How Many Verses Are in the Quran?
The Quran has 6,236 verses (ayat) in the most widely used count, which is the one printed in most copies today. Other early counting traditions give slightly different totals, but this is about where verse breaks are placed, not about any difference in the text itself.
Where 6,236 comes from
The figure of 6,236 is the Kufan count, the system associated with the scholars of Kufa in Iraq. It is used with the Hafs reading, which is the way the Quran is recited and printed across most of the Muslim world. The verse numbers on this site follow this count, so adding up the verses of all 114 surahs here gives exactly 6,236.
Surah Al-Baqarah alone holds 286 of them. Together, the five surahs with the most verses (Al-Baqarah, Ash-Shu'ara, Al-A'raf, Al-Imran and As-Saffat) account for over a thousand of them, while the last thirty-seven surahs together have 564, which is the whole of the thirtieth juz.
Why other counts differ
In the early centuries, scholars in different cities recorded where the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions paused at the end of each verse. These schools of counting, linked to Medina, Mecca, Kufa, Basra and Syria, sometimes differed on whether a particular stopping point marked the end of a verse. So one tradition might count a passage as two verses where another counts it as one.
The best-known example is the Bismillah at the start of Surah Al-Fatihah. In the Kufan count it is verse 1:1, and the surah still has seven verses. The Meccan count also numbers it as a verse. The Medinan, Basran and Syrian counts do not, and instead divide the last verse of Al-Fatihah into two, which also gives seven. The words are identical; only the numbering changes.
Because of differences like this, the other traditions arrive at totals that are roughly ten to thirty verses lower than 6,236. In every case the words of the Quran are the same.
The 6,666 myth
You may hear that the Quran has 6,666 verses. This figure is widely repeated but does not match any of the recognized counting traditions or any printed copy. It is best treated as a popular mistake.
Longest and shortest verses
The longest verse is 2:282, which sets out how to record a debt. Among the shortest are single words, such as 55:64, a one-word verse describing two gardens as deep green. Some surahs open with a verse made only of Arabic letters, for example 20:1, Ta Ha, whose meaning Muslims leave to Allah.
Verses mentioned here
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ﴿١﴾
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا تَدَايَنتُم بِدَيۡنٍ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمّٗى فَٱكۡتُبُوهُۚ وَلۡيَكۡتُب بَّيۡنَكُمۡ كَاتِبُۢ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِۚ وَلَا يَأۡبَ كَاتِبٌ أَن يَكۡتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ ٱللَّهُۚ فَلۡيَكۡتُبۡ وَلۡيُمۡلِلِ ٱلَّذِي عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَلۡيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ وَلَا يَبۡخَسۡ مِنۡهُ شَيۡـٔٗاۚ فَإِن كَانَ ٱلَّذِي عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡحَقُّ سَفِيهًا أَوۡ ضَعِيفًا أَوۡ لَا يَسۡتَطِيعُ أَن يُمِلَّ هُوَ فَلۡيُمۡلِلۡ وَلِيُّهُۥ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِۚ وَٱسۡتَشۡهِدُواْ شَهِيدَيۡنِ مِن رِّجَالِكُمۡۖ فَإِن لَّمۡ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيۡنِ فَرَجُلࣱ وَٱمۡرَأَتَانِ مِمَّن تَرۡضَوۡنَ مِنَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءِ أَن تَضِلَّ إِحۡدَىٰهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحۡدَىٰهُمَا ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰۚ وَلَا يَأۡبَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءُ إِذَا مَا دُعُواْۚ وَلَا تَسۡـَٔمُوٓاْ أَن تَكۡتُبُوهُ صَغِيرًا أَوۡ كَبِيرًا إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلِهِۦۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ أَقۡسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقۡوَمُ لِلشَّهَٰدَةِ وَأَدۡنَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَرۡتَابُوٓاْ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَٰرَةً حَاضِرَةٗ تُدِيرُونَهَا بَيۡنَكُمۡ فَلَيۡسَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ جُنَاحٌ أَلَّا تَكۡتُبُوهَاۗ وَأَشۡهِدُوٓاْ إِذَا تَبَايَعۡتُمۡۚ وَلَا يُضَآرَّ كَاتِبࣱ وَلَا شَهِيدࣱۚ وَإِن تَفۡعَلُواْ فَإِنَّهُۥ فُسُوقُۢ بِكُمۡۗ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱللَّهُۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمࣱ ﴿٢٨٢﴾
O you who believe! When you incur debt among yourselves for a certain period of time, write it down. And have a scribe write in your presence, in all fairness. And let no scribe refuse to write, as Allah has taught him. So let him write, and let the debtor dictate. And let him fear Allah, his Lord, and diminish nothing from it. But if the debtor is mentally deficient, or weak, or unable to dictate, then let his guardian dictate with honesty. And call to witness two men from among you. If two men are not available, then one man and two women whose testimony is acceptable to all—if one of them fails to remember, the other would remind her. Witnesses must not refuse when called upon. And do not think it too trivial to write down, whether small or large, including the time of repayment. That is more equitable with Allah, and stronger as evidence, and more likely to prevent doubt—except in the case of a spot transaction between you—then there is no blame on you if you do not write it down. And let there be witnesses whenever you conclude a contract, and let no harm be done to either scribe or witness. If you do that, it is corruption on your part. And fear Allah. Allah teaches you. Allah is aware of everything.
مُدۡهَآمَّتَانِ ﴿٦٤﴾
Deep green.
Questions
Is it 6,236 or 6,666 verses?
6,236 is the count printed in most copies. The figure 6,666 does not correspond to any recognized count.
Do different verse counts mean the Quran has different versions?
No. The counts differ only in where some verse breaks fall. The text is the same.
How many verses are in Surah Al-Baqarah?
286 verses, making it the longest surah in the Quran.