Chronology of the surahs of the Quran: Mushaf order and order of revelation

According to tradition, the first revelation was the opening verses of Surah Al-Alaq (no. 96 in the Mushaf), received by the Prophet ﷺ in the cave of Hira. The last surah revealed in full is held to be An-Nasr (no. 110), though scholars differ over the very last verse sent down. The chronological arrangement on this page follows the order accepted by most scholars.

The Mushaf order is that of the Quran as it is printed: it begins with Al-Fatiha and ends with An-Nas, and is not arranged by date. The chronological order reconstructs the sequence of the revelations over 23 years, from Al-Alaq to An-Nasr. This page lets you switch between the two arrangements with a single button, and search for a surah.

By the most common count, the Quran holds 86 Meccan surahs, revealed before the Hijra, and 28 Medinan surahs, revealed after the migration to Medina. The first deal chiefly with monotheism, the resurrection and the stories of the prophets; the second deal more with legislation, community life and social relations. Some surahs are classed differently by different scholars.

Most scholars hold that the order of the surahs in the Mushaf was fixed on the instruction of the Prophet ﷺ, guided by revelation, and not by simple chronology. The long surahs are broadly placed at the beginning and the short ones at the end. Knowing the order of revelation remains useful for understanding the historical setting of each passage, as the works of tafsir explain.

The Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gradually over about 23 years: roughly 13 years in Mecca and then 10 years in Medina. That gradual sending down allowed the believers to take in the teachings and to meet the events of the community. You can then read each surah in our Quran reader online.