The occasion or event connected with the revelation of a...

The occasion or event connected with the revelation of a certain verse has some bearing on the understanding of its meaning and implications, but the verse is not confined to that event in its application. There are 114 surahs in the Qur'an; the longest of them is al-Baqarah with 286 'ayat' and covering about 1/12 of the volume; and the shortest is al-Kawthar with four 'ayat', which may be written in one line. As for the 'ayat', there are 6236 'ayat, as described in al-Mu'jam al-Ihsa'i by Dr.

Mahmud Ruhani. The Muslims have divided the Qur'an into 30 equal parts (juz' in Arabic and para in Urdu), to enable the readers to recite the whole Book once in a month specially during the holy Ramadan. They have also divided the surahs into various sections of 'ayat'- these sections are called ruku', one ruku contains 7 to 12 ayat. For example, surah al-Fatihah (the 1st surah) has 7 ayat, all grouped in one ruku; the 2nd surah has 286 ayat divided into 40 ruku's.

MAKKI & MADANI Surahs and 'ayat' are called Makki or Madani according to the period of revelation; that is, the surahs and 'ayat' revealed before Hijrah are called Makki Madani (revealed in Medina). The following 20 surahs are accepted as Madani; 2,3,4,5,8,9,24,32,47,48,49,58,59,60,62,63,65,66,76,and 110. There is a difference about the following 21 surahs as whether they were revealed at Mecca or Medina: 10,13,22,25,36,57,61,64,83,89,90,92,97,98,99,100,102,107,112,113and 114.

The remaining 73 surahs are Makki. There is a marked difference between the Makki and Madani surahs. For example: 1.the Makki surahs, mostly, describe the matters of basic faith: refutation of p-agonistic beliefs, evidence of the oneness of Allah, His Attributes, proof of the resurrection on the Day of Judgment, prophethood of the Holy Prophet and of previous prophets, building good character, removal of the rust of evil from the hearts of people etc.

Madani surahs deal, mostly, with the code of life, rules of shari'ah like prayers, fast, zakat, khums, jihad, hajj, family affairs, social behavior, etc. 2.Makki 'ayat' and surahs are, mostly, short; Madani 'ayat' and surahs are, mostly, long. For example: 28th part (juz') is mostly Madani and it has 137 'ayat', while 29th and 30th parts (mostly Makki) have 431 and 570 'ayat' respectively.