Makki and Madani Surahs

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.

Makki sūrahs are those revealed before the Hijrah, regardless of where they were revealed. Since the Prophet ﷺ spent most of this period in Makkah, the majority of Makki revelation occurred there, though some verses were revealed outside Makkah, such as in Ṭāʾif or during al-Isrāʾ wa-l-Miʿrāj. This Makkan period lasted approximately ten years.

Madani sūrahs are those revealed after the Hijrah, even if the revelation occurred in Makkah or elsewhere. During this thirteen-year period, verses were revealed during journeys, battles, and treaties, including at Ḥudaybiyah and during the Conquest of Makkah.

Thus, Makki and Madani classifications refer to time, not place. A sūrah may contain both Makki and Madani verses, but it is classified according to the majority of its verses. The Prophet ﷺ personally instructed his Companions on the exact placement of each verse and the order of the sūrahs.

Makki sūrahs are generally shorter, powerful in style, and focused on Tawḥīd, the Hereafter, and Prophethood
Madani sūrahs are typically longer, more detailed, and address law, social order, and governance
Makki sūrahs often address “O people” (يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاس), while Madani sūrahs frequently address “O believers” (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا)
Verses concerning jihād, legal rulings, and hypocrisy are Madani

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