Why is the Qur’an divided into chapters?

The following are just some of the reasons why the Qur’an is made up of various chapters. It should be noted however, that more important than these is that the Almighty Creator Who sent down the Qur’an has so willed.  The fact that the Qur’an is divided into chapters facilitates its memorization, since attempting to commit the whole Qur’an to memory would be more difficult than memorizing it in smaller parts. Each chapter of the Qur’an in general deals with a particular subject. These subjects are given in different chapters in such a way that the reader can better understand them and so that the main idea can be better emphasized. When writing any book the division of the text under certain headings or chapters is more helpful for readers than if the book was presented as a whole. Readers know, by experience, that they can understand the content better, and the book is more approachable and easier to read when it is divided into chapters. Chapters of the Qur’an vary in length. Of its 114 chapters, the shortest is Sura Kawthar, with only 3 verses, while the longest is Sura Baqara with 286 verses. However, there is no difference between the long and short chapters as far as the miraculousness of the Qur’an is concerned, for humankind are absolutely unable to produce the like of even its shortest chapter, no matter how many people come together, helping and supporting one another. This challenge of the Qur’an, which goes to prove the human’s inability to produce the like of just one Qur’anic chapter, is an indication of the Divine authorship of the Qur’an.

 

Akgul, Muhittin (2009). The Quran in 99 Questions (Abdullah Erdemli Trans.). New Jersey: Tughra Books. (Originally published in Turkish as Kur’an İklimine Seyahat)