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surah

 
Dictionary: su·rah   (sʊr'ə) pronunciation
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n.
A soft twilled fabric of silk or of a blend of silk and rayon.

[French surat, after SURAT.]


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: surah
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Any chapter of the Qur'an. According to Muslim belief, each of the 114 surahs, which vary in length from several lines (known as ayahs) to several pages, encompasses one or more divine revelations of Muhammad. All but three lines are in the form of a direct address from God. The tone of each varies but is generally moralistic, demanding obedience to a transcendent but compassionate God. Except for the opening surah, known as fatihah (the "opening"), they are arranged in descending order of length and numbered serially. They carry conventional names (e.g., Cow, Spider, Blood Clot) deriving from some image contained in them that is not necessarily indicative of their meaning or theme.

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more