Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ (Part 1)
Part 1 of observations on the structure, organization and coherence of Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ
Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ (The Story) was revealed during the Makkan phase of the Messenger’s mission, and is the 28th sūrah in the Quran’s compiled order. The sūrah primarily focuses on the life of the Prophet Moses as well as addresses criticisms leveled against the Messenger ﷺ.
On a macro-level, the sūrah appears to be organized into a ring structure with the Story of Moses ([A]) and the Story of Qārūn ([A’]) sandwiching a transition section discussing belief and disbelief ([B]).
Each of these sections can then be split into their own separate mirrors as depicted below. Because the connections at this level are self-evident, I will not be giving a detailed justification for the pairing of sections.
[A] - Story of Moses Mirror Structure; Āyāt 1-52
[B] - Belief versus Disbelief Mirror Structure; Āyāt 53-68
[A’] - Story of Qārūn Mirror Structure; Āyāt 69-88
MICRO-LEVEL STRUCTURES
When we observe the sūrah on a micro-level, we find that there are many, many rings and mirrors making up the internals of the sūrah. Focusing on Section [A] – Story of Moses, we find the subject matter organized into the following 11 structures.
Ring Structure of Āyāt 1-6 (Pharaoh’s Tyranny)
CONNECTIONS
[A]/[A’] – After brief remarks that introduce the story (āyāt 1-3), the ring structure begins with Pharaoh’s self-aggrandizement and ends with him and all his followers being in a frightened state.
[B]/[B’] – Pharaoh subjected the Jewish people, and the paired section shows Allah ﷻ establishing said people with power in the land.
[C]/[C’] – In the top section, Pharaoh was killing the baby boys and oppressing the women, then in the bottom section, Allah ﷻ made them into leaders (the opposite of oppressed people) and inheritors (you need children to inherit).
[D] – The center succinctly summarizes Pharaoh’s character and the damage he was causing the Jewish nation; “he was truly one of the corrupters.”
Mirror Structure of Āyāt 7-13 (Moses’ Mother)
CONNECTIONS
[E]/[E’] – Allah ﷻ inspires the mother of Moses to throw baby Moses into the river and not to be afraid or sad (lā taḥzanī). This passage ends with Allah ﷻ fulfilling His promise by providing her comfort and not allowing her to be sad (lā taḥzana).
[F]/[F’] – Allah ﷻ promises to return (rāddū-hu) Moses to his mother, and the corresponding section has Moses being returned (radadnā-hu).
[G]/[G’] – Pharaoh’s household receives Moses and Pharaoh and his army are called “deliberate sinners.” In contrast, the sister of Moses directs them to her own household, which she labels “sincere.”
[H]/[H’] – Pharaoh’s wife asks to keep Moses and “they do not realize (lā yashʿurūn)” the consequences of their actions. Similarly, the mother of Moses asks a favor of her daughter and tells her to watch Moses while making sure Pharoah’s people “do not realize (lā yashʿurūn)” that she is keeping an eye out for her brother.
[I]/[I’] – Central to this passage is the emotional turmoil Moses’ mother is going through throughout this entire ordeal. Her heart is first described as empty and emotional (fu’ād; an emotional heart) and then her heart is reassured and calmed down (qalb; the calm heart). This is fitting as the first half of this passage was about the stress of losing her child, and the second half was about how she got her child back.
This is where we’ll end this week’s post. Next week we’ll continue exploring the internal structures of Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ. Please share this article around if you found it insightful :)
And Allah ﷻ knows best.
Allahu Akbar. The connections with A2-A2' regarding Musa (as) and pharoah - one floats in the water and one drowns. Never saw that connection. BarakaAllah feek!