Makki and Madani surahs: the difference and the full list

What Makki and Madani mean

The Quran was revealed over about 23 years: roughly 13 in Makkah and 10 in Madinah. Scholars of the sciences of the Quran (‘ulum al-Qur’an) used three definitions, but the one most widely followed is about time, not place: Makki means revealed before the Hijrah, Madani after it.

The classification is known mainly from the reports of the Companions and their students about when passages were revealed, supported by the features below. It is printed at the head of every surah in the Madinah mushaf.

Makki and Madani surahs compared

Feature	Makki	Madani
Main themes	Tawhid, the Hereafter, the prophets before, the signs of Allah in creation	Laws of worship, family, trade and war; community life
Typical address	“O mankind” (yā ayyuha an-nās)	“O you who believe” (yā ayyuha alladhīna āmanū)
Length of verses and surahs	Often short, rhythmic verses	Often long, detailed verses
Audience	The Quraysh and the polytheists of Makkah	The Muslim community, the People of the Book and the hypocrites
Who is described	Believers and disbelievers	Also the hypocrites (munafiqun), who appear only after the Hijrah

These are tendencies, not rules: some Madani surahs have short verses, and the address “O mankind” appears in Madani surahs too.

By the numbers

	Surahs	Verses
Makki	86	4,613
Madani	28	1,623

Madani surahs are fewer but much longer: Al-Baqarah alone has 286 verses. See how many surahs and ayahs are in the Quran.

The 28 Madani surahs

2. Al-Baqarah, 3. Al Imran, 4. An-Nisa, 5. Al-Ma'idah, 8. Al-Anfal, 9. At-Tawbah, 13. Ar-Ra'd, 22. Al-Hajj, 24. An-Nur, 33. Al-Ahzab, 47. Muhammad, 48. Al-Fath, 49. Al-Hujurat, 55. Ar-Rahman, 57. Al-Hadid, 58. Al-Mujadilah, 59. Al-Hashr, 60. Al-Mumtahanah, 61. As-Saff, 62. Al-Jumu'ah, 63. Al-Munafiqun, 64. At-Taghabun, 65. At-Talaq, 66. At-Tahrim, 76. Al-Insan, 98. Al-Bayyinah, 99. Az-Zalzalah, 110. An-Nasr.

The 86 Makki surahs

1. Al-Fatihah, 6. Al-An'am, 7. Al-A'raf, 10. Yunus, 11. Hud, 12. Yusuf, 14. Ibrahim, 15. Al-Hijr, 16. An-Nahl, 17. Al-Isra, 18. Al-Kahf, 19. Maryam, 20. Ta Ha, 21. Al-Anbiya, 23. Al-Mu'minun, 25. Al-Furqan, 26. Ash-Shu'ara, 27. An-Naml, 28. Al-Qasas, 29. Al-'Ankabut, 30. Ar-Rum, 31. Luqman, 32. As-Sajdah, 34. Saba, 35. Fatir, 36. Ya Sin, 37. As-Saffat, 38. Sad, 39. Az-Zumar, 40. Ghafir, 41. Fussilat, 42. Ash-Shura, 43. Az-Zukhruf, 44. Ad-Dukhan, 45. Al-Jathiyah, 46. Al-Ahqaf, 50. Qaf, 51. Adh-Dhariyat, 52. At-Tur, 53. An-Najm, 54. Al-Qamar, 56. Al-Waqi'ah, 67. Al-Mulk, 68. Al-Qalam, 69. Al-Haqqah, 70. Al-Ma'arij, 71. Nuh, 72. Al-Jinn, 73. Al-Muzzammil, 74. Al-Muddaththir, 75. Al-Qiyamah, 77. Al-Mursalat, 78. An-Naba, 79. An-Nazi'at, 80. 'Abasa, 81. At-Takwir, 82. Al-Infitar, 83. Al-Mutaffifin, 84. Al-Inshiqaq, 85. Al-Buruj, 86. At-Tariq, 87. Al-A'la, 88. Al-Ghashiyah, 89. Al-Fajr, 90. Al-Balad, 91. Ash-Shams, 92. Al-Layl, 93. Ad-Duha, 94. Ash-Sharh, 95. At-Tin, 96. Al-'Alaq, 97. Al-Qadr, 100. Al-'Adiyat, 101. Al-Qari'ah, 102. At-Takathur, 103. Al-'Asr, 104. Al-Humazah, 105. Al-Fil, 106. Quraysh, 107. Al-Ma'un, 108. Al-Kawthar, 109. Al-Kafirun, 111. Al-Masad, 112. Al-Ikhlas, 113. Al-Falaq, 114. An-Nas.

For meanings, verse counts and pages, see the full list of surahs. Juz 30 is almost entirely Makki; see Juz Amma.

Why it matters for understanding

Knowing whether a passage came before or after the Hijrah helps explain its focus: Makki surahs build faith and certainty in a hostile setting, while Madani surahs build a community with laws. Tafsir works always note the classification; see tafsir books and how to understand the Quran. The story of how revelation began is in the first revelation of the Quran, and how it was preserved is in how and when the Quran was written.