or
suraAny chapter of the Qurhamzahān. According to Muslim belief, each of the 114 sūrahs, which vary in length from several lines (known as āyahs) to several pages, encompasses one or more divine revelations of Muhammad. All but three lines are in the form of a direct address from God. The tone of each varies but is generally moralistic, demanding obedience to a transcendent but compassionate God. Except for the opening sūrah, known as fātihsubdotah (the “opening”), they are arranged in descending order of length and numbered serially. They carry conventional names (e.g., Cow, Spider, Blood Clot) deriving from some image contained in them that is not necessarily indicative of their meaning or theme.
Learn more about sūrah with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.