How Long Is the Quran? Key Facts & Numbers
How many pages, surahs, verses, and words the Holy Quran contains, what language it is in, how it is divided into para (juz), and how long it takes to read.
The Quran at a glance
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Surahs (chapters) | 114 |
| Verses (ayahs) | 6,236Standard Ḥafṣ count; other counting traditions differ slightly. |
| Words | ~77,400Word counts vary with how joined particles are counted. |
| Letters | ~320,000Cited figures range roughly 320,000–323,700. |
| Pages | 604In the standard 15-line Madīnah Muṣḥaf; other prints differ. |
| Para (Juz) | 30 |
| Hizb | 60Each juz is two hizb. |
| Manzil | 7Used to read the Quran over a week. |
| Rukūʿ (sections) | ≈558 |
| Makkan / Madinan surahs | ≈86 / 28A few surahs are debated between scholars. |
| Language | Classical Arabic |
| Period of revelation | ≈23 years |
| Longest / shortest surah | Al-Baqarah (286) / Al-Kawthar (3) |
A note on the numbers: the text of the Quran is fixed and agreed upon. Small differences you may see in verse, word, and letter totals come from different counting conventions among early scholars (for example, whether a Bismillāh or certain phrases are counted as a separate verse), not from any difference in the words themselves.
How long is the Quran, really?
The Quran has 114 surahs and 6,236 verses in the standard Ḥafṣ count, printed across 604 pages in the common Madīnah Muṣḥaf. To make it easy to read regularly, it is split into 30 para (juz) of roughly equal length — read one a day and you complete the whole Quran in a month. You can browse all 30 para here or see verse and revelation details for every chapter in the Surah Information Index.
What language is the Quran in?
The Quran is in Classical Arabic. Its recitation is tied to the precise Arabic sounds, several of which — like ʿayn (ع), ḥāʾ (ح), and ḍād (ض) — have no exact English equivalent. That is why non-Arabic readers use English transliteration as a bridge: it lets you pronounce the actual Arabic words while you learn the script. See the transliteration key for how each symbol sounds.
How long does it take to read?
A full recitation aloud takes roughly 27–30 hours. Most people spread that over 30 days at one para per day (about an hour daily), and many complete the Quran once during Ramadan by reading a juz after each prayer. Reading with tajweed is slower and more rewarding; reading only the translation for meaning is faster.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Quran?
The Quran contains 114 surahs (chapters) and, in the widely used Ḥafṣ counting, 6,236 verses (ayahs). In the standard 15-line Madīnah Muṣḥaf it runs to 604 pages. A complete recitation aloud typically takes somewhere between 27 and 30 hours, which is why many people spread it over 30 days by reading one para (juz) a day.
How many pages is the Quran?
The most widely printed edition, the 15-line Madīnah Muṣḥaf, has 604 pages of Quranic text (some counts say 604 or 605 depending on how the front matter is treated). Other print layouts — such as 13-line Indo-Pak muṣḥafs — have a different page count, so 'how many pages' depends on the specific edition you are holding.
How many surahs are in the Quran?
There are 114 surahs (chapters) in the Quran. The longest is Surah Al-Baqarah with 286 verses, and the shortest is Surah Al-Kawthar with 3 verses. You can browse every one on our Surah Information Index.
How many verses (ayahs) are in the Quran?
In the standard Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim reading, the Quran has 6,236 verses (ayahs). You may also see figures such as 6,204, 6,214, 6,219, or 6,236 in older sources — these come from different but equally valid counting traditions that group verse endings slightly differently, not from any difference in the text itself.
How many words are in the Quran?
The Quran contains roughly 77,400 words (commonly cited figures include 77,430 and 77,449). The exact number varies depending on how attached particles and prefixes are counted as separate words, so scholars give slightly different totals.
What language is the Quran written in?
The Quran is written in Classical Arabic, the literary form of Arabic used in 7th-century Arabia. Its language is the reference point for Arabic grammar and eloquence. Because Classical Arabic has sounds that do not exist in English, non-Arabic readers often use English transliteration to pronounce the words while learning the Arabic script.
How many para (juz) are in the Quran?
The Quran is divided into 30 roughly equal parts called para (in Urdu/Persian) or juz (in Arabic); a single para is also called a sipara. These divisions make it easy to read the whole Quran over a month by completing one para each day. It is also divided into 60 hizb and 7 manzil for other reading schedules.
How long does it take to read the Quran?
Reading the entire Quran aloud with clear pronunciation usually takes about 27 to 30 hours in total. Spread over a month at one para (juz) per day, that is roughly an hour a day. Reading only the meaning in translation is faster; careful recitation with tajweed is slower. Many people complete it once during Ramadan by reading one juz after each daily prayer.