Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ (Part 2)
Part 2 of observations on the structure, organization and coherence of Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ
This is Part 2 of our breakdown of Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ (The Story). Check out the previous part before proceeding.
Mirror Structure of Āyāt 14-16 (Choosing Sides)
CONNECTIONS
[J]/[J’] – Allah ﷻ granted Moses wisdom and knowledge and informed us that this is a manifestation of His reward for good people. The passage ends with Moses using that wisdom and knowledge to seek forgiveness for his mistake. Allah ﷻ then rewards him with immediate forgiveness.
[K]/[K’] – Moses entered the at a time of inattention by its people and, unfortunately for him, it is later revealed that Moses himself was inattentive to the unseen Satan, even though Satan is described as a “clear (mubīn)” enemy.
[L]/[L’] – Two different actions of Moses. He first found two people, but then he decided to get involved and punched and unintentionally killed one man in his attempt to aid the other.
[M]/[M’] – The center summarizes why Moses got himself in trouble. There were two factions facing off, one from his people (the Jews), and the other from the Egyptians and he was forced to choose a side.
Mirror Structure of Āyāt 17-21 (What Moses Wants)
CONNECTIONS
[N]/[N’] – Moses opens and closes the passage calling out to his Master saying, “My Lord (rabbi)…”. The first is a promise to not support the criminals, which compliments well with his prayer to be saved from the oppressors.
[O]/[O’] – Moses enters and leaves the city in the same state of fearfulness (khāifā) and anxiety (yataraqqab).
[P]/[P’] – Opposite the previous passage, Moses tells the fellow Jew who sought his help that he is “an evident deviator.” Then, in contrast, he is approached by a local Egyptian man – from his “enemy” as the previous passage tells us – who offers his own help and calls himself a “sincere advisor.”
[Q]/[Q’] – The center is a summary of the outlying parts, with two different wants being highlighted. Moses wants (‘arāda) to help, but he is instead accused of wanting (turīdu) to cause tyranny.
Ring Structure of Āyāt 22-24 (Women in Need)
CONNECTIONS
[R]/[R’] – Moses begins the section turning to Madyan and making a prayer. The passage ends with him turning to the shade and making another prayer.
[S]/[S’] – Moses found a crowd of people watering their herds. The corresponding section has Moses watering the women’s herd.
[T]/[T’] – Moses found two women waiting. They then explain why they were waiting.
[U] – The ring centers on questioning the need of the women. And just as they had a need, the outer portions of this ring reference the needs of Moses.’
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.