Do the narrations of the Holy Quran differ regarding the beginning and end of verses, and in merging two verses into one, such as the difference in considering "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: Alif, Lam, Meem" as the first verse of Surat Al-Baqarah?
Scholars have differed on the number of verses in the Holy Quran, especially in Surat Al-Fatiha, between those who considered the Basmala (Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim) a verse and those who did not. While they all agree that the verses of Al-Fatiha are seven, those who considered the Basmala a verse made the last verse of Al-Fatiha a single verse. Those who did not consider it a verse made the last verse two verses. The total number of verses in the Quran is more than six thousand. The reason for this difference is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would pause at the end of verses to teach his companions, which led to a disagreement in determining the end of some verses. This difference does not result in any increase or decrease in the Holy Quran.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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