Sura: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Al-Ikhlas & al-Falaq & al-Nas.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right|The last three suras of [[the Qur'an]]: [[Al-Ikhlas]], [[al-Falaq]], and [[al-Nas]]]]

'''Sūra''' (Arabic: سورة), in technical usage, means a part of [[the Qur'an]] that has a coherent content and has a beginning and an ending. The Qur'an has 114 suras beginning with [[sura al-Hamd]] and ending with [[sura al-Nas]]. Suras of the Qur'an, except for [[sura al-Tawba]], begin with "bism Allah" (English: "In the name of [[Allah]] the All-beneficent the All-merciful") phrase. The word "sura" is used 8 times in singular form and 1 time in plural. There's a disagreement about the order of suras being "[[Tawqifi]]" (specified by Allah) or "[[Ijtihadi]]" (by judgment of [[the companions]]).

"Sura" literally means a level and rank, or a part and chapter of something, or the excitement with elevation. In technical usage, sura means a part of [[the Qur'an]] that has a coherent content and has a beginning and an ending.

Suras of the Qur'an, except for [[sura al-Tawba]], begin with the phrase "bism Allah" ("In the name of Allah the All-beneficent the All-merciful").

The word "sura" is used 8 times in singular form and 1 time in plural form (Arabic: "سُوَر"). The chapters of the Qur'an are named sura because they are like a "sur" (Arabic: "سور", wall), separates each one of them from other chapters; or because it contains all the [[verse]]s and words. Or because every sura represents the excitement and elevation of [[God]] against the enemies.

Some of the philologists believe that the word is from the root "س ء ر" which means a part or the remaining of something.

# [[Makki]]: According to the most common definition, suras which are revealed before [[the emigration]] of [[the Prophet (s)]] to [[Medina]] (in which ever place it is revealed), are Makki.

The number of suras in the existing Qur'an is 114. According to some narrations from [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]], [[sura al-Duha]] and [[sura al-Sharh]] are considered as one sura, and also [[al-Fil]] and [[Quraysh]], so the count of suras would become 112. There are some historical reports about [[Mushaf]]s of some of [[the companions]] which have more or less suras but the current Qur'an, which is collected in the time of the rule of [['Uthman]], has 114 suras and is verified by [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] and other [[Imams]].

Each sura of the Qur'an is named after the beginning words, or after the content and the massage of the sura; so the name of each sura is in accordance to its content, as [[sura al-Baqara]] (the Cow) is named after the mention of the cow which [[Banu Isra'il]] had been commanded to slay (2:67), or [[sura al-Nisa']] (Women) is named because some rulings about women is mentioned in it.

|author=[[The Qur'an]], 2:67

Some suras of the Qur'an have more than one name, for example [[al-Suyuti]] has mentioned 25 names for [[sura al-Hamd]].

There's a disagreement about the names of suras being specified by [[God]] (being [[Tawqifi]]) or is specified by [[the companions]] ([[Ijtihadi]]). Al-Suyuti, [[al-Zarkashi]], and some other [[:category:Qur'an researchers|Qur'an researchers]] consider it Tawqifi.

The Qur'an was gradually revealed to [[the Prophet (s)]], in the length of 23 years ([[gradual revelation]]). According to the historical records, [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] was the first one to collect the Qur'an after the demise of the Prophet (s). The suras in the collected Qur'an ([[Mushaf of Imam 'Ali (a)]]) was ordered according to the order of [[revelation]]. After the completion of the work, he loaded it on a camel (due to its bulk) and brought it to [[the companions]], but they didn't accept it and said that they didn't need it, so Imam 'Ali (a) hid it and after that no one saw the Mushaf of Imam 'Ali (a). [[Shi'a]] believes that other [[Imams]] had inherited the Mushaf and now it is in the possession of [[Imam al-Mahdi (aj)]]. According to [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]], Imam 'Ali (a) had ordered the Qur'an according to the order of revelation and placed [[al-Makki suras]] before [[al-Madani suras]] and [[al-Mansukh]] before [[al-Nasikh]].

The existing Qur'an is collected in the time of the rule of [['Uthman b. 'Affan]] which begins with the [[sura al-Fatiha]] and ends with the [[sura al-Nas]]. This Qur'an is verified by Imam 'Ali and

There's a disagreement about the order of suras being [[Tawqifi]] (specified by [[Allah]]) or [[Ijtihadi]] (by the judgment of [[the companions]]); some of the Qur'an researchers, like [[al-Suyuti]], say: the existing order of suras is Tawqifi and is specified by Allah and the Prophet (s) commanded to order suras as they are.

# The first sura revealed to the Prophet (s) is [[sura al-'Alaq]], which was revealed in the beginning of [[Bi’tha]].

Some Qur'an researchers have combined the three opinions: the 3 or 5 first verses of sura al-'Alaq was revealed in the beginning of [[Bi'tha]], shortly after that, some verses of the beginning of sura al-Muddaththir was revealed, and the first ''complete'' sura revealed to the Prophet (s) was [[sura al-Hamd]].

There's a disagreement about the last sura revealed; some considered [[sura al-Tawba]], [[sura al-Nasr]], or [[sura al-Ma'ida]] as the last sura.

According to Shi'a [[hadith]]s, the last complete sura was sura al-Nasr. When the sura was revealed, the Prophet (s) recited it to the companions and all became glad except for [['Abbas]], the uncle of the Prophet (s), who became very sad and said: "I think the sura announces the end of your mission", the Prophet (s) said: "you think right"; and the Prophet (s) demised two years later.

As the sura al-Nasr is revealed after the [[conquest of Mecca]] in 8/629, and sura al-Tawba is revealed one year later, some combined the two facts as the last ''complete'' sura revealed is sura al-Nasr, and sura al-Tawba is considered the last sura because its beginning verses are revealed later, although the very last [[verse]] revealed is the [[Ikmal verse]] (see: [[Verse#First_and_Last_Verses|First and Last_Verses]])