The Quran is divided into 114 surahs (chapters), and 6236 (excluding "Bismillah") and 6348 (including Bismillah") ayahs (verses). Chapters are arranged broadly in descending order of length. For a preliminary discussion about the chronological order of chapters, see Surah.
Each surah except the ninth (At-Tawba) is preceded by a formula known as the basmalla or tasmiah, which reads bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm ("In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.").[1] In twenty-nine surahs this is followed by a group of letters called "muqaṭṭa'āt" (lit. "abbreviated" or "shortened"), unique combinations of a few letters whose meaning are unknown.