Makki and Madani Surahs

 

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Makki and Madani Revelation of the Holy Qur’an

The Holy Qur’an was first sent down in its entirety from al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ (the Preserved Tablet) to the lowest heaven on Laylat al-Qadr in the month of Ramaḍān. Thereafter, it was revealed gradually to the Holy Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ over the span of twenty-three years of his blessed Prophethood.

A common assumption is that Makki sūrahs were revealed in Makkah and Madani sūrahs in Madinah. However, the scholars of tafsīr clarify that the true basis of classification is the Hijrah, not geographical location.

Of the Holy Qur’an’s 114 surahs, eighty-six are classified as Meccan, having been revealed before the Prophet’s blessed migration to Medina. These early revelations gently awaken the heart, calling humanity back to faith in the One True God. The remaining twenty-eight surahs are Medinan, revealed after the Prophet’s migration from Mecca, and they provide guidance on how believers are to live in devotion—strengthening their relationship with their Lord, nurturing bonds with one another, and honoring all of Allah’s creation. Some Meccan surahs include Medinan verses, and some Medinan surahs contain Meccan verses, reflecting the dynamic and responsive nature of divine revelation. Over the course of twenty-three years, these surahs were revealed with profound wisdom, addressing the evolving needs and challenges of the growing Muslim community (Khattab, The Clear Quran).

1. Makki sūrahs are generally shorter, powerful in style, and focused on Tawḥīd, the Hereafter, and Prophethood

2. Madani sūrahs are typically longer, more detailed, and address law, social order, and governance

3. Makki sūrahs often address “O people” (يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاس), while Madani sūrahs frequently address “O believers” (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا)

4. Verses concerning jihād, legal rulings, and hypocrisy are Madani

5. Makki revelation heavily confronts idol worship, while Madani revelation engages People of the Book and hypocrites

   
   

   Table: Makki and Madani Surahs

   No.	Surah (English)	Arabic	Makki / Madani
   1	Al-Fātiḥah	الفاتحة	Makki
   2	Al-Baqarah	البقرة	Madani
   3	Āl ʿImrān	آل عمران	Madani
   4	An-Nisāʾ	النساء	Madani
   5	Al-Māʾidah	المائدة	Madani
   6	Al-Anʿām	الأنعام	Makki
   7	Al-Aʿrāf	الأعراف	Makki
   8	Al-Anfāl	الأنفال	Madani
   9	At-Tawbah	التوبة	Madani
   10	Yūnus	يونس	Makki
   11	Hūd	هود	Makki
   12	Yūsuf	يوسف	Makki
   13	Ar-Raʿd	الرعد	Madani
   14	Ibrāhīm	إبراهيم	Makki
   15	Al-Ḥijr	الحجر	Makki
   16	An-Naḥl	النحل	Makki
   17	Al-Isrāʾ	الإسراء	Makki
   18	Al-Kahf	الكهف	Makki
   19	Maryam	مريم	Makki
   20	Ṭā-Hā	طه	Makki
   21	Al-Anbiyāʾ	الأنبياء	Makki
   22	Al-Ḥajj	الحج	Madani
   23	Al-Muʾminūn	المؤمنون	Makki
   24	An-Nūr	النور	Madani
   25	Al-Furqān	الفرقان	Makki
   26	Ash-Shuʿarāʾ	الشعراء	Makki
   27	An-Naml	النمل	Makki
   28	Al-Qaṣaṣ	القصص	Makki
   29	Al-ʿAnkabūt	العنكبوت	Makki
   30	Ar-Rūm	الروم	Makki
   31	Luqmān	لقمان	Makki
   32	As-Sajdah	السجدة	Makki
   33	Al-Aḥzāb	الأحزاب	Madani
   34	Sabaʾ	سبأ	Makki
   35	Fāṭir	فاطر	Makki
   36	Yā-Sīn	يس	Makki
   37	Aṣ-Ṣāffāt	الصافات	Makki
   38	Ṣād	ص	Makki
   39	Az-Zumar	الزمر	Makki
   40	Ghāfir	غافر	Makki
   41	Fuṣṣilat	فصلت	Makki
   42	Ash-Shūrā	الشورى	Makki
   43	Az-Zukhruf	الزخرف	Makki
   44	Ad-Dukhān	الدخان	Makki
   45	Al-Jāthiyah	الجاثية	Makki
   46	Al-Aḥqāf	الأحقاف	Makki
   47	Muḥammad	محمد	Madani
   48	Al-Fatḥ	الفتح	Madani
   49	Al-Ḥujurāt	الحجرات	Madani
   50	Qāf	ق	Makki
   51	Adh-Dhāriyāt	الذاريات	Makki
   52	Aṭ-Ṭūr	الطور	Makki
   53	An-Najm	النجم	Makki
   54	Al-Qamar	القمر	Makki
   55	Ar-Raḥmān	الرحمن	Madani
   56	Al-Wāqiʿah	الواقعة	Makki
   57	Al-Ḥadīd	الحديد	Madani
   58	Al-Mujādilah	المجادلة	Madani
   59	Al-Ḥashr	الحشر	Madani
   60	Al-Mumtaḥanah	الممتحنة	Madani
   61	Aṣ-Ṣaff	الصف	Madani
   62	Al-Jumuʿah	الجمعة	Madani
   63	Al-Munāfiqūn	المنافقون	Madani
   64	At-Taghābun	التغابن	Madani
   65	Aṭ-Ṭalāq	الطلاق	Madani
   66	At-Taḥrīm	التحريم	Madani
   67	Al-Mulk	الملك	Makki
   68	Al-Qalam	القلم	Makki
   69	Al-Ḥāqqah	الحاقة	Makki
   70	Al-Maʿārij	المعارج	Makki
   71	Nūḥ	نوح	Makki
   72	Al-Jinn	الجن	Makki
   73	Al-Muzzammil	المزمل	Makki
   74	Al-Muddaththir	المدثر	Makki
   75	Al-Qiyāmah	القيامة	Makki
   76	Al-Insān	الإنسان	Madani
   77	Al-Mursalāt	المرسلات	Makki
   78	An-Nabaʾ	النبأ	Makki
   79	An-Nāziʿāt	النازعات	Makki
   80	ʿAbasa	عبس	Makki
   81	At-Takwīr	التكوير	Makki
   82	Al-Infiṭār	الانفطار	Makki
   83	Al-Muṭaffifīn	المطففين	Makki
   84	Al-Inshiqāq	الانشقاق	Makki
   85	Al-Burūj	البروج	Makki
   86	Aṭ-Ṭāriq	الطارق	Makki
   87	Al-Aʿlā	الأعلى	Makki
   88	Al-Ghāshiyah	الغاشية	Makki
   89	Al-Fajr	الفجر	Makki
   90	Al-Balad	البلد	Makki
   91	Ash-Shams	الشمس	Makki
   92	Al-Layl	الليل	Makki
   93	Aḍ-Ḍuḥā	الضحى	Makki
   94	Ash-Sharḥ	الشرح	Makki
   95	At-Tīn	التين	Makki
   96	Al-ʿAlaq	العلق	Makki
   97	Al-Qadr	القدر	Makki
   98	Al-Bayyinah	البينة	Madani
   99	Az-Zalzalah	الزلزلة	Madani
   100	Al-ʿĀdiyāt	العاديات	Makki
   101	Al-Qāriʿah	القارعة	Makki
   102	At-Takāthur	التكاثر	Makki
   103	Al-ʿAṣr	العصر	Makki
   104	Al-Humazah	الهمزة	Makki
   105	Al-Fīl	الفيل	Makki
   106	Quraysh	قريش	Makki
   107	Al-Māʿūn	الماعون	Makki
   108	Al-Kawthar	الكوثر	Makki
   109	Al-Kāfirūn	الكافرون	Makki
   110	An-Naṣr	النصر	Madani
   111	Al-Masad	المسد	Makki
   112	Al-Ikhlāṣ	الإخلاص	Makki
   113	Al-Falaq	الفلق	Makki
   114	An-Nās	الناس	Makki

    

   Free Download PDF THE HOLY QURAN WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION 
   

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References 

References: 

 The Noble Qur’an: English translation of the meanings and commentary (M. T.-u.-D. al-Hilālī & M. Muḥsin Khan, Trans.). (1998). King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an.

The Clear Quran: English only translation (M. Khattab, Trans.). (Year). BSF Publishing / The Clear Quran Institute. 

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