How to Put Tabs in Your Quran: A Step-by-Step Guide

A calm, respectful method to index all 114 Surahs neatly – even if it’s your first time.

By The Dhikrr Team5 min read

How to Put Tabs in Your Quran: A Step-by-Step Guide

Searching for a Surah page by page can break your focus right when you want to read. Quran tabs fix that in an elegant way: one glance at the edge of your Mushaf, and you open exactly where you need to be – in class, during your Hifz review, or in the quiet of Fajr. Here is our simple guide on how to put tabs in Quran.

Placing 114 tabs evenly takes a little care. Here is the method our customers use for a clean, professional result.

You will need

Your Mushaf and its table of contents
Your tab sheets and the placement guide
A clean, flat table with good light
About 45 minutes – and a little patience

Before you begin

Out of respect for the words of Allah, many people make wudu before handling the Mushaf for this task. Clear your table, wash and dry your hands, and keep the table of contents open beside you so you know the page of each Surah.

Step 1 – Plan your columns

Tabs are placed in diagonal columns down the outer edge of the pages. Each new Surah goes one position lower; when you reach the bottom, you start a new column at the top. A large Mushaf fits more tabs per column than a compact one – decide this before the first tab.

Good to know

If your placement guide is shorter than your page, cut a strip of cardstock to the full height of the page and mark evenly spaced lines on it. It becomes your custom guide.

Step 2 – Start with Al-Fatiha

Applying a Quran tab from the pre-cut sheet — Peel each tab cleanly from the pre-cut sheet, then align it with the guide.

Open to the first page of Surah Al-Fatiha. Align the guide with the top of the page, peel the first tab and press it so that about half extends beyond the page edge.

Step 3 – Continue in order

Move Surah by Surah, always in order, placing each tab one position lower than the last. Working in strict order is the best way to avoid gaps and overlaps. Every ten tabs, close the Mushaf and look at the edge from the side: you should see clean, even diagonals.

Quran tabs neatly applied on a Mushaf — Even spacing keeps every Surah name readable at a glance.

Step 4 – Press gently and let it set

Press each tab firmly along the page, but gently. Quality tabs are designed to stay in place once applied, so take your time on each one rather than trying to reposition it later.

Step 5 – Make the blank tabs yours

Blank tabs are where your Mushaf becomes personal. Mark the start of each Juz you’ll read during Ramadan, the page of a beloved dua, your current Hifz lesson, or the Surah you recite every Friday.

“And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance – so is there anyone who will remember?”
Surah Al-Qamar 54:17

Why transliteration matters

Close-up of Quran tabs with transliteration, English name and ayah count — Phonetic name, English meaning and ayah count on every tab.

For new Muslims, children and anyone still learning Arabic, a tab that shows Al-Baqara – The Cow – 286 Ayah is more than a bookmark. It teaches the names and meanings of the Surahs every time you open your Mushaf.