Read the Quran Online: All 114 Surahs with Translation and Audio

About the Quran

Muslims believe the Quran is the word of Allah, conveyed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the angel Jibril (Gabriel). Revelation began in 610 CE in the cave of Hira near Makkah, with the first verses of Surah Al-‘Alaq, and continued in Makkah and Madinah until shortly before the Prophet’s death in 632 CE. Its name comes from the Arabic word for “recitation”, and it is meant to be read aloud, memorised and acted upon.

How the Quran is organised

• 114 surahs (chapters), each with a name taken from a word, story or theme within it.
• 6,236 ayahs (verses) in the common Kufan count. The word ayah also means “sign”.
• 30 juz (parts) of roughly equal length, each split into two hizb, used to plan regular reading.
• The surahs are not in chronological order. After the short opening surah, the longer surahs generally come first and the shortest ones last.
• Every surah except At-Tawbah begins with “Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim” — “In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful”.

How the text was preserved

During the Prophet’s lifetime the Quran was memorised by many companions and written on materials such as parchment, bone and palm leaves. Under the first caliph, Abu Bakr, Zayd ibn Thabit gathered the written portions into a single collection (Sahih al-Bukhari 4986), and under the third caliph, ‘Uthman, standard copies were made and sent to the major cities (Sahih al-Bukhari 4987). The “Uthmani” script used on this site follows the spelling of those copies.

Reading the Quran with a translation

A translation helps you understand the message, but it is always an interpretation: Arabic words often carry several shades of meaning that no single English word captures. Words in parentheses in the translation were added by the translator for clarity, and its older English (“Thou”, “Lo!”) reflects the 1930 original. The transliteration is a guide to pronunciation for people who cannot yet read Arabic script; learning to read the Arabic, ideally with a qualified teacher, gives the most accurate recitation.

Where to start

If you are new to the Quran, a good starting point is Al-Fatihah, which Muslims recite in every prayer, followed by the short surahs at the end of the Quran — see the last 10 surahs. Many people also learnAyat al-Kursi early. For supplications from the Quran and Sunnah, see our duas collection.