The reading of the Quran is considered a pious duty by every Muslim and is actually performed is practice by every literate person -- man, woma, and child. For the converience of those who wish to complete the whole reading in a given time, the whole Text is divided ito thirty equal parts. the thirtieth Part is call "Juz'" in Arabic. and "Siparah" or simply "Parah" in Persian and Urdu. If you read a Juz' every day, you complete the whole reading in a month of thirtydays. Usually the arithmetical quarters of a Juz' (one-fourth, one-half, three-quarters) are also marked in the Arabic copies as "al rub', al nisf, and al thalathah arba'";

According to subject matter, the division is different. The whole of the Quran is arranged in 114 Surahs of very unequal size. The Surahs are numbered and the consecutive number is shown just before the title of the Surah in English. In Arabic, the number of the Juz' and the title of the Surah are given at the head of every page in the Surah. Each Surah consistes of a number of "Ayat". Surah 1 contains 7 Ayat and Surah 2 contains 286. The most convenient form of quotation is to name the Surah and the Ayat: thus 2:120 means the 120th Ayah of the second Surah. A Surah is usually spoken of as a Chapter in English, but that translatio is hardly satisfactory. If you examine the order you will find that Surah is a step in a gradation. I have left the word untrsnlated, as a techical term in our religious literature. The Ayah or verse division is usually determined by the rhythum and cadence in the Arabic Text. Sometimes an Ayah contains amany sentences. Sometimes a sentence is divided by a break in an Ayah. But usually there is a pause in meaning at the end of an Ayah.


ABBREViATiONS USED :
A.C. = After Christ = year of the Christian Calendar.
B.C. = Before Christ = year of Christian Calendar.
A.H. = After Hijraah = Year of the Islamic Calendar.
20:25 = Quran, Surah 20, Ayah 25.