ALIGARH JOURNAL OF QURANIC STUDIES (original) (raw)

The reader should bear in mind that the familiar [to Muslims] ordering of the Sūras, as observed in this translation, is not basic to an understanding of the Qur'ānic text, so those new to the Qur'ān are advised to start with the short, poetic Sūras such as the ones describing the Day of Resurrection or Heaven and Hell, e.g.,Takwīr and Raḥmān, or ones like Maryam and Yusuf, which deal with Biblical topics. These come in the second half of the Qur'ān but should be read before the long and complex Sūras in the first half, such as Baqaraand Mā'ida, which require of the reader a prior knowledge of events that took place in the early days of Islam". Dawood, The Koran Translated,