Sūrat Yūsuf (Part 2)
Part 2 of observations on the structure, organization, and cohesion of Sūrat Yūsuf.
Last week we explored one of the earliest proposed structures of Sūrat Yūsuf. Today, we will explore another structure, which is arguably the better proposition. It fits the narrative better and breaks down the story into smaller parts. This structure shows the sūrah placed into a ring, with the interpretation of the King’s dream being the point of inflection.1
For the sake of readability, just like the paper this research is taken from, I will use the proper nouns from extra-Quranic sources for characters in the narrative who are not named in the sūrah. Thus, we will use “Potiphar” instead of al-ʿAzīz, “Zulaykhā” instead of the wife of al-ʿAzīz, and “Benjamin” for Joseph’s brother.
[J] can be further dissected to demonstrate a more detailed ring structure.
Again, the connections are self-explanatory, so a detailed justification for each pairing is unneeded.
Breaking down Sections [I] and [I’], which detail Jacob’s family drama, we find that the events display, with one exception, parallelism. The structure may be summarized as follows:
With the exception of [I5]/[I5’] and [I6]/[I6’], the two sections are parallel to each other. In [I], Jacob is brought the shirt with false blood ([I5]), and then resigns himself to patience ([I6]). In [I’], this order is flipped. Jacob first resigns himself to patience ([I6’]), then the true shirt of Joseph is brought to him ([I5’]). By switching the order, maybe we are learning that ṣabr (patience/perseverance) can be in response to calamity (the expected reaction) as well as in hopes of reward (the unexpected action, and thus, the unexpected parallel order).
Finally, notice that both of the above structures do not delve into the “Preface/Prologue” (āyāt 1-3 in both) nor the “Epilogue/Conclusion” (āyāt 102-111 in both). More recent research has made an attempt to dissect these sections and show relationships between them. We will explore these connections in the final part next week.
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Qureshi, Jawad Anwar. “Ring Composition in Sūrat Yūsuf (Q 12).” Journal of the International Qur'anic Studies Association, vol. 2, 2017, pp. 149–168. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5913/jiqsa.2.2017.a007. Accessed 26 Sept. 2020.