Juz, hizb, manzil and ruku': how the Qur'an is divided

Open any printed Qur'an and you will see markings in the margins: numbers, small symbols, words like juz and hizb. Only the surahs and verses come from the revelation itself. The rest were added by scholars to help Muslims read the Qur'an regularly and in measured portions, and knowing them makes a reading plan far easier to keep.

How many surahs and verses are there?

The Qur'an has 114 surahs (chapters). The longest is Surah Al-Baqarah, with 286 verses; the shortest is Surah Al-Kawthar, with three. Every surah except one begins with Bismillah; Surah At-Tawbah is the exception.

Each surah is made up of ayat (verses). In the way of counting followed in most printed copies today, there are 6,236 verses. Other early schools of counting divided some verses differently, which is why you may see slightly different totals; the words themselves are the same.

Surahs are also described as Makkan or Madinan, depending on whether they were revealed before or after the migration to Madinah. Makkan surahs tend to be shorter and focus on belief in Allah, the Hereafter and the stories of the prophets; Madinan surahs tend to be longer and include laws for the community.

What is a juz, and why thirty?

The Qur'an is divided into 30 juz (plural ajza'; in Urdu often para) of roughly equal length. The division is by length, not by meaning, so a juz can begin in the middle of a surah. Each is known by the words it begins with: the 30th juz, for example, is called Juz 'Amma, and the 29th Juz Tabarak.

Reading one juz a day completes the Qur'an in a month, which is why it is the most popular division in Ramadan. In most printed copies a juz is about twenty pages.

What are a hizb and its quarters?

Each juz is split into two hizb, giving 60 in total, and each hizb is split into quarters (rub'), marked in the margin. These smaller portions are useful for a daily reading or revision target, and are widely used in teaching and Hifz.

What is a manzil?

The Qur'an is also divided into 7 manzils, one for each day, for those who complete it in a week. The Prophet ﷺ told 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr, who wanted to recite more, to complete the Qur'an in seven days and no less (reported by al-Bukhari), and many of the Companions kept to a weekly completion.

The seven manzils begin at these surahs:

• Manzil 1: Al-Fatihah (surah 1) to An-Nisa'
• Manzil 2: Al-Ma'idah (surah 5) to At-Tawbah
• Manzil 3: Yunus (surah 10) to An-Nahl
• Manzil 4: Al-Isra' (surah 17) to Al-Furqan
• Manzil 5: Ash-Shu'ara' (surah 26) to Ya-Sin
• Manzil 6: As-Saffat (surah 37) to Al-Hujurat
• Manzil 7: Qaf (surah 50) to An-Nas

What is a ruku'?

In Indian-style copies of the Qur'an you will see a small letter 'ayn in the margin. It marks the end of a ruku', a passage that completes a theme or thought. Unlike the juz, which is divided by length, a ruku' follows the meaning, which makes it a natural portion to recite in one rak'ah of prayer. The ruku' markings are widely used for portioning recitation in Taraweeh.

Where are the places of prostration?

At certain verses the Qur'an mentions prostration, and the reader prostrates once in response. These are marked in the margin of most printed copies. In the Hanafi school there are 14 places of prostration in the Qur'an, and making the prostration (sajdat al-tilawah) is necessary (wajib) for whoever recites or hears one of these verses.

Sources

1. Sahih al-Bukhari 5054: the Prophet ﷺ advises 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr to complete the Qur'an in seven days.
2. The division into juz, hizb, manzil and ruku' follows the long-standing practice of the scholars of recitation; they are aids to reading and not part of the revealed text.