Most children begin their Quran memorization with the short surahs. They are the small surahs near the end of the Quran, many of them only three to six verses long, and they are the ones your child will recite in salah for the rest of their life. If you are wondering which short surahs to start with, and in what order, this guide is for you.
What counts as a short surah?
There is no official list, but when parents and teachers say "short surahs" they usually mean the surahs of the last part of the Quran (Juz Amma, surahs 78 to 114), and especially the final dozen or so. Most of these were revealed in Makkah and have short, rhythmic verses that are easy for young children to hear, repeat and remember.
Which is the shortest surah in the Quran?
Surah Al-Kawthar (108) is the shortest surah. It has three verses and only ten words. Surah Al-'Asr (103) and Surah An-Nasr (110) also have three verses, but their verses are longer.
Three short surahs to start with
These three are short, beautiful, and full of meaning a child can understand. The transliteration helps at the very beginning, but it is only a bridge: some Arabic sounds have no English letter, so your child still needs to hear the surah recited correctly.
Al-Kawthar (Surah 108)
Meaning of the name: The Abundance
إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـٰكَ ٱلْكَوْثَرَ (1)
Inna a'taynakal-kawthar
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنْحَرْ (2)
Fa salli li rabbika wanhar
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلْأَبْتَرُ (3)
Inna shani'aka huwal-abtar
The shortest surah in the Quran: three verses and only ten words. Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ that He has given him abundant good, so he should pray and offer sacrifice for his Lord.
Al-Ikhlas (Surah 112)
Meaning of the name: The Sincerity
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (1)
Qul huwallahu ahad
ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ (2)
Allahus-samad
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (3)
Lam yalid wa lam yulad
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ (4)
Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad
Four verses about who Allah is: One, the One everything depends on, with no child and no parent, and nothing equal to Him. The Prophet ﷺ described it as equal to a third of the Quran (Sahih al-Bukhari).
Al-'Asr (Surah 103)
Meaning of the name: Time
وَٱلْعَصْرِ (1)
Wal-'asr
إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ (2)
Innal-insana lafi khusr
إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ (3)
Illal-ladhina amanu wa 'amilus-salihati wa tawasaw bil-haqqi wa tawasaw bis-sabr
Three verses that sum up a whole way of life: by time, people are in loss, except those who believe, do good, and encourage each other to truth and to patience.
A gentle order for memorizing the short surahs
Many families and teachers follow the same path. Al-Fatihah comes first because it is part of every prayer. After that, children usually start from the very end of the Quran with An-Nas and work backwards, one surah at a time. Each new surah is a little longer than the one before, so confidence grows naturally.
| # | Surah | Verses | What it is about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Fatihah الفاتحة Surah 1 | 7 | Praise of Allah and a prayer for guidance. It is recited in every unit of every prayer, so it always comes first. |
| 2 | An-Nas الناس Surah 114 | 6 | Seeking refuge in Allah from the whisperer who puts doubts into hearts. |
| 3 | Al-Falaq الفلق Surah 113 | 5 | Seeking refuge in the Lord of the daybreak from harm, darkness and envy. |
| 4 | Al-Ikhlas الإخلاص Surah 112 | 4 | Allah is One, He has no child and no parent, and nothing is like Him. |
| 5 | Al-Masad المسد Surah 111 | 5 | Abu Lahab and his wife, who worked against the Prophet ﷺ. |
| 6 | An-Nasr النصر Surah 110 | 3 | When Allah's help comes and people enter Islam in crowds, praise Him and ask His forgiveness. |
| 7 | Al-Kafirun الكافرون Surah 109 | 6 | A clear line in worship: you have your way, and I have mine. |
| 8 | Al-Kawthar الكوثر Surah 108 | 3 | Allah has given the Prophet ﷺ abundant good, so pray and offer sacrifice to Him. |
| 9 | Al-Ma'un الماعون Surah 107 | 7 | Faith shows in how we treat orphans, feed the poor and share small kindnesses. |
| 10 | Quraysh قريش Surah 106 | 4 | The tribe of Quraysh, their winter and summer journeys, and the Lord who fed them and kept them safe. |
| 11 | Al-Fil الفيل Surah 105 | 5 | The army that came with an elephant to destroy the Kaaba, and the birds Allah sent against it. |
| 12 | Al-Humazah الهمزة Surah 104 | 9 | A warning against mocking others and against loving wealth too much. |
| 13 | Al-'Asr العصر Surah 103 | 3 | By time, people are in loss, except those who believe, do good and encourage truth and patience. |
| 14 | At-Takathur التكاثر Surah 102 | 8 | Competing for more and more distracts people until they reach the grave. |
This is a common path, not a rule. Some teachers bring Al-Ikhlas forward because it is so short and so often recited, and that is fine too. What matters most is that each surah is solid before the next one begins.
Short surahs and salah
In the first two units (rak'ahs) of each prayer, a short surah or a few verses are recited after Al-Fatihah. Knowing even three or four short surahs lets your child pray with variety instead of repeating the same one every time, and it gives the words they memorize a daily purpose.
How to help your child memorize at home
- Listen before reciting. Play a slow, clear recitation of the surah several times over a few days before your child tries it alone. Young children learn the rhythm by ear first.
- One verse at a time. Repeat the first verse until it is easy, then add the second, then say both together. Joining verses is where memorization really happens.
- Use it the same day. Ask your child to recite the new surah in salah, at bedtime or in the car. A surah that is used is a surah that stays.
- Revise the old ones. A few minutes reviewing earlier surahs keeps them from slipping while new ones are added.
- Share the meaning. A one-line explanation, like the ones in the table above, turns sounds into something your child understands and cares about.
When transliteration is not enough
Transliteration is a helpful start, but it cannot show the difference between sounds like ح and ه, or ع and ء, and small mistakes learned early are hard to undo later. Learning to read the Arabic letters through Noorani Qaida means your child can read any surah directly from the Quran, not only the ones they have heard.
If your child is ready to go further, our online Hifz classes are 1-on-1, so the teacher listens to every verse, corrects pronunciation as it happens, and builds in revision so the short surahs stay strong as your child moves on to longer ones.