Sura

A Sura is one of the divisions of the Qur'án, and is usually rendered "Chapter" in English. They vary greatly in length. Each sura was revealed by Muhammad at some point during His later life, and certain suras were revealed more than once. Each has been divided into verses (ayahs). There are 114 suras in the book, (114 being a multiple of 19). The first is the "Fatihah", which is a kind of spiritual prologue, or dedication. The next few suras are the longest ones, and a number contain the stories of Moses, Jesus and other Manifestations of God. The suras are often grouped according to content, with several consecutive suras showing a gradual discussion of related themes. Some of the early suras have what are known as disconnected letters at the beginning.

Each Sura is known by its number, 1 - 114, as they always appear in an accepted order. Different sources give different versions of how this was achieved. Some sources state that the standard published order was as Muhammad Himself wished it, but most state that the suras were only collected together after His death, and were arranged according to the instructions of the first Caliph. There is no recognition, in the standard order, as to whether a particular sura belongs to the early (Meccan) period or the later (Medina) period, during which the Muslim community was fighting to prevent itself being exterminated. This matters, because verses in the Qur'án which mention combat and conflict should really be interpreted within their context, and not used by both believers and non-believers as evidence of Islám as a violent religion. Each sura also has a popular name, which helps to identify it to the average person. For example, only one sura mentions a cow, so that is known as the "Sura of the Cow". Only one begins with the disconnected letter "Q" (Qaf), so it is known as the "Sura of Qaf".