How is the Quran divided?
1. The Quran is divided into 114 Chapters called Surahs.
The first Surah is called Fatiha (The Opening) and the final Surah is called Nas (Mankind).
The shortest Surah is Surah al Kawther (108) and the longest Surah is Surah Baqarah.
The other shortest Surahs are Al Asr (103) and An Nasr chapter 110.
The Surahs are known as Medina or Mecca Surahs due to the place where they were revealed.
2. A Juz, also known as Siparah in Urdu, is another part of the Quran.
There are 30 Juz in the Quran. This division is used for readers of the Quran to be able to complete a reading of the Quran in a certain period of time, like during Ramadhan or over 30 weeks. So a Juz can be completed in one day or in one week.
3. There is also a division based on finishing the Quran in 7 days called Manzil.
i. Al-Fatihah (chapter 1) through An-Nisa’ (chapter 4) consisting of 4 surahs.
ii. Al-Ma’ida (chapter 5) through At-Tawba (chapter 9) consisting of 5 surahs.
iii. Yunus (chapter 10) through An-Nahl (chapter 16) consisting of 7 surahs.
iv. Al Isra’ (chapter 17) through Al-Furqan (chapter 25) consisting of 9 surahs.
v. Ash-Shuara’ (chapter 26) through Ya-Seen (chapter 36) consisting of 11 surahs.
vi. As-Saaffat (chapter 37) through Al-Hujurat (chapter 49) consisting of 13 surahs.
vii. Qaf (chapter 50) through An-Nas (chapter 114) consisting of 65 surahs.
It is recommended that a reading of the Quran should be done at least once in every year.
3. A Hizb is a part of the Quran which is half the length of a Juz.
Each Hizb is made up of four quarters, known as Rubu3. There are 60 Hizb in the Quran.
4. An Ayat is a verse or sign of the Quran.
There are some 6348 verses in the Quran (including Bismillah at the beginning of each Surah).
It has been recommended for one who wishes to Hafiz (memorise) the Quran that they should memorise 5 Ayats at a time. This would take just under 4 years to complete the memorisation of Quran.
The longest verse in the Quran is found in Surah Baqarah verse 282, which is a whole page long.
The shortest verse in the Quran in terms of words is found in Surah Rahman 55:64 which is one word.
The shortest verse in the Quran in terms of letters are found at the beginning of Surahs Ta Ha (20), Yaseen (36), and Ha Meem, they comprise of only two letters.
You can use any of these divisions not only to read the Quran but also to memorise the Quran. Depending on your age, schedule and how organised you are, memorisation of the Quran can take anything from 3 to 10 years.
And Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’aala) Knows best.