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Structural Cohesion In The Quran [A Series]: Surah Al Bayyinah

Published

July 14, 2023

This is a continuation of a series on the structure and organization of the Quran (though this piece should have been released first, many factors did not allow for it. I am sorry). The goal is to help the reader appreciate the amazing coherence of Allah’s word and dismantle the myth of the “random” and “unorganized” Quran.

سُورَة البَيِّنَة

Sūrat al-Bayyinah

Sūrat al-Bayyinah (The Clear Proof), while short in length, has some of the most exhaustive commentary written on it, especially pertaining to the opening āyāt. The sūrah is named after the mention of “al-Bayyinah (the clear proof),” which Allah ﷻ sent down to guide mankind. The sūrah is contested as to where it was revealed, with scholars arguing heavily for either Makkah or Madinah.

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When observed in whole, the sūrah appears to form a ring structure.¹

A – Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted [from misbelief] until there came to them clear evidence – (1) A Messenger from Allah, reciting purified scriptures (2) Within which are correct writings. (3) Nor did those who were given the Scripture become divided until after there had come to them clear evidence. (4)

B – And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakat. And that is the correct religion. (5)

A’ – Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein. Those are the worst of creatures. (6) Indeed, they who have believed and done righteous deeds – those are the best of creatures. (7) Their reward with Allah will be gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them and they with Him. That is for whoever has feared his Lord. (8)

CONNECTIONS

[A]/[A’] – The sūrah begins by describing the “bayyinah” which came to separate people into believers and disbelievers. The ending declares the outcomes for people on either side of that division. Those who disbelieved in the face of clear evidence are labeled as the “worst of creatures (sharrul bariyyah),” while those who chose to believe and act on that belief are labeled as “the best of creatures (khayrul bariyyah).”

[B] – The center of the sūrah focuses on the integrals of al-Bayyinah. What does it mean to follow the clear evidence and dīn (religion) of Allah ﷻ? The message sent is one consistent with the message of all previous messengers; messengers the disbelievers would have been familiar with before the coming of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Broken down further, the three sections appear to form their own individual structures. Section [A] is a ring structure.

A1 – Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted [from misbelief] until there came to them clear evidence – (1)	No separation until *al-Bayyinah (clear evidence)* came
A2 – A Messenger from Allah, reciting purified scriptures (2) Within which are correct writings. (3)	Description of *al-Bayyinah*
A1’ – Nor did those who were given the Scripture become divided until after there had come to them clear evidence. (4)	No division until *al-Bayyinah* came

The center appears to form a mirror structure.

B1 – And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth,	Follow the correct *Dīn (religion)*
B2 – and to establish prayer	Worship
B2’ – and to give zakat.	Worship
B1’ – And that is the correct religion. (5)	The correct *Dīn*

And Section [A’] forms what seems to be another mirror structure.

A3 – Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein.	Recompense of Disbelievers
A4 – Those are the worst of creatures. (6)	Worst
A4’ – Indeed, they who have believed and done righteous deeds – those are the best of creatures. (7)	Best
A3’ – Their reward with Allah will be gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them and they with Him. That is for whoever has feared his Lord. (8)	Recompense of Believers

And Allah ﷻ knows best.

[If the study of the Quran’s structure interests you, please check out Heavenly Order for many more examples of the Quran’s amazing organization and coherence.]

– Structural Cohesion In The Quran [A Series]: Surah Al Ikhlas – MuslimMatters.org

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Munir Eltal

Munir Eltal has a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an Arabic Certificate from Bayyinah Institute. He is currently a Project Manager for a medical device company in Southern California. He studies at Institute of Knowledge (IOK) in Diamond Bar, CA through their full-time seminary program. He also teaches Arabic at IOK for their part-time seminary program. He runs the weekly blog, Heavenly Order, where he researches the organization, structure, and cohesion of the ayahs and surahs of the Quran.

1 Comment

Abdulhai

August 17, 2023 at 6:29 AM

Asalamualikum!

This post is truly impressive and enlightening. Your analysis of Quranic structural cohesion beautifully reveals divine wisdom. The Quran is a cohesive message with a divine origin. May Allah bless your efforts and enrich your knowledge.

My question: How can we leverage structural analysis for enhanced recitation and reflection? How do we tap into embedded connections for deeper understanding? Your insights are eagerly anticipated.

Thanks!

Reply