Madani
Virtue
3
Aal-i-Imraan
سُورَةُ آلِ عِمۡرَانَ
The Family of Imraan
A Madanī sūrah affirming the oneness of Allah and the truth of His revelation, addressed especially to the People of the Book. It recounts the family of ʿImrān, the birth of Maryam and ʿĪsā, and calls Christians to the shared word of pure monotheism. It draws lessons from the battles of Badr and Uḥud — patience, steadfastness, reliance on Allah — and warns against division and disobedience.
Madani
4
An-Nisaa
سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ
The Women
Named "The Women", this sūrah establishes justice toward the vulnerable: orphans, women and the weak. It details inheritance shares, the limits of marriage, fair treatment of wives, and rules of conflict and migration. It rebukes hypocrisy and clarifies that ʿĪsā was neither killed nor crucified but raised to Allah, refuting exaggeration about him.
Madani
5
Al-Maaida
سُورَةُ المَائـِدَةِ
The Table
A late Madanī sūrah centred on fulfilling covenants and divine law. It legislates lawful and unlawful foods, the rites of iḥrām, ablution and the major sins, and contains the verse of the Prophet's farewell: "Today I have perfected your religion for you." It recounts the treachery of earlier nations and ʿĪsā's table from heaven, affirming that judgement belongs to what Allah revealed.
Madani
6
Al-An'aam
سُورَةُ الأَنۡعَامِ
The Cattle
A Makkī sūrah, revealed (it is reported) at once, devoted to ʿaqīdah: the oneness of Allah, His creation of the heavens and earth, resurrection and accountability. It traces Ibrāhīm's reasoning from the stars to the Creator, refutes idolatry and superstition, and lists commands that form an ethical foundation — culminating in the call to a religion upright and pure for Allah alone.
Makki
7
Al-A'raaf
سُورَةُ الأَعۡرَافِ
The Heights
A long Makkī sūrah recounting the struggle between guidance and arrogance across the prophets — Ādam and Iblīs, Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ, Shuʿayb, and at length Mūsā against Pharaoh. It warns the deniers through the fates of past nations, affirms the covenant taken from the souls of all humanity, and counsels turning to Allah with humility and remembrance.
Makki
8
Al-Anfaal
سُورَةُ الأَنفَالِ
The Spoils of War
Revealed around the Battle of Badr, this sūrah addresses the rulings and lessons of that decisive victory: the distribution of spoils, the duty of trust in Allah, the unseen aid of angels, and the ethics of war and treaties. It reminds the believers that triumph comes from Allah, not numbers, and calls them to unity, obedience and steadfastness.
Madani
9
At-Tawba
سُورَةُ التَّوۡبَةِ
The Repentance
The only sūrah not opening with the basmalah, revealed late as a declaration of dissociation from those who broke their treaties. It deals with the final relations between the Muslims and hostile pagans and the People of the Book, exposes the hypocrites who shirked the expedition of Tabūk, and praises the truthful believers — closing with the mercy of the Prophet ﷺ toward his ummah.
Madani
10
Yunus
سُورَةُ يُونُسَ
Jonas
A Makkī sūrah named after Yūnus, affirming the truth of revelation and the certainty of resurrection against the deniers. It presents the signs of Allah in creation and the alternation of night and day, recounts Nūḥ, Mūsā and Yūnus, and stresses that no soul is wronged: each is requited for what it earned, and Allah alone gives life and death.
Makki
11
Hud
سُورَةُ هُودٍ
Hud
A Makkī sūrah of warning and steadfastness, recounting the prophets Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Ibrāhīm, Lūṭ and Shuʿayb and the destruction of those who rejected them. It calls to uprightness as commanded ("so remain steadfast as you are ordered"), affirms that good deeds erase bad ones, and reassures the Prophet ﷺ that the accounts of the messengers strengthen the believing heart.
Makki
12
Yusuf
سُورَةُ يُوسُفَ
Joseph
The single, continuous story of Yūsuf — called "the best of narrations" — from his childhood dream through betrayal, slavery, imprisonment and his rise in Egypt, to forgiveness and reunion with his family. It is a masterclass in patience, chastity, trust in Allah's plan, and how trials are turned into honour for those who fear Him and remain patient.
Makki
13
Ar-Ra'd
سُورَةُ الرَّعۡدِ
The Thunder
A sūrah on the power and signs of Allah in the cosmos — the raised heavens, thunder glorifying Him, the growth of fruit and the descent of rain — set against the obstinacy of the deniers. It contrasts truth and falsehood like flood-borne foam and lasting metal, and teaches that hearts find rest only in the remembrance of Allah.
Madani
14
Ibrahim
سُورَةُ إِبۡرَاهِيمَ
Abraham
Named after Ibrāhīm, this sūrah teaches that revelation is light brought to lead people out of darkness, and that gratitude increases blessing while ingratitude invites punishment. It recalls the messengers' patience under rejection, the false hopes of the arrogant on Judgement Day, and ends with Ibrāhīm's tender prayer for his offspring and the sanctuary of Makkah.
Makki
15
Al-Hijr
سُورَةُ الحِجۡرِ
The Rock
A Makkī sūrah named after the rocky dwellings of Thamūd, consoling the Prophet ﷺ amid mockery. It affirms that Allah Himself preserves the Qurʾān, recounts the creation of man and the angels' prostration to Ādam, and recalls the guests of Ibrāhīm and the ruin of Lūṭ's people — closing with the command to worship until certainty (death) comes.
Makki
16
An-Nahl
سُورَةُ النَّحۡلِ
The Bee
Called "The Bee", a sūrah overflowing with the countless favours of Allah — cattle, rain, fruit, the sea, the stars and the bee's healing honey — as proofs of His oneness and grounds for gratitude. It commands justice, kindness and keeping covenants, forbids oppression, and gives the famous counsel to call to the way of the Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching.
Makki
17
Al-Israa
سُورَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
The Night Journey
Named after the Night Journey (al-Isrāʾ) of the Prophet ﷺ from Makkah to Jerusalem. It honours the Children of Ādam, lays down a charter of moral commands — worship of Allah alone, kindness to parents, honesty, modesty, avoiding waste and arrogance — and affirms the inimitability of the Qurʾān, which guides to what is most upright.
Makki
18
Al-Kahf
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ
The Cave
A Makkī sūrah weaving four trials around the theme of faith versus worldly temptation: the Companions of the Cave (trial of religion), the man with two gardens (trial of wealth), Mūsā and al-Khiḍr (trial of knowledge), and Dhū al-Qarnayn (trial of power). It frames worldly life as a passing adornment and urges hope in the meeting with the Lord.
Makki
Virtue
19
Maryam
سُورَةُ مَرۡيَمَ
Mary
Named after Maryam, a sūrah of mercy recounting the births granted to Zakariyyā and to Maryam, and the speech of the infant ʿĪsā affirming his servitude to Allah. It tells of Ibrāhīm's gentle call to his father, of Mūsā, Ismāʿīl and Idrīs, and refutes the claim that the Most Merciful has taken a son — at which the heavens almost rupture.
Makki
20
Taa-Haa
سُورَةُ طه
Taa-Haa
A Makkī sūrah addressed to the Prophet ﷺ as consolation, centred on the long account of Mūsā — his calling at the sacred valley, his confrontation with Pharaoh, the deliverance of Banī Isrāʾīl and their lapse into the calf. It opens by affirming the Qurʾān was not sent to cause distress but as a reminder, and recalls Ādam's forgetfulness and repentance.
Makki
21
Al-Anbiyaa
سُورَةُ الأَنبِيَاءِ
The Prophets
Named "The Prophets", this sūrah warns that the reckoning of mankind draws near while they turn away heedless. It surveys a chain of prophets — Ibrāhīm breaking the idols, Nūḥ, Dāwūd and Sulaymān, Ayyūb's patience, Yūnus in the fish, Zakariyyā — each delivered by Allah, and proclaims that the Messenger was sent as a mercy to all the worlds.
Makki
22
Al-Hajj
سُورَةُ الحَجِّ
The Pilgrimage
Named "The Pilgrimage", a sūrah mixing Makkī and Madanī passages on the terror of the Hour, the stages of human creation and resurrection, and the rites of Ḥajj proclaimed since Ibrāhīm. It permits the believers to fight back against persecution, exalts the sacred symbols of Allah, and urges sincere worship, prayer and striving in His cause.
Madani
23
Al-Muminoon
سُورَةُ المُؤۡمِنُونَ
The Believers
Opening with "Successful indeed are the believers", this sūrah portrays the traits of the saved — humility in prayer, turning from vain talk, paying zakāh, guarding chastity and trusts. It then displays Allah's signs in human creation and the cosmos, recounts the messengers from Nūḥ to ʿĪsā, and warns the deniers of the regret that awaits them at death and resurrection.
Makki
24
An-Noor
سُورَةُ النُّورِ
The Light
Named "The Light", a Madanī sūrah legislating the purity of society: the penalty for fornication and false accusation, the etiquette of seeking permission to enter homes, lowering the gaze and modest dress. At its heart is the sublime parable of Allah as the Light of the heavens and the earth, and the promise of authority to the righteous who worship Him alone.
Madani
25
Al-Furqaan
سُورَةُ الفُرۡقَانِ
The Criterion
Named "The Criterion" (al-Furqān), the standard by which truth is distinguished from falsehood. It answers the objections of the deniers to the Prophet and the Qurʾān, displays the wonders of creation — the shade, the winds, the two seas — and closes with the celebrated portrait of "the servants of the Most Merciful": humble, restrained, prayerful and balanced in all they do.
Makki
26
Ash-Shu'araa
سُورَةُ الشُّعَرَاءِ
The Poets
Named "The Poets", a Makkī sūrah comforting the Prophet ﷺ that he grieves himself over the people's refusal to believe. It recounts in parallel the messengers — Mūsā, Ibrāhīm, Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ and Shuʿayb — each met with denial and followed by ruin, refuting the slander that the Qurʾān is the work of poets or devils.
Makki
27
An-Naml
سُورَةُ النَّمۡلِ
The Ant
Named "The Ant", a Makkī sūrah of glad tidings and warning. It recounts Mūsā at the fire, Dāwūd and Sulaymān — who understood the speech of the ant and the hoopoe and the queen of Sabaʾ who embraced monotheism — and Ṣāliḥ and Lūṭ. It poses searching questions: who created the heavens, sends rain, answers the distressed? — none but Allah.
Makki
28
Al-Qasas
سُورَةُ القَصَصِ
The Stories
Named after "The Story" (al-Qaṣaṣ), it narrates the life of Mūsā in full — his rescue as an infant, his flight to Madyan, his marriage and calling, and his return to confront Pharaoh — alongside the downfall of the arrogant Qārūn who was swallowed by the earth. It consoles the Prophet ﷺ that the One who ordained the Qurʾān will return him to a place of return.
Makki
29
Al-Ankaboot
سُورَةُ العَنكَبُوتِ
The Spider
Named "The Spider", this sūrah teaches that faith is tested and that the protectors people take besides Allah are as frail as a spider's web. It recalls Nūḥ, Ibrāhīm, Lūṭ and Shuʿayb, urges patient endurance of trial and beautiful disputation with the People of the Book, and promises that those who strive for Allah will be guided to His paths.
Makki
30
Ar-Room
سُورَةُ الرُّومِ
The Romans
Named after the Romans, opening with a prophecy that the defeated Romans would soon prevail — a sign fulfilled, gladdening the believers. The sūrah then turns to the signs of Allah in creation: the pairing of spouses, sleep, lightning, the revival of the dead earth, and the natural disposition (fiṭrah) upon which He created mankind to worship Him.
Makki
31
Luqman
سُورَةُ لُقۡمَانَ
Luqman
Named after the wise Luqmān, whose tender advice to his son forms the sūrah's core: never associate partners with Allah, be grateful, honour parents (without obeying them in disobedience), establish prayer, enjoin good and forbid evil, be patient and humble. Around it stand proofs of Allah's sole creative power and warnings against following misguidance blindly.
Makki
32
As-Sajda
سُورَةُ السَّجۡدَةِ
The Prostration
Named "The Prostration", a short Makkī sūrah affirming that the Qurʾān is truth from the Lord of the worlds. It describes the creation of man from clay then a despised fluid, the believers who fall in prostration and rise from their beds to call upon their Lord, and contrasts their reward with the recompense of the rebellious — no soul knows the comfort hidden for them.
Makki
33
Al-Ahzaab
سُورَةُ الأَحۡزَابِ
The Clans
Named "The Confederates" (al-Aḥzāb) after the allied armies that besieged Madīnah, this sūrah recounts that trial and Allah's relief through wind and unseen hosts. It legislates matters of family and modesty, the status of the Prophet's wives as "mothers of the believers", the abolition of adoption-based lineage, and the famous verse of sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ.
Madani
34
Saba
سُورَةُ سَبَإٍ
Sheba
Named after the people of Sabaʾ, whose ingratitude for their gardens brought the bursting of the great dam. It honours Dāwūd and Sulaymān with their God-given gifts, refutes the deniers of resurrection, and exposes the powerlessness of false intercessors — affirming that on the Day of Judgement none will share in Allah's dominion or intercede except by His leave.
Makki
35
Faatir
سُورَةُ فَاطِرٍ
The Originator
Named "The Originator" (Fāṭir), opening with praise of Allah who made the angels messengers with wings and originated the creation. It calls people to recognise their utter need of Him, warns against Shayṭān the open enemy, and divides humanity into those who race to good and those who wrong themselves — affirming that only the knowledgeable truly fear Allah.
Makki
36
Yaseen
سُورَةُ يسٓ
Yaseen
Often called "the heart of the Qurʾān", a Makkī sūrah affirming the prophethood of Muḥammad ﷺ, resurrection and divine oneness. It tells the parable of the messengers to the town and the believer who urged his people to follow them, displays the signs of the revived earth, the sun and moon in their orbits, and answers the one who doubts that bones can live: He who first created them will give them life.
Makki
37
As-Saaffaat
سُورَةُ الصَّافَّاتِ
Those drawn up in Ranks
Named after the angels ranged in ranks, this sūrah opens with their ordered hosts glorifying Allah, then affirms His oneness against those who claim Him offspring. It recounts Nūḥ, Ibrāhīm and the great trial of sacrificing his son — and his ransom — Mūsā, Ilyās, Lūṭ and Yūnus, closing with the exalted purity of Allah above what they ascribe to Him.
Makki
38
Saad
سُورَةُ صٓ
The letter Saad
Named after the letter Ṣād, a Makkī sūrah answering the arrogance and rivalry of the deniers. It recounts Dāwūd's repentance and just rule, Sulaymān's return to his Lord, the patience of Ayyūb, and the noble servants Ibrāhīm, Isḥāq and Yaʿqūb — then the refusal of Iblīs to prostrate to Ādam out of pride, the root of all rebellion.
Makki
39
Az-Zumar
سُورَةُ الزُّمَرِ
The Groups
Named "The Groups" (al-Zumar), a sūrah calling to sincere, undivided devotion to Allah alone. It rebukes those who worship others seeking nearness, contrasts the one who stands in prayer through the night with the heedless, and ends with the people driven in groups to Paradise or the Fire. Its verse of hope forbids despair: "Do not despair of the mercy of Allah; He forgives all sins."
Makki
40
Ghafir
سُورَةُ غَافِرٍ
The Forgiver
Named "The Forgiver" (Ghāfir), the first of the seven Ḥā-Mīm sūrahs, opening with Allah's attributes of forgiving sin and accepting repentance yet severe in punishment. Its centrepiece is the believer of Pharaoh's house who secretly defended Mūsā with wisdom and courage. It assures that the angels bearing the Throne pray for the believers and that Allah answers those who call upon Him sincerely.
Makki
41
Fussilat
سُورَةُ فُصِّلَتۡ
Explained in detail
Named "Explained in Detail" (Fuṣṣilat), also Ḥā-Mīm al-Sajdah, presenting the Qurʾān as a clearly detailed Arabic recitation. It recounts the creation of the heavens and earth, the warning to ʿĀd and Thamūd, and how a person's own limbs will testify against them. It counsels repelling evil with good so an enemy becomes a close friend, and points to the signs on the horizons and within the self.
Makki
42
Ash-Shura
سُورَةُ الشُّورَىٰ
Consultation
Named "Consultation" (al-Shūrā), affirming that the same religion was prescribed to all the prophets from Nūḥ to Muḥammad ﷺ. It describes the believers who answer their Lord, establish prayer, conduct their affairs by mutual consultation, and spend from what He provides. It teaches that recompense for an injury is its like, but pardon and reconciliation are nearer to Allah's reward.
Makki
43
Az-Zukhruf
سُورَةُ الزُّخۡرُفِ
Ornaments of gold
Named "The Ornaments of Gold" (al-Zukhruf), exposing how people mistake worldly luxury for a sign of divine favour. It refutes the pagans who assigned daughters to Allah while disliking them for themselves, recounts Ibrāhīm's pure creed and Mūsā before Pharaoh, and affirms ʿĪsā as merely a servant Allah favoured — closing on the regret of the wrongdoers and the joy of the God-fearing.
Makki
44
Ad-Dukhaan
سُورَةُ الدُّخَانِ
The Smoke
Named "The Smoke" (al-Dukhān), warning of a clear smoke that will engulf the people as a painful sign before the punishment. It recalls the blessed night in which the Qurʾān was sent down, the destruction of Pharaoh's people who left behind gardens and springs, and contrasts the tree of Zaqqūm of the sinners with the secure station and delights of the God-fearing.
Makki
45
Al-Jaathiya
سُورَةُ الجَاثِيَةِ
Crouching
Named "The Kneeling" (al-Jāthiyah), pointing to the signs of Allah scattered through the heavens, the earth, the alternation of night and day, and the rain that revives the land. It rebukes the one who takes his own desire as his god, denies the deniers of resurrection, and pictures every nation kneeling before its record on the Day when all are judged by what they did.
Makki
46
Al-Ahqaf
سُورَةُ الأَحۡقَافِ
The Dunes
Named "The Sand-Dunes" (al-Aḥqāf), the last of the Ḥā-Mīm sūrahs, after the dwellings of ʿĀd destroyed by a punishing wind. It commands excellent treatment of parents and recalls the believer who at forty prays for gratitude and righteous offspring. It tells of a company of jinn who heard the Qurʾān and believed, urging the Prophet ﷺ to patient perseverance like the resolute messengers.
Makki
47
Muhammad
سُورَةُ مُحَمَّدٍ
Muhammad
Named after Muḥammad ﷺ, a Madanī sūrah on striving in Allah's cause and the contrast between the believers, whose deeds He sets right, and the disbelievers, whose deeds He renders vain. It describes the rivers of Paradise, exposes the hypocrites who hate to hear of fighting, and reminds that Allah will not waste the deeds of those who help His religion, warning against turning back.
Madani
48
Al-Fath
سُورَةُ الفَتۡحِ
The Victory
Named "The Victory" (al-Fatḥ), revealed about the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyah which Allah called a clear conquest. It records His pleasure with the believers who pledged allegiance under the tree, foretells the rewards and spoils to come, exposes the excuses of those who stayed behind, and ends with the magnificent description of Muḥammad ﷺ and his Companions in the Tawrāh and the Injīl.
Madani
49
Al-Hujuraat
سُورَةُ الحُجُرَاتِ
The Inner Apartments
Named "The Private Chambers" (al-Ḥujurāt), a Madanī sūrah of social ethics. It teaches reverence before Allah and His Messenger, verifying news before acting on it, making peace between disputing believers, and avoiding mockery, suspicion, spying and backbiting. It declares all people equal, distinguished only by piety, and corrects the bedouin who claimed faith when they had only submitted outwardly.
Madani
50
Qaaf
سُورَةُ قٓ
The letter Qaaf
Named after the letter Qāf, a Makkī sūrah powerfully affirming resurrection against those who marvel that they could live after becoming dust. It reminds that Allah is nearer to a person than his jugular vein, that two angels record every word, and that the earth will release its dead at the blast of the trumpet — calling the Prophet ﷺ to remind by the Qurʾān whoever fears the warning.
Makki
51
Adh-Dhaariyat
سُورَةُ الذَّارِيَاتِ
The Winnowing Winds
Named "The Scattering Winds" (al-Dhāriyāt), opening with oaths by the winds and bearers of rain that the promised reckoning is true. It recounts the honoured guests of Ibrāhīm, the destruction of Pharaoh, ʿĀd, Thamūd and Nūḥ's people, and declares the purpose of creation: "I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me" — for Allah is the All-Provider, the Possessor of firm strength.
Makki
52
At-Tur
سُورَةُ الطُّورِ
The Mount
Named "The Mount" (al-Ṭūr), where Allah spoke to Mūsā, opening with oaths that the punishment of the Lord will surely fall. It describes the bliss of the God-fearing reclining on couches, reunited with their offspring, and challenges the deniers with a chain of questions they cannot answer: Were they created from nothing? Did they create the heavens? — urging the Prophet ﷺ to await his Lord's decree with patience.
Makki
53
An-Najm
سُورَةُ النَّجۡمِ
The Star
Named "The Star" (al-Najm), affirming that the Prophet ﷺ does not speak from desire — it is revelation revealed, recounting his vision near the Lote-tree of the utmost boundary. It refutes the worship of the named idols and the lie that the angels are female, declares that no soul bears another's burden and that man has only what he strives for, and ends with the command to prostrate and worship.
Makki
54
Al-Qamar
سُورَةُ القَمَرِ
The Moon
Named "The Moon" (al-Qamar), opening with the splitting of the moon as a sign, yet the deniers turn away calling it passing magic. Its refrain — "And We have certainly made the Qurʾān easy to remember, so is there any who will be reminded?" — recurs after the destruction of Nūḥ's people, ʿĀd, Thamūd, Lūṭ's people and Pharaoh, ending with the God-fearing in gardens before the Sovereign Most Powerful.
Makki
55
Ar-Rahmaan
سُورَةُ الرَّحۡمَٰن
The Beneficent
Named "The Most Merciful" (al-Raḥmān), often called "the beauty of the Qurʾān". It enumerates Allah's favours upon humans and jinn — the Qurʾān, speech, the sun and moon, the two seas, the produce of the earth — with the recurring refrain: "So which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?" It contrasts the fate of the guilty with the two pairs of gardens awaiting the God-fearing.
Makki
56
Al-Waaqia
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ
The Inevitable
Named "The Inevitable Event" (al-Wāqiʿah), the Hour that none can deny. It sorts humanity into three classes: the foremost brought near, the companions of the right hand, and the wretched companions of the left — detailing the bliss of the first two and the torment of the last. It points to creation, crops, water and fire as proofs, and closes glorifying the name of the Lord Most Great.
Makki
57
Al-Hadid
سُورَةُ الحَدِيدِ
The Iron
Named "Iron" (al-Ḥadīd), opening with the glorification of Allah by all in the heavens and earth and His knowledge encompassing everything. It urges believing and spending before death, warns against hearts hardened like those before, and mentions iron sent down with its might and benefits — closing on the light the believers will walk by while the hypocrites are shut out in darkness.
Madani
58
Al-Mujaadila
سُورَةُ المُجَادلَةِ
The Pleading Woman
Named "The Pleading Woman" (al-Mujādilah), after the woman whose plea about her husband Allah heard from above the seven heavens. It abolishes the unjust pre-Islamic ẓihār divorce, regulates private conversations and gatherings, and warns against secret counsels of sin. It declares that the party of Allah are the successful, while the party of Shayṭān are the losers.
Madani
59
Al-Hashr
سُورَةُ الحَشۡرِ
The Exile
Named "The Gathering" (al-Ḥashr), after the exile of Banū al-Naḍīr whose treachery Allah punished, casting terror into their hearts. It governs the distribution of fayʾ to the poor and the Muhājirīn, praises the Anṣār's selflessness, exposes the hypocrites who failed their allies, and closes with the most majestic verses naming the beautiful attributes of Allah — the King, the Holy, the Peace.
Madani
60
Al-Mumtahana
سُورَةُ المُمۡتَحنَةِ
She that is to be examined
Named "The Examined Woman" (al-Mumtaḥanah), a Madanī sūrah on loyalty and allegiance (al-walāʾ wa-l-barāʾ). It forbids taking the enemies of Allah as intimate allies while permitting justice and kindness to peaceful non-Muslims, holds up Ibrāhīm as the example of dissociation from disbelief, and lays down the terms of the believing women's pledge of allegiance.
Madani
61
As-Saff
سُورَةُ الصَّفِّ
The Ranks
Named "The Ranks" (al-Ṣaff), rebuking the believers who say what they do not do and urging fighting in Allah's cause in solid ranks like a firm structure. It recalls Mūsā's people who hurt him and ʿĪsā's foretelling of a messenger named Aḥmad to come after him, and calls the believers to be Allah's helpers, promising the trade that saves from a painful punishment.
Madani
62
Al-Jumu'a
سُورَةُ الجُمُعَةِ
Friday
Named "Friday" (al-Jumuʿah), proclaiming that Allah raised among the unlettered a Messenger who recites His verses and purifies them. It likens those entrusted with the Tawrāh who failed to bear it to a donkey carrying books, and commands the believers to hasten to the remembrance of Allah when the call to the Friday prayer is made, leaving off trade.
Madani
63
Al-Munaafiqoon
سُورَةُ المُنَافِقُونَ
The Hypocrites
Named "The Hypocrites" (al-Munāfiqūn), exposing those who profess faith with their tongues while their hearts deny it. It warns the believers not to let wealth and children distract them from the remembrance of Allah, and to spend before death overtakes them and they wish in vain for a brief reprieve — affirming that honour belongs to Allah, His Messenger and the believers.
Madani
64
At-Taghaabun
سُورَةُ التَّغَابُنِ
Mutual Disillusion
Named "Mutual Loss and Gain" (al-Taghābun), the Day when the deceived will see their true gain and loss. It affirms that Allah created the heavens and earth in truth, fashioned humans in the best form, and knows all that is hidden. It warns that spouses and children can be a trial, urges fear of Allah as much as one is able, and promises that whoever spends generously will be multiplied his reward.
Madani
65
At-Talaaq
سُورَةُ الطَّلَاقِ
Divorce
Named "Divorce" (al-Ṭalāq), legislating the just procedure of divorce — observing the waiting period, retaining or parting with kindness, maintenance and housing for divorced and pregnant women, and suckling arrangements. Its refrain is trust in Allah: "Whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out and provide from where he does not expect."
Madani
66
At-Tahrim
سُورَةُ التَّحۡرِيمِ
The Prohibition
Named "The Prohibition" (al-Taḥrīm), addressing an incident among the Prophet's household and the importance of sincere repentance. It calls the believers to shield themselves and their families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, and offers two pairs of women as examples: the wives of Nūḥ and Lūṭ as a warning, and Āsiyah the wife of Pharaoh and Maryam as models of faith.
Madani
67
Al-Mulk
سُورَةُ المُلۡكِ
The Sovereignty
Named "The Dominion" (al-Mulk), exalting Allah in whose hand is all sovereignty, who created death and life to test which person is best in deed, and fashioned seven heavens without flaw. It pictures the regret of the Fire's inmates who say "had we listened or reasoned, we would not be here", and asks who could provide or protect if Allah withheld His provision.
Makki
Virtue
68
Al-Qalam
سُورَةُ القَلَمِ
The Pen
Named "The Pen" (al-Qalam), opening with an oath by the pen and what they write, and a defence of the Prophet ﷺ against the charge of madness — affirming he is upon a sublime character. It tells the parable of the owners of the garden who, in their stinginess, resolved to deny the poor and found it destroyed by morning, and counsels patience like that of the messengers.
Makki
69
Al-Haaqqa
سُورَةُ الحَاقَّةِ
The Reality
Named "The Inevitable Reality" (al-Ḥāqqah), the Hour whose coming is certain. It recalls the destruction of Thamūd, ʿĀd, Pharaoh and the overturned cities as warnings, then portrays the trumpet blast, the splitting sky, and the two who receive their record — one in his right hand rejoicing, one in his left wishing for annihilation. It closes affirming the Qurʾān is the speech of a noble Messenger, not a poet.
Makki
70
Al-Ma'aarij
سُورَةُ المَعَارِجِ
The Ascending Stairways
Named "The Ascending Stairways" (al-Maʿārij), describing a Day whose measure is fifty thousand years, when the guilty would ransom themselves with all they love. It contrasts the anxious, grasping nature of man with the steadfast worshippers — constant in prayer, giving the poor their due, fearing their Lord, guarding chastity and trusts — who will be honoured in gardens.
Makki
71
Nooh
سُورَةُ نُوحٍ
Noah
Named after Nūḥ, devoted entirely to his long mission: nine hundred and fifty years calling his people night and day, openly and in secret, to worship Allah alone and seek His forgiveness — promising rain, wealth, children and gardens in return. Yet they clung to their idols, and he finally prayed against the obstinate wrongdoers who were drowned and admitted to the Fire.
Makki
72
Al-Jinn
سُورَةُ الجِنِّ
The Jinn
Named "The Jinn", recounting how a company of jinn listened to the Qurʾān and were so struck that they believed and returned to warn their people. They confess they once ascribed lies to Allah, that among them are the righteous and others, and that none can escape Allah in the earth — affirming that the mosques belong to Allah, so none should be invoked alongside Him.
Makki
73
Al-Muzzammil
سُورَةُ المُزَّمِّلِ
The Enshrouded One
Named "The Enwrapped One" (al-Muzzammil), an early address to the Prophet ﷺ commanding him to rise in the night and recite the Qurʾān with measured recitation (tartīl), for the night prayer is weighty and steadying. It bids patient endurance of what the deniers say and beautiful avoidance of them, and at its close lightens the duty in mercy, urging prayer, zakāh and a goodly loan to Allah.
Makki
74
Al-Muddaththir
سُورَةُ المُدَّثِّرِ
The Cloaked One
Named "The Cloaked One" (al-Muddaththir), among the earliest revelations, commanding the Prophet ﷺ to arise and warn, magnify his Lord, purify his garments and shun defilement. It describes the scheming denier and his punishment in Saqar, the angels appointed over the Fire, and affirms that every soul is held in pledge for what it earned, save the companions of the right.
Makki
75
Al-Qiyaama
سُورَةُ القِيَامَةِ
The Resurrection
Named "The Resurrection" (al-Qiyāmah), affirming with an oath that Allah will surely gather the bones — indeed He can perfectly restore even the fingertips. It pictures the Day when the sight is dazzled, the moon eclipsed, and faces are either radiant looking to their Lord or grim awaiting calamity. It reassures the Prophet ﷺ that Allah will preserve and clarify the Qurʾān, and asks: is He not able to give life to the dead?
Makki
76
Al-Insaan
سُورَةُ الإِنسَانِ
Man
Named "Man" (al-Insān, also al-Dahr), reminding that there came upon man a time when he was nothing worth mentioning, then Allah created him from a mingled drop and gave him hearing and sight. It honours the righteous who feed the needy, orphan and captive seeking only Allah's face, describing their reward of silver vessels, springs of Kāfūr and Salsabīl, and silken garments in everlasting bliss.
Madani
77
Al-Mursalaat
سُورَةُ المُرۡسَلَاتِ
The Emissaries
Named "Those Sent Forth" (al-Mursalāt), opening with oaths by the winds (or angels) sent in succession, affirming that the promised Judgement will come to pass. Its recurring refrain — "Woe that Day to the deniers!" — punctuates a vivid sequence on the obliteration of the stars, the splitting sky, and the contrasting fates of the guilty amid smoke and flame and the God-fearing amid shades and springs.
Makki
78
An-Naba
سُورَةُ النَّبَإِ
The Announcement
Named "The Great News" (al-Nabaʾ), answering what the people question one another about — the momentous tiding of resurrection. It marshals the signs of Allah's power as proof: the earth as a bed, the mountains as pegs, sleep as rest, night as a covering, the sun a blazing lamp — then portrays the Day of Decision with its terror for the transgressors and gardens, fruit and pure cups for the righteous.
Makki
79
An-Naazi'aat
سُورَةُ النَّازِعَاتِ
Those who drag forth
Named "Those Who Pull Out" (al-Nāziʿāt), opening with oaths by the angels who wrench out souls, affirming the resurrection that will follow a single mighty shout. It recounts Mūsā sent to Pharaoh who waxed proud and was seized as a lesson, asks whether man's creation is harder than the heaven Allah built, and reminds that the Hour's timing is known to Allah alone — the warner's task is only to warn.
Makki
80
Abasa
سُورَةُ عَبَسَ
He frowned
Named "He Frowned" (ʿAbasa), gently correcting the Prophet ﷺ for turning from the blind man ʿAbdullāh ibn Umm Maktūm who came seeking guidance while he was occupied with the notables. It declares that the Qurʾān is an honoured reminder for whoever wills, recalls man's ingratitude despite the favours of his creation and sustenance, and pictures faces on the Last Day either bright and laughing or covered in dust and gloom.
Makki
81
At-Takwir
سُورَةُ التَّكۡوِيرِ
The Overthrowing
Named "The Overthrowing" (al-Takwīr), depicting the unmaking of the cosmos at the Hour — the sun folded up, the stars falling, the mountains set moving, the seas set ablaze, and the buried infant girl asked for what crime she was killed. It then swears by the receding stars and the dawn that the Qurʾān is the word brought by a noble messenger, and that the Prophet ﷺ is no madman but saw the truth.
Makki
82
Al-Infitaar
سُورَةُ الانفِطَارِ
The Cleaving
Named "The Cleaving" (al-Infiṭār), portraying the Day when the sky is split open, the stars scattered, the seas burst forth and the graves overturned — when each soul will know what it sent ahead and left behind. It gently asks man what has deluded him about his generous Lord who created and proportioned him, and affirms the honoured recording angels who know all that we do.
Makki
83
Al-Mutaffifin
سُورَةُ المُطَفِّفِينَ
Defrauding
Named "The Defrauders" (al-Muṭaffifīn), opening with a stern woe to those who give short measure and weight, demanding full when they take but cheating when they give. It contrasts the record of the wicked sealed in Sijjīn with that of the righteous in ʿIlliyyīn, and pictures the believers who were once mocked now reclining and looking on, with the tables finally turned.
Makki
84
Al-Inshiqaaq
سُورَةُ الانشِقَاقِ
The Splitting Open
Named "The Splitting Open" (al-Inshiqāq), describing the sky rent asunder in submission to its Lord and the earth flattened and emptied of its contents. It tells of man toiling toward his Lord and meeting Him: the one given his record in his right hand returns to his people rejoicing, while the one given it behind his back will call for destruction — affirming that mankind will pass from stage to stage.
Makki
85
Al-Burooj
سُورَةُ البُرُوجِ
The Constellations
Named "The Constellations" (al-Burūj), recalling the People of the Ditch who burned the believers for their faith — a warning that those who persecute and do not repent face the punishment of the burning, while the believers attain gardens. It affirms that Allah is Ever-Watchful, the Originator, the Loving, Owner of the Throne, and that the Qurʾān is a glorious recitation preserved in a guarded Tablet.
Makki
86
At-Taariq
سُورَةُ الطَّارِقِ
The Morning Star
Named "The Night Comer" (al-Ṭāriq), swearing by the piercing star that over every soul there is a keeper. It points to man's creation from a gushing fluid as proof that Allah, who first created him, is able to return him to life on the Day when secrets are tested. It declares the Qurʾān a decisive word, no jest, and counsels the Prophet ﷺ to give the deniers respite a little while.
Makki
87
Al-A'laa
سُورَةُ الأَعۡلَىٰ
The Most High
Named "The Most High" (al-Aʿlā), commanding the glorification of the name of the Lord Most High who created and proportioned, decreed and guided. It promises to make the Prophet ﷺ recite so he will not forget, calls to heed the reminder, and contrasts the one who is purified and remembers his Lord and prays — who succeeds — with the one who prefers worldly life. Its truths are found in the earlier scrolls of Ibrāhīm and Mūsā.
Makki
88
Al-Ghaashiya
سُورَةُ الغَاشِيَةِ
The Overwhelming
Named "The Overwhelming Event" (al-Ghāshiyah), opening with the news of the Day that overwhelms all — picturing the toiling, exhausted faces driven to a scorching Fire and bitter food, alongside the serene faces in a lofty garden with flowing springs and ready couches. It then directs the gaze to the camel, the sky, the mountains and the earth as signs, reminding that to Allah is the return and the reckoning.
Makki
89
Al-Fajr
سُورَةُ الفَجۡرِ
The Dawn
Named "The Dawn" (al-Fajr), swearing by the dawn and the ten nights that the Lord is ever-watchful. It recalls the proud nations ʿĀd of Iram, Thamūd and Pharaoh whom He destroyed, rebukes man's love of wealth and neglect of the orphan and the poor, and ends with the most beautiful address to the tranquil soul: "Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing; enter among My servants, and enter My Paradise."
Makki
90
Al-Balad
سُورَةُ البَلَدِ
The City
Named "The City" (al-Balad), swearing by Makkah and affirming that man was created amid toil and hardship. It rebukes the one who boasts of squandered wealth, asks whether he thinks none sees him, and points to the two highways of good and evil — then defines the steep path he failed to climb: freeing a slave, feeding in famine the orphan and the poor, and being among those who believe and counsel patience and mercy.
Makki
91
Ash-Shams
سُورَةُ الشَّمۡسِ
The Sun
Named "The Sun" (al-Shams), a chain of oaths by the sun, moon, day, night, sky and earth, culminating in the soul and Him who proportioned it and inspired it to know its wickedness and its piety: "He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who corrupts it." It then cites Thamūd who hamstrung the she-camel in their insolence and were levelled by their Lord without fear of the consequence.
Makki
92
Al-Lail
سُورَةُ اللَّيۡلِ
The Night
Named "The Night" (al-Layl), swearing by the night, the day and the creation of male and female that human striving is divergent. It contrasts the one who gives, is mindful of Allah and affirms the best — whom Allah eases toward ease — with the one who withholds, thinks himself self-sufficient and denies — whom He eases toward hardship. It warns of a blazing Fire that only the most wretched will enter.
Makki
93
Ad-Dhuhaa
سُورَةُ الضُّحَىٰ
The Morning Hours
Named "The Forenoon" (al-Ḍuḥā), revealed to console the Prophet ﷺ when revelation paused and the deniers taunted him. It swears by the morning brightness and the stillness of night that his Lord has neither forsaken nor hates him, that what is to come is better than what has passed, and that his Lord will give him until he is pleased. It bids him recall how he was sheltered, guided and enriched — so honour the orphan and the beggar and proclaim Allah's favour.
Makki
94
Ash-Sharh
سُورَةُ الشَّرۡحِ
The Consolation
Named "The Relief" (al-Sharḥ), a continuation of consolation, reminding the Prophet ﷺ how Allah expanded his breast, removed his burden and raised his renown. Its timeless promise is repeated twice for emphasis: "So truly, with hardship comes ease; truly, with hardship comes ease." It then bids him, when free from one task, to labour in worship and turn with longing to his Lord.
Makki
95
At-Tin
سُورَةُ التِّينِ
The Fig
Named "The Fig" (al-Tīn), swearing by the fig and the olive, Mount Sinai and the secure city of Makkah, that Allah created man in the best of forms — then reduced the ungrateful to the lowest of the low, save those who believe and do righteous deeds, who have an unfailing reward. It closes by asking: is not Allah the most just of judges?
Makki
96
Al-Alaq
سُورَةُ العَلَقِ
The Clot
Named "The Clot" (al-ʿAlaq), whose opening five verses were the very first revelation: "Read in the name of your Lord who created — created man from a clinging clot... who taught by the pen." It celebrates the Lord's teaching of what man knew not, then rebukes the tyrant who forbids a servant from praying — threatening to seize him by the forelock — and ends with the command to prostrate and draw near.
Makki
97
Al-Qadr
سُورَةُ القَدۡرِ
The Power, Fate
Named "The Night of Decree" (al-Qadr), proclaiming that the Qurʾān was sent down in a single blessed night better than a thousand months. On it the angels and the Spirit descend by their Lord's permission with every decree; it is peace until the break of dawn — a night sought especially in the last ten of Ramadan.
Makki
98
Al-Bayyina
سُورَةُ البَيِّنَةِ
The Evidence
Named "The Clear Evidence" (al-Bayyinah), stating that the People of the Book and the polytheists were not to leave their ways until clear proof came — a Messenger reciting purified scriptures. It laments that division came only after knowledge, defines pure religion as sincere worship, prayer and zakāh, and declares that the believers who do good are the best of creatures, rewarded with everlasting gardens where Allah is pleased with them.
Madani
99
Az-Zalzala
سُورَةُ الزَّلۡزَلَةِ
The Earthquake
Named "The Earthquake" (al-Zalzalah), depicting the Day when the earth is shaken with its final quake and casts out its burdens, then narrates its tidings by its Lord's inspiration. On that Day people will emerge in scattered groups to be shown their deeds — and the timeless measure is declared: whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
Madani
100
Al-Aadiyaat
سُورَةُ العَادِيَاتِ
The Chargers
Named "The Chargers" (al-ʿĀdiyāt), swearing by the panting war-horses that charge at dawn, striking sparks and raising dust, that man is ungrateful to his Lord and a witness to it himself, intensely loving wealth. It asks: does he not know that when the graves are overturned and the contents of the breasts are laid bare, his Lord is fully aware of all that he was?
Makki
101
Al-Qaari'a
سُورَةُ القَارِعَةِ
The Calamity
Named "The Striking Calamity" (al-Qāriʿah), naming the Hour that strikes hearts with terror, when people will be like scattered moths and the mountains like fluffed wool. It weighs the deeds: the one whose scales are heavy will be in a pleasant life, while the one whose scales are light will have as his refuge a pit — a blazing Fire.
Makki
102
At-Takaathur
سُورَةُ التَّكَاثُرِ
Competition
Named "Rivalry in Worldly Increase" (al-Takāthur), warning that competing to amass more and boasting of numbers distracts people until they visit the graves. It repeats its warning that they will surely come to know, and declares that if they knew with certain knowledge they would see the Hellfire — and on that Day they will be asked about every blessing they enjoyed.
Makki
103
Al-Asr
سُورَةُ العَصۡرِ
The Declining Day, Epoch
Named "The Time" (al-ʿAṣr), a brief but comprehensive sūrah swearing by time itself that mankind is in loss — except those with four saving qualities: faith, righteous deeds, mutual exhortation to truth, and mutual exhortation to patience. Imām al-Shāfiʿī said that had Allah revealed nothing but this sūrah, it would have sufficed people.
Makki
104
Al-Humaza
سُورَةُ الهُمَزَةِ
The Traducer
Named "The Slanderer" (al-Humazah), a stern woe to every backbiter and faultfinder who amasses wealth and counts it, imagining it will make him immortal. It warns that he will be hurled into al-Ḥuṭamah, the crushing Fire of Allah, kindled to reach the hearts, closing over its inmates in towering columns.
Makki
105
Al-Fil
سُورَةُ الفِيلِ
The Elephant
Named "The Elephant" (al-Fīl), recalling how Allah dealt with the army of Abrahah who marched with elephants to destroy the Kaʿbah — sending against them flocks of birds pelting them with stones of baked clay, reducing them to like chewed-up straw. It is a sign of Allah's protection of His sacred House in the very year of the Prophet's birth.
Makki
106
Quraish
سُورَةُ قُرَيۡشٍ
Quraysh
Named "Quraysh", reminding the tribe of the security and provision Allah granted them through their trading caravans of winter and summer — and calling them, in gratitude, to worship the Lord of this House (the Kaʿbah) who fed them against hunger and made them safe from fear. It connects directly to the preceding sūrah on the elephant.
Makki
107
Al-Maa'un
سُورَةُ المَاعُونِ
Almsgiving
Named "The Small Kindnesses" (al-Māʿūn), exposing the one who denies the Day of Judgement: he repels the orphan and does not urge feeding the poor. It then issues a stern woe to those who pray but are heedless of their prayer, who pray to be seen, and who withhold even small acts of kindness and basic assistance from others.
Makki
108
Al-Kawthar
سُورَةُ الكَوۡثَرِ
Abundance
Named "Abundance" (al-Kawthar), the shortest sūrah, consoling the Prophet ﷺ that Allah has granted him al-Kawthar — abundant good, including the river in Paradise. It bids him pray to his Lord and sacrifice in gratitude, and declares that it is his enemy, the one who taunted him as cut off, who is in truth the one cut off from all good.
Makki
109
Al-Kaafiroon
سُورَةُ الكَافِرُونَ
The Disbelievers
Named "The Disbelievers" (al-Kāfirūn), a clear declaration of dissociation in worship: "I do not worship what you worship, nor do you worship what I worship... for you is your religion, and for me is mine." It draws an uncompromising line between pure monotheism and idolatry, while ruling out compulsion in belief.
Makki
Virtue
110
An-Nasr
سُورَةُ النَّصۡرِ
Divine Support
Named "The Help" (al-Naṣr), among the last revealed, foretelling the victory of Allah and the conquest (of Makkah) when people would enter the religion of Allah in crowds. It commands the Prophet ﷺ, at the completion of his mission, to glorify the praise of his Lord and seek His forgiveness, for He is ever-accepting of repentance — understood by some Companions as a sign that his task was near its end.
Madani
111
Al-Masad
سُورَةُ المَسَدِ
The Palm Fibre
Named "The Palm Fibre" (al-Masad), also known as Abū Lahab, condemning the Prophet's uncle who openly opposed and abused him, and his wife who spread thorns and slander. It declares his wealth and earnings of no avail, and foretells that both will burn — he in a flaming Fire, she carrying firewood with a rope of palm fibre around her neck.
Makki
112
Al-Ikhlaas
سُورَةُ الإِخۡلَاصِ
Sincerity
Named "Sincerity" (al-Ikhlāṣ), the concentrated essence of pure monotheism in four verses: Allah is One; the Eternal Refuge upon whom all depend while He needs none; He neither begets nor is begotten; and there is none comparable to Him. It refutes every form of idolatry, anthropomorphism and trinity.
Makki
Virtue
113
Al-Falaq
سُورَةُ الفَلَقِ
The Dawn
Named "The Daybreak" (al-Falaq), the first of the two "seekings of refuge" (al-Muʿawwidhatān), teaching the believer to seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak from the evil of all He created, from the darkening night, from the witches who blow on knots, and from the envier when he envies. It is a complete protection against external harm.
Makki
Virtue
114
An-Naas
سُورَةُ النَّاسِ
Mankind
Named "Mankind" (al-Nās), the second of the two refuges, seeking shelter in the Lord, the King, the God of mankind from the evil of the retreating whisperer — Shayṭān — who whispers into the breasts of people, whether from among the jinn or mankind. Together with al-Falaq it shields against both inner and outer evil.
Makki
Virtue
