Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ (Part 5)
Part 5 of observations on the structure, organization and coherence of Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ
This is Part 4 of our breakdown of Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ (The Story). Check out the previous part before proceeding.
The next four sub-rings make up the internals of Section [B] - Belief versus Disbelief. Here is a quick reminder of this upcoming section:
[B1] - Ring Structure of Āyāt 53-57 (Believers Accept Guidance)
CONNECTIONS
[N]/[N’] – The section begins with the believers saying, “We have believed…”, which is contrasted with those who say in the corresponding section, “If we were to follow the guidance with you, we would be swept from our land.” In the first section, Allah ﷻ promises two rewards for the believers, which is paired with the two gifts mentioned later; “a safe sanctuary” and “fruits”.
[O]/[O’] – A description of the “ignorant” who reject guidance is connected to the fact that it is Allah ﷻ that provides guidance.
[P] – Allah ﷻ reminds us that, ultimately, all guidance is in His control and that, “you do not guide whom you love,” which is a nice summary of the outer lying parts. Appropriately, these specific words in Section [P] are in reference to Abu Ṭālib, the uncle of the Messenger ﷺ. He was someone whom the Messenger ﷺ loved dearly, and someone who helped the burgeoning Muslim community immensely, but he unfortunately rejected faith until his death.
[B2]- Ring Structure of Āyāt 58-59 (Destruction)
CONNECTIONS
[Q]/[Q’] – Allah ﷻ describes an oppressive town that He destroyed. He ﷻ later clarifies that He never destroys a town except if its people were oppressive.
[R]/[R’] – No one has lived in those towns since their destruction, but Allah ﷻ did not destroy them in the first place until they rejected a messenger He had sent to live amongst them.
[S] – Allah ﷻ inherits all – especially after He destroys a people.
[B2’]- Mirror Structure of Āyāt 60-61 (Salvation)
CONNECTIONS
[T]/[T’] – Both parts mention “the enjoyment of worldly life (matāʿul ḥayāt ad-dunyā)” and make it clear that those who indulge in this life will be presented for punishment.
[U]/[U’] – Allah ﷻ tells us that which is with Him is better and more lasting; a promise which He will fulfill. He adds in the next part that He has a “good promise” which will be obtained by those who believe in Him.
[B1’]- Ring Structure of Āyāt 62-68 (Disbelievers Reject Guidance)
CONNECTIONS
[V]/[V’] – Allah ﷻ will first ask the disbelievers to present their fake gods to Him. Later, Allah ﷻ explains that He created those they make into gods and He's above all associations.
[W]/[W’] – Disbelievers are depicted trying to repent to Allah ﷻ on the Day of Judgment. The corresponding part has Allah ﷻ telling us to repent while we are still alive in order to be successful and subsequently avoid the fate of the aforementioned group.
[X]/[X’] – Disbelievers will call their false gods, but the fake idols will not respond. Then the disbelievers will be asked to speak and they will also not respond.
[Y] – The ring centers on what may act as a summary of the surrounding parts; the punishment could have been avoided had they followed guidance.
And thus ends the micro-structuring of the central section, Section [B] - Belief versus Disbelief. We’ll continue our analysis of Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ next week :)
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And Allah ﷻ knows best.