Sūrat al-Mursalāt
Observations on the structure, coherence and organization of Sūrat al-Mursalāt in the Quran
Sūrat al-Mursalāt (Those Sent Forth) is an early Makkan sūrah whose subject matter reflects that. Like other early revelation, this sūrah focuses on the themes of resurrection, the Hereafter, and warning of the consequences that follow the acceptance or rejection of guidance.
It appears that the sūrah may be summarized into a parallel structure.
Summarizing the sections:
CONNECTIONS
[A]/[A’] - Together, both passages detail the absolute control of Allah ﷻ. In [A], Allah ﷻ swears an oath by His control of the of the winds as a demonstration of His power in this life. The same winds that can provide a cool breeze and spread rain clouds can be used to destroy a nation if Allah ﷻ so wills.
In [A’], Allah ﷻ describes His control on the Day of Judgment. No one shall speak without His permission and the only plan to be executed on that Day is His plan. The two passages are also linked through their usage of two words that share the same root letters for the word, “excuse”. In [A], Allah ﷻ says that after one is confronted with revelation, there will be no more excuses (ʿudhran). And in [A’], Allah ﷻ tells us that no one will be permitted to offer excuses (yaʿtadhirūn) on the Day of Judgment.
[B]/[B’] - Section [B] is unique in that all but one ayah occurs in 3rd person. The warnings offered are general and not directed to any particular person. Allah ﷻ describes the upheaval that will occur on the Day of Judgment and even when He mentions the destruction of the “former generations,” the warning remains general as He says, “This is how We deal with the criminals.”
In complement to this, [B’] describes those who were intelligent enough to take heed of the warning despite it not being directly addressed to them. They will enjoy all Paradise has to offer because, “this is how We reward those who do good”
[C]/[C’] - Finally, the first half, [C], ends with Allah ﷻ directly threatening the wrong-doers (2nd person) in a series of rhetorical questions whose conclusion describes the disbelievers as being told to, “Proceed into that Fire which you used to deny! Proceed into the shade of smoke which rises in three columns, providing neither coolness nor shelter from the flames.”
[C’] ends on a similar note with the disbelievers being sarcastically told to “eat and enjoy yourselves for a little; surely you are criminals.” They refused to “bow down,” to Allah ﷻ in this life so the entire sūrah sternly concludes as Allah ﷻ says of them, “So what message after this [Quran] would they believe in?”
It has also been shown that Sūrat al-Mursalāt can be organized into a ring structure as well.1
CONNECTIONS
[D]/[D’] – Allah ﷻ begins the sūrah swearing by natural and supernatural phenomena and mentions the cataclysmic events of the Day of Judgment. All this is in service of emphasizing the promise of accountability that is sure to happen. In a similar light, the final section outlines the results of the impending judgment. We will either be of those rewarded with Paradise, or those thrown into Hellfire.
[E]/[E’] – Allah ﷻ speaks of yawm al-faṣl (the Day of Separation) in both sections. In the first, He says He destroyed the sinners of former nations. In the latter, He talks about the destruction of current sinners, though He does so by speaking about the Day of Judgment as if it were occurring right now.
[F] – This sūrah is entirely apocalyptic save for a discussion of the beginnings of humanity and the earth in its center.
Looking at the center in more detail, we find another ring structure.2
CONNECTIONS
[F1]/[F1’] – The ring begins as it ends, “waylun yawmaʾidhin li-lmukadhdhibīn (Woe, that Day, to the deniers).”
[F2]/[F2’] – There is a contrast between the despicable water out of which humanity were made and the sweet water which Allah ﷻ gives people to drink.
[F3]/[F3’] – Allah ﷻ describes the womb as a place where we are formed and fashioned for a determined amount of time (i.e., the ~9 months of pregnancy). Similarly, the earth is described as a container, but for both the living and the dead. And just as the sperm was firmly lodged into the womb, the mountains are deeply rooted into the earth.
[F4] – Not surprisingly, the central pivot falls on the line “Woe on that Day to those who rejected” (waylun yawmaʾidhin li-lmukadhdhibīn), which appears nine times throughout the entire sūrah as its reprise.
And Allah ﷻ knows best.
Archer, George. A Place Between Two Places: The Qur’ān’s Intermediate State and the Early History of the Barzakh. 2015. Georgetown University, PhD dissertation. Pg. 177
I have altered the author’s original ring structure ever-so-slightly to make better sense of the connections he was drawing.