Chronological Order of Surahs

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Chronological Order of Quranic Surahs

This page presents a series of tables presenting the traditional Islamic chronological order of the surahs.

The source I used presented the information in three slightly contradictory tables, as those had been taken
from various sources as well. I reconstructed the information below from the information apparently taken
from the unnamed work of Abu al-Qasim `Umar ibn Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Kafi. Interestingly, Noldeke
(in his Geschichte des Qorans) utilized the same as the basis for his own chronological order of the surahs.

The only differences in order between the traditional order and the order given by Noldeke are the following:
a.) surah 110 is last in the traditional order, but Noldeke places it between 59 and 24;
b.) the order of 64, 61, 62 in the traditional order becomes in Noldeke 62, 64, 61

Source: History of the Quran by Allamah Abu Abd Allah al-Zanjani
(from Al-Tawheed vol. 4, no. 3; vol. 5, nos. 1, 2, and 3).
A series of 4 pdf files obtained from www.playandlearn.org.

Any comments, suggestions, or questions are welcome here.

Chronological Order of the Meccan Surahs:
The following table presents the Meccan Surahs in chronological order. Please note that somewhat
unorthodox transliteration is due to font limitations for web pages. I think it will still make sense.
The columns for the first two tables are: Surah number in the Quran, transliteration of Quranic title,
translation of title, and a column of notes describing any exception to that chronological placement, etc.

96	al-`Alaq	The Clot
68	al-Qalam	The Pen	except 17-33, 48-50, from Medinah
73	al-Muzammil	The Mantled One	except for 73.10-11, 20, from Medinah
74	al-Muddaththir	The Clothed One
1	al-Fātiĥah	The Opening
111	al-Lahab	The Flame
81	at-Takwīr	The Cessation
87	al-A`lā	The Most High
92	al-Layl	The Night
89	al-Fajr	The Dawn
93	aď-Ďuĥā	The Early Hours
94	al-Inshirāĥ	The Expansion
103	al-`Aşr	Time
100	al-`Ādiyāt	The Assaulters
108	al-Kauthar	Abundance
102	at-Takāthur	Worldly Gain
107	al-Mā`ūn	The Daily Necessaries	only 1-3; rest from Medinah
109	al-Kāfirūn	The Unbelievers
105	al-Fīl	The Elephant
113	al-Falaq	The Daybreak
114	an-Nās	The Men
112	al-Ikhlāş	The Unity
53	an-Najm	The Star	except 32, from Medinah
80	`Abasa	He Frowned
97	al-qadr	The Majesty
91	ash-Shams	The Sun
85	al-Burūj	The Constellations
95	at-Tin	The Fig
106	al-Quraysh	The Quraish
101	al-Qāri`ah	The Terrible Calamity
75	al-Qiyāmah	The Resurrection
104	al-Humazah	The Slanderer
77	al-Mursalāt	The Emissaries	except 48, from Medinah
50	Qāf	Qaf	except 38, from Medinah
90	al-Balad	The City
86	aţ-Ţāriq	The Night-Comer
54	al-Qamar	The Moon	except 44, 45, 46, from Medinah
38	Şād	Sad
7	al-A`rāf	The Elevated Places	except 163-170, from Medinah
72	al-Jinn	The Jinn
36	Yā Sīn	Ya Sin	except 45, from Medinah
25	al-Furqān	The Criterion	except 68, 69, 70, from Medinah
35	al-Fāţir	The Creator
19	Maryam	Mary	except 58, 71, from Medinah
20	Ţā Hā	Ta Ha	except 130, 131, from Medinah
56	al-Wāqi`ah	That Which is Coming	except 81, 82, from Medinah
26	ash-Shu`arā'	The Poets	except 197 and 224-end, from Medinah
27	an-Naml	The Ant
28	al-Qaşaş	The Narrative	except 52-55 from Medinah and 85 from Juhfah at the time of the Hijrah
17	Banī Isrā'īl	The Israelites	except 26, 32, 33, 57, 73-80, from Medinah
10	Yūnus	Jonah	except 40, 94, 95, 96, from Medinah
11	Hūd	Hud	except 12, 17, 114, from Medinah
12	Yūsuf	Joseph	except 1, 2, 3, 7, from Medinah
15	al-Ĥijr	The Rock	except 87, from Medinah
6	al-An`ām	The Cattle	except 20, 23, 91, 93, 114, 151, 152, 153, from Medinah
37	aş-Şāffāt	The Rangers
31	Luqmān	Lukman	except 27-29, from Medinah
34	Saba'	Sheba
39	az-Zumar	The Companies
40	al-Mu'min	The Forgiving One	except 56, 57, from Medinah
41	Ĥā Mim Sajdah	Revelations Well Expounded
42	ash-Shūrā	The Counsel	except 23, 24, 25, 27, from Medinah
43	az-Zukhruf	The Embellishment	except 54, from Medinah
44	ad-Dukhān	The Evident Smoke