Ayah آية

Overview

An ayah (آيَة, plural آيَات) is a verse of the Quran. The Quran contains 6,236 ayat distributed across 114 surahs, according to the Kufan count adopted in most printed mushafs. The word also carries the broader Quranic meaning of "sign," referring to Allah's signs in creation and in revelation.

Etymology

The root '-y-y denotes a sign, mark, or token of evidence. Ibn Kathir and al-Tabari note that each verse is an ayah because it is itself a sign pointing to its divine origin, just as the natural phenomena Allah points to are signs.

Quranic references

The Quran applies the word ayah to its own verses and to the cosmic signs:

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

• Surah Ar-Rum 30:22 — 'And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors.'
• Surah Al-Baqarah 2:106 — 'We do not abrogate an ayah or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth one better than it or similar to it.'
• Surah Fussilat 41:53 — 'We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.'
• Surah Yunus 10:1 — 'Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the wise Book.'

The classical mufassirun distinguish between cosmic ayat (signs in day and night, the seven heavens, mountains) and recited ayat in the Book.

Hadith and tradition

The Prophet ﷺ honored individual ayat by name and virtue:

The Prophet ﷺ said to Ubayy ibn Ka'b: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse in the Book of Allah that you have is greatest?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse in the Book of Allah that you have is greatest?" I said: "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence." He struck me on the chest and said: "By Allah, may knowledge delight you, O Abu al-Mundhir."— Sahih Muslim 810

This refers to Ayat al-Kursi (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255). Reports in Jami al-Tirmidhi graded Hasan by al-Albani describe additional virtues of the last two ayat of Surah Al-Baqarah.

Significance

Each ayah is itself a unit of recitation in salah, an object of tafseer, and a sign to be reflected upon. The Sahaba, including Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, would not move past ten verses until they had learned what was in them of knowledge and action. Reflection on the ayat — both revealed and cosmic — is foundational to iman and tawhid.

See also

• Surah
• Quran
• Tafseer
• Greatest sign
• Sunnah

References

1. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, commentary on Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255 and Surah Fussilat 41:53.
2. Al-Tabari, Jami al-Bayan an Tawil ay al-Quran, commentary on Surah Yunus 10:1.
3. Al-Qurtubi, Al-Jami li-Ahkam al-Quran, on the definition of the ayah and its counts.
4. Sahih Muslim, Kitab Salat al-Musafirin, hadith 810 on the greatest ayah in the Quran.