I review my twelve surahs

Well done! With level 1, you now know twelve surahs. Here is the summary of the six new ones:

• An-Nasr (110): 3 verses. When Allah helps us, we thank Him and ask Him for forgiveness. • Al-Masad (111): 5 verses. Abu Lahab: neither money nor family help without good deeds. • Al-Fil (105): 5 verses. Allah protected the Kaaba from the army of elephants. • Quraysh (106): 4 verses. Thank you, Allah, for food and safety. • Al-Ma'un (107): 7 verses. Be gentle with the orphan and the poor, pray with attention, lend. • Al-Kafirun (109): 6 verses. I worship only Allah; to you your religion, to me mine.

In the Qur'an, they come in this order, from 105 to 114: Al-Fil, Quraysh, Al-Ma'un, Al-Kawthar, Al-Kafirun, An-Nasr, Al-Masad, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas. You now know the last ten surahs of the Qur'an! With Al-'Asr (103) and Al-Fatiha (1), that makes twelve.

My plan so I do not forget: • Every day: recite one old surah and one new one in your prayer. • Every week: recite the last ten surahs to an adult, from Al-Fil (105) to An-Nas (114). • If a surah "slips", listen to it again on the site's Qur'an page and repeat it five times.

A challenge for you: can you recite the last ten surahs in order, without looking? Take your time, several days if you need.

Take the quiz below. If you make a mistake, that is fine: go back to the lesson and try again!

Understanding the lesson: what my twelve surahs teach me

1. Explanation The six surahs of this level answer each other: • Al-Fil and Quraysh go together: Allah protected Mecca (Al-Fil), then He gave its people food and safety, and asked them to worship Him (Quraysh). • Al-Ma'un and Al-Kawthar (which you already know) follow each other and are like two opposites: on one side, the one who neglects his prayer and refuses to help; on the other, the Prophet ﷺ, to whom Allah gave an immense good and who prays for Allah alone. • Al-Kafirun and Al-Ikhlas are two surahs of tawḥiid: Al-Kafirun says what I do not worship, Al-Ikhlas says who the One I worship is. • An-Nasr and Al-Masad show two endings: the victory of the truth, and the failure of the one who fought it.

2. Lessons to learn • The Qur'an forms a whole: the surahs explain one another. • Every blessing (protection, food, safety, success) calls for a thank-you: worship. • Faith shows in deeds: prayer, kindness to the orphan and the poor, small favours. • Stay firm and gentle at the same time, like the Prophet ﷺ.

3. To remember • Al-Fil + Quraysh: protection, then blessings, then worship. • Al-Ma'un ↔ Al-Kawthar: two opposite attitudes towards prayer and giving. • Al-Kafirun + Al-Ikhlas: tawḥiid.

4. The message of the lesson My twelve surahs tell me the same thing in several ways: Allah is One, He protects and He gives; I answer Him by worshipping Him sincerely and being good to people.

Source: Al-Mukhtasar fi tafsir al-Qur'an (English translation), with well-known points from the tafsirs of Ibn Kathir and As-Sa'di.