Read the Qur'an the way classical scholars studied it: one ayah in the center of the page, surrounded by commentary from five mufassirun spanning more than a thousand years of Sunni tradition.
What the Mushaf View looks like
One ayah anchors the page. Four classical and modern Sunni mufassirun frame it on the sides, with a fifth running along the bottom. Click any commentator name in the live view for a quick bio.
What is a mushaf?
The word itself
Mushaf (plural masahif) literally means "a collection of pages bound between two covers" - from the Arabic root s-h-f, the same root as sahifah ("page, sheet"). It is the physical, written codex.
Qur'an vs. mushaf
The Qur'an is the divine revelation in its recited, oral form - the word literally means "the Recitation." The mushaf is the bound book object you hold in your hand. A hafiz carries the Qur'an without a mushaf; a closed book on a shelf is a mushaf without active recitation.
Mushaf Uthmani
The standardized written codex was first compiled under Abu Bakr (RA) after the Battle of Yamama and standardized under Uthman ibn Affan (RA) around 650 CE - which is why the canonical text is called the Mushaf Uthmani.
Why this layout?
In the classical hand-copied tradition the central ayah was written large in the middle of the page, with commentaries, translations, and qira'at variants wrapping around it in the margins (the hawamish). This view brings that page-as-study-board format to the web.
Pick any ayah
Defaults to al-Fatihah 1:1. Pick a different surah and ayah, or paste an S:A reference, and we'll open the Mushaf View on that verse.
Featured starting points
Six widely-studied ayahs that open up rich commentary across all five mufassirun.
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Q 1:1
Al-Fatihah 1:1
The opening of the Qur'an - the verse every Muslim recites in every prayer.
Open in Mushaf View → -
Q 2:255
Ayat al-Kursi (2:255)
The Throne Verse - the most celebrated ayah on the nature of God.
Open in Mushaf View → -
Q 2:286
Al-Baqarah 2:286
The closing of the longest surah - a comprehensive supplication.
Open in Mushaf View → -
Q 36:1
Ya-Sin 36:1
The heart of the Qur'an, recited at gatherings and moments of need.
Open in Mushaf View → -
Q 112:1
Al-Ikhlas 112:1
The four-verse declaration of divine oneness.
Open in Mushaf View → -
Q 113:1
Al-Falaq 113:1
One of the two "seeking-refuge" surahs that close the Qur'an.
Open in Mushaf View →
What you'll see
- Center panel: the Arabic ayah, the chosen English translation, and inline green-pill prev/next ayah navigation.
- Four corner panels + one bottom panel: five mufassirun arrayed around the center. Each panel toggles between English and Arabic where both editions exist.
- Hover any commentator name: a bio card appears with their lifetime, where they were active, their school of thought, and the style of tafsir they wrote.
- Translator dropdown: switch the center English translation between several scholarly options - your choice persists across visits.
The five mufassirun on every page
These five tafsir works appear on every Mushaf View page. Together they span the classical and modern Sunni tradition.
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Ibn Kathir
Hadith-driven Sunni tafsir; one of the most widely-used commentaries today.
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Al-Jalalayn
Compact two-author classic - terse, precise, ayah-by-ayah.
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Tanwir al-Miqbas
Attributed to Ibn 'Abbas; one of the earliest tafsir traditions.
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Ma'arif-ul-Quran
Modern Sunni reference by Mufti Shafi Usmani - rich in jurisprudential detail.
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Tazkirul Quran
Wahiduddin Khan's contemporary commentary - direct, ethical, accessible.