The best short surahs for a child to memorise first are Al-Fatihah, then An-Nas, Al-Falaq and Al-Ikhlas, then the rest of the final ten surahs of the Quran working backwards. Al-Fatihah comes first because it is recited in every unit of Salah. The others are short, heard often, and lead naturally into the rest of Juz Amma.
The full list below gives fifteen surahs, how many ayahs each has, what each is about in a sentence a child can understand, and the order many teachers use.
The fifteen surahs, with ayah counts
Ayah counts follow the numbering printed in most mushafs today. Check your own copy if a number looks different.
| Order | Surah (number) | Ayahs | What it is about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Fatihah (1) | 7 | Praising Allah and asking Him to guide us on the straight path |
| 2 | An-Nas (114) | 6 | Asking Allah, Lord of all people, to protect us from the whisperer |
| 3 | Al-Falaq (113) | 5 | Asking the Lord of daybreak for protection from harm, darkness and envy |
| 4 | Al-Ikhlas (112) | 4 | Allah is One; He has no children, no parents and nothing is like Him |
| 5 | Al-Masad (111) | 5 | Abu Lahab and his wife, who worked against the Prophet |
| 6 | An-Nasr (110) | 3 | When Allah's help and victory come, praise Him and ask forgiveness |
| 7 | Al-Kafirun (109) | 6 | We worship Allah alone: to you your way, to me mine |
| 8 | Al-Kawthar (108) | 3 | Allah gave the Prophet a great abundance, so pray and give thanks |
| 9 | Al-Ma'un (107) | 7 | People who push away orphans, ignore the poor and are careless in prayer |
| 10 | Quraysh (106) | 4 | The Quraysh's safe winter and summer trade trips; worship the Lord of the Kaaba who fed and protected them |
| 11 | Al-Fil (105) | 5 | The army with the elephant that came to destroy the Kaaba, and the birds |
| 12 | Al-Humazah (104) | 9 | The person who mocks others and hoards money as if it makes him live forever |
| 13 | Al-Asr (103) | 3 | By time, people are in loss, except those who believe, do good, and urge truth and patience |
| 14 | At-Takathur (102) | 8 | Competing for more distracts people until the grave, and we will be asked about our blessings |
| 15 | Al-Qari'ah (101) | 11 | The Day of Judgement, when deeds are weighed |
Fifteen surahs, 86 ayahs in total. For many children that is a year or more of steady, unhurried work, and much less for some. It depends on age, reading, how often they have lessons and, above all, how much revision happens at home.
Why this order, and when to change it
The order above is the one most teachers use: Al-Fatihah first, then backwards from the very end of the mushaf. It has three advantages.
- Salah first. A child who knows Al-Fatihah and one short surah can pray a complete prayer. That gives memorisation an immediate use.
- Familiar sounds. An-Nas, Al-Falaq and Al-Ikhlas are the surahs children hear most, at bedtime and in prayer. Many already half-know them.
- Mushaf order. Learning backwards through the last pages means a child who later continues into full Hifz is already working in sequence, and the surahs sit on the same few pages.
Some teachers adjust the order for a particular child, and that is fine. Common changes:
- Al-Kawthar early. As the shortest surah, it gives a hesitant child a quick win. Some teachers put it right after Al-Ikhlas.
- Al-Fil and Quraysh together. They are connected in meaning, and children who like stories remember them as a pair.
- Al-Kafirun later. It has six ayahs with very similar wording, and children easily skip or swap a line. Putting it after Al-Kawthar and Al-Ma'un can help.
Surahs that cause the most mix-ups
A few of these trip children up in predictable ways. Knowing where helps you listen at home.
- An-Nas and Al-Falaq both begin "Qul a'udhu bi-rabbi". A child sometimes starts one and finishes with the other. Ask for each separately, on different days.
- Al-Kafirun repeats near-identical lines. Watch for a skipped or doubled ayah in the middle.
- Al-Ma'un changes subject halfway through, from treating others to prayer. That join is a common place to stall.
- Al-Humazah is the first surah on the list with longer ayahs, and the step up can feel big. Smaller pieces help.
Tips by age
For the youngest, ages 4 to 6
Learn by ear. The teacher says a short phrase, the child repeats it, and that is repeated many times. Do not expect reading at this stage. One ayah, or half of one, per lesson is plenty. Play the same reciter at home and recite the surah together at bedtime.
Early readers, ages 6 to 9
Mix listening with reading as Noorani Qaida progresses. Your child can follow the words in the mushaf while repeating. Ask them to say each new surah in Salah for a week, so it gets used. A sticker chart with one sticker per completed surah works well for many children at this age.
Older children, ages 9 to 12
Your child can read the ayah first, then memorise it, and use the page to self-correct. They are ready to understand the meaning notes in the table above, and knowing what a surah says helps it stay. Ask them to start from the middle of a surah to check real recall.
Keeping them once they are learned
The surahs at the top of the list will start to fade as the list grows, unless they come round regularly. A simple rule: every home session starts with the newest lines, then one older surah from the list, rotating so each comes back every week or two.
Salah is the easiest revision there is. A child who rotates through these surahs in their prayers revises without extra time. If prayer itself is still new, our guide on teaching namaz to kids at home and our Salah classes for kids cover it.
After the fifteen
The next surahs backwards are Al-Adiyat, Az-Zalzalah, Al-Bayyinah, Al-Qadr and onwards towards An-Naba, where the surahs get longer. Our Juz Amma memorisation for kids page explains how one-to-one lessons take a child through the whole of the last juz.
If you are wondering whether these short surahs should turn into full memorisation, read whether your child is ready for Hifz. And for the techniques behind making each surah stick, see how children memorise the Quran.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the shortest surah in the Quran?
Al-Kawthar, surah 108, with three ayahs. Al-Asr and An-Nasr also have three ayahs each, but their ayahs are longer.
Should my child say Bismillah before each surah?
Children are usually taught to begin each surah with Bismillah, and to begin with seeking refuge when starting a recitation. Details differ slightly between schools of thought, so follow what your child's teacher or local scholar teaches.
Why do ayah counts differ in some lists I find online?
There are a few traditional systems for numbering ayahs, and some lists also make simple mistakes. The counts here follow the numbering printed in most mushafs used today, so check against your own copy if a number looks different.
Is it fine for my child to learn these from a transliteration?
As a short-term bridge for a very young child, some families use it, but transliteration cannot show several Arabic sounds accurately. Learning by listening to a teacher, and reading from the Arabic as soon as possible, avoids mistakes that are hard to undo.