Sūrah Al-Qiyāmah and Sūrah Al-Insān

Observations of the symmetry between Sūrah al-Qiyāmah and Sūrah al-Insān

We’ve previously observed the structures of Sūrah al-Qiyāmah (The Standing) and Sūrah al-Insān (The Human Being), but there are new observation we’d like to share.

---

Symmetry

It has been demonstrated that the contents of each sūrah form a ring structure when brought together. It should be noted that Sūrah al-Qiyāmah immediately precedes Sūrah al-Insān in the Quran’s compiled order. See the graphic below, with relevant āyah numbers shown in parenthesis:

---

Parallels in Sūrah al-Qiyāmah

In addition to the above symmetry, there appear to be parallels in the contents of Sūrah al-Qiyāmah. It has been proposed that the surah may be structured as so:

---

Parallels in Sūrah al-Insān

Surah al-Insān is also said to have its own parallel structures. It’s been proposed that the surah may be organized as follows:

The one parallel that may need further clarification is between [B3] and [B3’]. In [B3] the shade is said to be brought near (‘alay-hi) just as the Quran was revealed and brought near (‘alay-ka) to the Messenger ﷺ in [B3’]. Similarly, the fruits are humbled and brought down to the inhabitants of Paradise in [B3]. Likewise in [B3’], the Messenger ﷺ is told to humble himself in prayer and to bow down in doing so.

---

Pairs in Surah al-Insān

When we study Sūrah al-Insān, we see that there is an emphasis on freedom of choice, so it’s interesting that most of the topics mentioned in this sūrah are in pairs, as if to emphasize the options we have while we’re still alive:

والله أعلم - And Allah knows best

Sources

These observations are thanks to Ammar L.