Names · a Light

Most chapter names come from one word, not the theme

Surah al-Baqarah is called the Cow after an episode of seven verses in a chapter of 286, in which Musa tells his people to sacrifice a cow and they ask a series of questions to avoid doing it. Surah al-Nahl is the Bee, from two verses about where the bee is taught to build. Surah al-Naml is the Ant, from a single ant who warns her colony to get out of Sulayman's way. Surah al-Ankabut is the Spider, from one image of a fragile house. The names work like handles. They pick a word that appears nowhere nearby, so anyone can find the chapter. They are not summaries, and reading them as summaries misleads.

Chapter names taken from a rare word

Source · Qur'an 2:67-73, 16:68-69, 27:18, 29:41