Terminology

Surah

A chapter of the Quran. There are 114 chapters in the Quran, each of different length.

Ayah

A verse in a particular Surah (chapter) of the Quran. The numbering of Ayahs is relative to the Surah. There are 6,236 Ayahs in the Quran.

Juz

A section of the Quran. There are 30 Juz (Ajza) of roughly equal length. Most Juz are named after the first word of their first verse.

Hizb

Each Juz is divided into two Hizbs (lit. “two groups”, plural: Aḥzāb). There are 60 Hizbs in the Quran.

Rub-el-Hizb / Maqra

Each Hizb is further divided into four quarters, called Maqra (lit. “reading”), making eight quarters per Juz.

• In Arabic, rub means “one-fourth” or “quarter”, while ḥizb (plural aḥzāb) translates to “a group”.
• There are 240 Maqras in the Quran.
• In most Mushafs, Maqras are marked with an octagram symbol (۞).

Manzil

For the convenience of those who read the Quran in a week, the text is divided into seven portions, called Manzil. There are 7 Manzils in the Quran.

Sajdah

Special Ayahs that require the reader to prostrate (Sujood). There are 15 Saajdah Ayahs in the Quran.

Ruku

A paragraph-like section in a Surah, grouping related Ayahs.

• The end of a Ruku is marked by the Arabic letter ﻉ in superscript.
• There are 558 Rukus in the Quran.
• Rukus are logical sections based on similar themes or meanings.
• Larger Surahs are divided into multiple Rukus to indicate natural stopping points for Ruku’ (bowing) in Salat without interrupting the subject matter of the Quran.

Additionally, on the margins of the Mushaf, three numbers appear next to ﻉ:

1. Top number – Rukus completed in that Surah.
2. Middle number – Ayahs in the completed Ruku.
3. Bottom number – Rukus completed in that Juz.

Signs

Tajweed rules