The numbers in most Mushafs don't look like 1, 2, 3. At the end of every verse, at the top of every page, and beside every juz, you'll see numbers like ١٢٣. These are Eastern Arabic numerals, and they are much easier than they look. Learn ten shapes and you can find any verse.
The ten numerals
Western | Arabic (Madinah Mushaf) | Indo-Pak Mushaf |
|---|---|---|
0 | ٠ | ۰ |
1 | ١ | ۱ |
2 | ٢ | ۲ |
3 | ٣ | ۳ |
4 | ٤ | ۴ |
5 | ٥ | ۵ |
6 | ٦ | ۶ |
7 | ٧ | ۷ |
8 | ٨ | ۸ |
9 | ٩ | ۹ |
South Asian (Indo-Pak) Mushafs use the same numbers, but 4, 5 and 6 have slightly different shapes.
The surprise: numbers read left to right
Arabic text is written right to left — but numbers are written left to right, just like in English. So:
- ١٢ is 12 (one, two), not 21.
- ٢٥٥ is 255 — Ayat al-Kursi, Al-Baqarah 2:255.
- ٢٨٦ is 286 — the last verse of Al-Baqarah.
Tricks to remember the shapes
- ٠ (zero) is just a dot. Don't confuse it with a vowel mark.
- ٥ (five) looks like a little circle or heart — not a zero.
- ٤ (four) looks a little like a backwards 3.
- ٦ (six) has a small hook at the top, and ٧ (seven) looks like a V.
- ٨ (eight) looks like an upside-down V.
- ١ (one) is a simple line, and ٩ (nine) looks like a 9 that lost its tail.
Where you'll see numbers in the Mushaf
Where | What it tells you |
|---|---|
Inside the small circle at the end of a verse | The verse number |
Top or bottom of the page | The page number (1–604 in the Madinah Mushaf) |
In the top margin | The juz number |
Next to the ۞ sign | The start of a quarter of a hizb |
In the box at the start of each surah | The surah number and its number of verses |
To learn what the other signs mean, see our guide to the symbols in the Quran, and for how the Quran is divided, read surah, juz and hizb explained.
Practice: find these verses
Open your Mushaf and find:
- Surah ٢, verse ٢٥٥ (Ayat al-Kursi)
- Surah ١٨, verse ١٠ (end of the first ten verses of Al-Kahf)
- Surah ٣٦, verse ١ (the start of Ya-Sin)
- Surah ٦٧, verse ١ (the start of Al-Mulk)
If you found them all, you can read Arabic numerals.
For more beginner help, see our guides to Arabic letter forms and the vowel marks, or start with a teacher in learn the Quran for beginners.
FAQ
Why are the numbers in the Quran different?
Most Mushafs use Eastern Arabic numerals (٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩), which are traditional in the Middle East and South Asia. They are the same numbers with different shapes.
Are Arabic numbers read right to left?
No. Even though Arabic text is written right to left, numbers are written and read left to right, like in English.
What does ٥ mean?
Five. It is often confused with zero, which in Arabic is just a dot (٠).
Why do Indo-Pak Mushafs show 4, 5 and 6 differently?
They use the Persian-Urdu forms of these three numerals (۴ ۵ ۶). The values are the same.
Sources
- Eastern Arabic numerals — Wikipedia
- Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255 — Quran.com