The Quran itself is actually composed of 114 surahs, not 30 juz — the juz division is a practical arrangement scholars added later, on top of the surahs, to make reading and following along easier: 30 roughly equal-length sections. Below: what a juz is, how it was determined, and its relationship to a khatm.
Quran Glossary
Juz: A practical division scholars later added on top of the surahs to make regular reading and completing the Quran easier — not a matter of revelation. The Quran is divided into 30 juz in total; juz boundaries often fall in the middle of a surah.
See all terms in the glossary →What is a juz?
A juz is a practical division scholars later added on top of the surahs to make regular reading and completing the Quran easier — it is not a matter of revelation. The Quran is divided into 30 juz in total; each juz is roughly 20 pages, and juz boundaries often fall in the middle of a surah.
The Meaning of the Word Juz
The word "juz" means "part, section" in Arabic. Dividing the Quran into 30 juz is not a matter of revelation, but a practical tradition that emerged to make it easier to read the Quran in a certain order and to complete it within a month in particular (for example, during Ramadan). This division makes no change whatsoever to the Quran's text; it is simply a reference point for tracking one's reading.
How Many Juz Does the Quran Consist Of?
The Quran is divided into 30 juz. Each juz is roughly around 20 pages, but because surahs are not of equal length, the points where a juz ends and begins do not always coincide with the beginning or end of a surah — many juz begin in the middle of one surah and end in the middle of another. Each juz is also divided into 2 equal parts (hizb); these smaller units offer an additional reference for those who want to set a daily reading target.
How Were the Juz Determined?
Juz boundaries were determined so that the total letter/word volume of the Quran's text is divided into roughly 30 equal parts. This division was made by early Islamic scholars to make regular reading of the Quran easier, and the starting points of juz are largely the same across different mushaf editions. You can see which surah and verse each juz begins and ends with on our 30 Juz Index page.
The Relationship Between Juz and Khatm
Reading and completing the Quran from beginning to end is called a "khatm." The 30-juz division makes it practical to complete a khatm over the course of a month by reading one juz a day — this pace is especially common during Ramadan. However, finishing within a month is not obligatory; a person can also complete the juz over a longer period at their own pace. See our 30-Day Khatm Program for a juz-based reading calendar, and our article How Is Intention Made and the Khatm Prayer Recited for a Quran Khatm? for the topic of intention and the khatm prayer.
How Can I Listen to a Particular Juz?
Those who want to read or listen to a particular juz can go to the surah where that juz begins from our 30 Juz Index page; from there, on the surah page, they can follow the Arabic text, its translation, and listen to the audio recording. Each juz card links directly to the surah page where that juz begins, so you can continue reading or listening from wherever you left off in the juz you want.
What Is a Hizb, and How Does It Differ from a Juz?
As a subunit of the juz division, "hizb" (section) is used; each juz is divided into 2 equal hizb, so the Quran is divided into 60 hizb in total. Each hizb is further divided into 4 equal parts marked by quarter (rub) marks — so each juz corresponds to 8 rub in total, and the whole Quran to 240 rub. This additional division offers a smaller, more manageable target for those who want to set a daily reading goal but do not want to finish a juz in a single sitting — for example, reading a juz's two hizb on separate days instead of in one sitting, or breaking each hizb down into its four rub for even smaller steps.
Why Don't Juz End at Surah Boundaries?
Because the juz division was made according to the Quran's total text volume rather than the content of the surahs, a juz often begins or ends right in the middle of a surah. For example, a long surah may span multiple juz, while several short surahs may fall consecutively within a single juz. This may seem confusing at first, but it becomes more understandable once one remembers that the purpose of the juz division is not to preserve the unity of each surah, but to divide the reading volume into equal parts.
Where Do Juz Names Come From?
Each juz is traditionally known by its own opening word — for example, the first juz is known as "Alif Lam Meem" (from the letters at the start of Surah Al-Baqarah), and the 15th juz as "Subhanalladhi" (from the first word of Surah Al-Isra). This naming is a practical memory aid; someone who forgets a juz's number can locate it by recalling that juz's opening word. Our 30 Juz Index page also shows this traditional Arabic opening phrase for each juz.
Practical Plan
Those who want to start a khatm can choose a juz-by-juz calendar from our 30-Day Khatm Program and mark their progress in our Khatm Tracker tool.
A juz is a practical division that makes reading the Quran regularly easier, and it is directly connected to the tradition of khatm; through this division, a large text of 6,236 ayahs is broken into small, daily manageable parts. You can find all the juz and their opening surahs on our 30 Juz Index page, and the concept of a surah in our article What Is a Surah?. For other questions, see our FAQ page.
Note: This content is for general information; different schools of thought and scholars may hold differing views. Consult a scholar you trust for personal religious decisions.
Sources
- Tanzil Project — Uthmani Mushaf
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, 'Cüz' maddesi
- QuranEnc — English Translation