How to Cite the Holy Quran in APA

When you cite well-known, classical works like ancient Greek and Roman stories and religious pieces, you do not need to give an author and date like most APA citations include. However, you do need to clearly indicate where you got the information in order to avoid plagiarism. To cite the Quran, include slightly different information than what you would use for other works.

Citation

According to the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association," 6th edition, although page numbers vary, classical works like the Quran use consistent numbering for specific portions, regardless of the edition referenced. Therefore, write the name of the chapter, or Surah, and verse, or Ayaat, in a parenthesized in-text citation for the Quran passage that you quoted or paraphrased. Write "Quran," without the quotation marks, a space, the number of the chapter, a colon and the verse or verses. Include information to explain which version or edition you used after a comma.

Reference

Typically, all works cited within the text of your paper must have an entry on the reference page at the end. References to classical religious works, such as the Quran are exceptions to this rule. Your citation includes all the essential information for your reader to find the particular passage you quote or paraphrase, chapter and verse, from the book, so the additional bibliographical information usually included on the reference page becomes unnecessary.

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