What Is the Quran? How to Start Reading

The Quran (‚recitation‘ in Arabic) is at the heart of every Muslim’s daily life — read in prayer, memorised by millions, and consulted for guidance on every imaginable subject. It is shorter than the Bible — about the length of the New Testament — and reading it cover-to-cover takes about thirty hours.

Structure

• 114 chapters (surahs), ranging from 3 verses (Al-Kawthar 108) to 286 verses (Al-Baqarah 2).
• Chapters are mostly arranged from longest to shortest, not chronologically.
• Each chapter has a name (e.g. The Cow, The Family of Imran, The Cave) and a number.
• Verses (ayat) — the Quran has about 6,236 in total. Each is a complete unit of meaning.
• The Quran is sometimes divided into 30 equal sections (juz) for daily reading during Ramadan.

Where to Begin

Most readers do not start at chapter 1 and read straight through. The middle (chapters 2-9) is the longest, densest material — historical, legal, narrative — and a first-time reader can lose their bearings.

A gentler entry point:

1. Surah Al-Fatihah (chapter 1) — seven short verses, recited in every prayer. The opening of the entire Quran.
2. The short chapters at the end (chapters 78-114). Many are only a few verses long, vivid in imagery, focused on the soul.
3. Surah Yusuf (chapter 12) — the most narrative chapter, telling the story of Joseph from beginning to end.
4. Surah Maryam (chapter 19) — the chapter named after Mary, mother of Jesus, with stories of several prophets.
5. Then return to Al-Baqarah (chapter 2) and read the whole book in your own pace.

Reading in Translation

There is no single "correct" English translation. Each translator makes choices. A few that contemporary readers tend to find helpful:

• Saheeh International — formal English, widely used in modern reference works. AskSakina uses this translation.
• Abdel Haleem (Oxford) — accessible literary English, peer-reviewed.
• Pickthall — older but readable; among the first widely used English translations.
• Mustafa Khattab (The Clear Quran) — designed for modern readers, with footnotes.

For deeper study, scholars recommend reading two or three translations side by side, since each captures something different. Muslims regard translations as approximations of meaning — the actual revelation is the Arabic.

Reading the Arabic

You do not need to know Arabic to read the Quran in translation, and most Muslims worldwide do not speak Arabic. But many readers eventually learn to read the Arabic letters, even if they don't understand every word — partly because daily prayers use Arabic, and partly because the rhythm of the original carries something translation cannot.

Beginners often start with a simple alphabet primer, then practise Surah Al-Fatihah and the short surahs. Tajweed (the rules of recitation) is a separate study — important for those who want to recite well, but not required to begin.

A Sample Verse

A favourite of many — short, central, deeply Muslim:

How Muslims Treat the Physical Quran

• Many Muslims keep the physical Quran on a high shelf, above other books.
• Most observe wudu (ritual purification) before touching the Arabic text directly.
• Reading translations does not require wudu in any major school of thought.
• Quran apps and digital copies are not subject to the same touching rules — most scholars hold the rule applies to the printed mushaf (the physical bound volume in Arabic) only.