Meccan and Medinan Surahs: What's the Difference?

Every surah on our Quran pages is labelled Meccan or Medinan. This refers to when it was revealed: before or after the Prophet's ﷺ migration (hijrah) from Makkah to Madinah.

The numbers

In the most common classification, 86 surahs are Meccan and 28 are Medinan. Scholars differ on a few individual surahs, and some surahs contain verses from both periods.

Meccan surahs

Revealed over about thirteen years in Makkah, when Muslims were a small, persecuted community. They tend to:

• be shorter, with powerful rhythm and imagery;
• focus on the oneness of Allah, the Hereafter and the Day of Judgement;
• tell the stories of earlier prophets;
• call people to faith and good character.

Examples: Al-Fatiha, Yaseen, Al-Mulk, and most of Juz ‘Amma.

Medinan surahs

Revealed in Madinah, where Muslims formed a community and a state. They tend to:

• be longer, with longer verses;
• include laws on worship, family, trade and society;
• address the believers directly ("O you who have believed");
• discuss relations with other communities.

Examples: Al-Baqarah, An-Nisa and An-Nur.

Why it matters

Knowing the context helps you understand a verse: a Meccan verse urging patience under persecution reads differently from a Medinan verse setting out a law. This is the starting point of Tafseer.

Explore context and meaning in our Tafseer course. Book a free trial lesson.