Ayah
Āyah (; Arabic: آية; plural: āyāt آيات) means "evidence" or "sign". In the context of Islam's principal scripture, the Quran, ayah is used to mean "verse", i.e. each statement or paragraph marked by a number.
Overview
Although meaning "verse" when using the Quran, it is doubtful whether "ayah" means anything other than "sign" or "remarkable event" in the Quran's text. The "signs" refer to various phenomena, ranging from the universe, its creation, the alternation between day and night, rainfall, the life and growth plants, etc. Other references are to miracles or to the rewards of belief and the fate of unbelievers. For example:
Chapters in the Quran consist of several verses, varying in number from 3 to 286. Within a long chapter, the verses may be further grouped into thematic sequences or passages.
For the purpose of interpretation, the verses are separated into two groups: those that are clear and unambiguous (muhkam) and those that are allegorical (mutashabeh). This distinction is based on the Quran itself: "It is God Who has sent down to you the Book. In it are verses that are 'clear', they are the foundation of the Book. Others are 'allegorical' but those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except God. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: We believe in the Book, the whole of it is from our Lord. And none will grasp the Message except men of understanding."