What Is Sunni Islam? Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world’s Muslims. Its name comes from the word Sunnah, referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagreement over the succession to Muhammad and subsequently acquired broader political significance, as well as theological and juridical dimensions. According to Sunni traditions,...
Concept Of God In Islam This is a brief article about the Concept of God in Islam. Monotheism, the belief in one God, is the most important and foundational concept in Islam. Muslims believe in one God who created the universe and has power over everything within it. He is...
1. Al-Fatiha (The Opening) It is commonly accepted that this sūrah was revealed during the Makkah period of Muhammad’s Prophethood. Some Traditions say that it was also revealed on a second occasion in Madīnah. The majority of scholars hold that the verses first in order of revelation are the initial...
4. An-Nisa (The Women) This sūrah, which has 176 verses, was revealed around the sixth year of the Hijrah. Sūrah An-Nisa (The Women) is the first of two sūrahs that begin with the phrase, “O humankind!” When the Qur’ān is divided into two equal parts, it is the fourth sūrah of the...
3. Al-‘Imran (The Family of Imran) This sūrah takes its name from the family of Mary (Al-‘Imran). It was revealed in Madīnah and consists of 200 verses. It deals with many matters concerning the relations of the Muslims with the People of the Book, in particular, the Christians. It clarifies...
2. Al-Baqarah (The Cow) This sūrah of 286 verses is the longest in the Qur’ān and may be regarded as a detailed summary of it. The sūrah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) began to be revealed just after the Emigration (Hijrah) to Madīnah and continued to be revealed over almost ten years until...
5. Al-Ma’idah (The Table) This sūrah was one of the last chapters of the Qur’ān to be revealed. It consists of 120 verses, and takes its name from Al-Ma’idah (The Table, verse 112) which Jesus’ disciples asked God to send them from heaven. In addition to several other topics, it...
6. Al-An’am (The Cattle) Sūrat Al-An’am (The Cattle) was revealed in its entirety during the final year of the Makkah period of Islam. Coming in order in the Qur’ān after al–Baqarah, Āl ‘Imrān, an–Nisā’, and al-Mā’idah, all of which were revealed in Madīnah, this sūrah dwells on such themes as...
8. Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War) This sūrah was revealed during the Madīnah period of Islam, just after the Battle of Badr, the first major confrontation between the Muslims of Madīnah and the polytheists of Makkah. It takes its name from the word al-anfāl found in the first verse. Al-Anfal...
7. Al-A’raf (The Heights) Sūrat Al-A‘rāf was revealed in Makkah and consists of 206 verses. It takes its title from the word al- a‘rāf, which occurs in verses 46 and 48. Al-A‘raf (The Heights or The Elevated Places) is the heights between Paradise and Hell. Following Sūrat al-An‘ām, which discusses...
9. At-Tawbah (The Repentance) According to the majority of scholars, this sūrah was revealed in Madīnah in the 9th year of the Hijrah. At-Tawbah deals with almost the same topics as those dealt with in Sūrat al-Anfāl. It is the only sūrah in the Qur’ān which does not begin with...
10. Yunus (Jonah) This sūrah was revealed in Makkah and consists of 109 verses. It takes its name from verse 98, where an incident related to Yunus (Jonah)’s people is recounted. The sūrah as a whole deals with the essentials of faith – in particular, the Divine origin of the...
11. Hud (Hūd) This sūrah was revealed in Makkah, and it consists of 123 verses. It takes its name from the story of the Prophet Hūd (Hud, The Holy Prophet), upon him be peace, and it has special importance here due to the topics dealt with. Like Sūrah Yūnus, this...
13. Ar-Ra’d (The Thunder) Revealed in Makkah, this sūrah consists of 43 verses. It takes its name from the word Ar-Ra‘d (The Thunder) which is found in verse 13. Like other Makkan sūrahs, it also dwells on the essentials of faith, and the arguments for faith found in “nature” and...
12. Yusuf (Joseph) This sūrah, revealed toward the end of the Makkan period of Islam and comprising 111 verses, takes its name from the Prophet Joseph (Yusuf), upon him be peace, whose life and mission it recounts. Unlike the accounts of other Messengers, different elements and aspects of which are...
14. Ibrahim (Abraham) This sūrah of 52 verses was revealed in the closing years of the Makkan period of Islam, taking its name from the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), upon him be peace, whose prayer concerning Makkah and its future people is mentioned in verses 35–41. In verse 5, Moses’ mission...
15. Al-Hijr (The Rock) This sūrah, consisting of 99 verses, was revealed in Makkah. Its main theme is the evidence of God’s Existence and Oneness, and the Divine authorship of the Qur’ān. It mentions some of the exemplary events of previous peoples. It derives its name from the name of...
16. An-Nahl (The Bee) Revealed in Makkah, this sūrah consists of 128 verses. Its name is derived from An-Nahl (The Bee) verse 68, where bees are mentioned as another miraculous sign of God’s Power, Knowledge, and Wisdom. It dwells on the essentials of faith, the rejection of unbelief and the...
18. Al-Kahf (The Cave) Al-Kahf (The Cave) takes its name from the ninth verse, where the People of the Cave are mentioned. It consists of 110 verses. This sūrah was revealed in the Makkan period of the Messenger’s mission, at a time when the polytheists had begun to escalate their opposition...
17. Al-Isra’ (The Night Journey) This sūrah consists of 111 verses. Al-Isra’ derives its name from the first verse, where the Messenger’s miraculous Night Journey from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to the Masjid al-Aqsā in Quds (Jerusalem) is related. God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was taken...