Surah 17 (Al-Isrâ) - a structural analysis
-
Salam aleykoum,
PDF available here
- via the website https//reveniraucoran.fr/ ("|pdf" button)
- directly https//reveniraucoran.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Literary_Composition_of_the_Quran-2025-03-30.pdf
I invite you to download it to take advantage of the bookmarks (which are activated), and so get a better overview of the textual structure of the suras studied.
-
I have provided the main structure of this surah, and given you keys elements for a better understanding of this surah. This serves as a foundation for your own meditation, and that is something I cannot do for you. I have spared you a lengthy task by offering the essentials, letting the text speak as best as I could.
However, having knowledge of rhetorical analysis (Semitic rhetoric) and Lund's laws ("Chiasmus in the New Testament. A Study in the Form and Function of Chiastic Structures," Nils W. Lund) would enable you to better understand how the Quranic text is constructed and the conclusions it leads to. I encourage you to explore these concepts if you haven't already before.
But, if you have specific questions or need some precise clarification about the structural analysis of this surah (or others surah), i would be please to answer them.
-
I have provided the main structure of this surah, and given you keys elements for a better understanding of this surah. This serves as a foundation for your own meditation, and that is something I cannot do for you. I have spared you a lengthy task by offering the essentials, letting the text speak as best as I could.
However, having knowledge of rhetorical analysis (Semitic rhetoric) and Lund's laws ("Chiasmus in the New Testament. A Study in the Form and Function of Chiastic Structures," Nils W. Lund) would enable you to better understand how the Quranic text is constructed and the conclusions it leads to. I encourage you to explore these concepts if you haven't already before.
But, if you have specific questions or need some precise clarification about the structural analysis of this surah (or others surah), i would be please to answer them.
Would it not be better to segment the Chapter into Paragraphs?
Topic Sentence
Typically the first sentence, it states the main idea of the paragraph and sets the tone for the details that follow.
It provides a clear and concise assertion that the rest of the paragraph elaborates on.Supporting Details
Evidence, facts, examples, or explanations that expand on the topic sentence.
These details add depth, clarify the idea, and convince the reader of the point being made.Logical Organization
Ideas are presented in a structured manner, often following a sequence such as chronological order, cause-and-effect, comparison, or general-to-specific.Unity
Every sentence in the paragraph relates to the main idea expressed in the topic sentence. Irrelevant details are excluded to maintain focus.Concluding Sentence
-
Would it not be better to segment the Chapter into Paragraphs?
I divided it in main textual units according to the principles of structural analysis (or Semitic rhetoric), I aimed to highlight the overall structure of this long surah. It is certain that this requires effort for the reader (but not too much i think). Ideally, the text should be detailed in Arabic, explaining all the levels and their interconnections, as well as the relationships between them (whether adjacent or distant). However, I neither have the time nor the literary talent to do so....And even then, it would need to be paired with Surah 16, with which it forms a duo (also divided into three parts). So, this is a compromise that allows the reader greater freedom for meditation and possibly to redo the work and compare our results.
However, having some knowledge of structural analysis, and practicing it, is definitely an advantage for better understanding the composition of the text.Logical Organization
Ideas are presented in a structured manner, often following a sequence such as chronological order, cause-and-effect, comparison, or general-to-specific.Warning The Quran is not primarily structured according to the logical principles of our modern mentality (Greco-Roman heritage). For example, the effect may precede the cause, or the text may combine chronologically distant elements.
"According to this rhetoric (Semitic rhetoric), texts are built on the basis of a complex set of symmetries, at various textual levels. The “rhetorical analysis” is the technique which allows bringing to light the composition of texts according to this rhetoric. It establishes the coherence of texts which, at first sight, seems muddled. It is also the way towards a faithful interpretation of the text. " (M. Cuypers, The Semitic rhetoric in the Koran and a Pharaonic papyrus)A brief aside about the verse 1 it is a unique one due to its singular rhyme in this surah, and could have been understood as an introduction. However, among other aspects, there is a similar structure between the sub-parts A and A' of part I (a same thematic sequence, each sub-parts are composed of two sub-sections). Additionally, the key term "masjid" frames sub-part A (and linked verse 1 with verses 2-. Part I begins and ends with the mention of signs/āyāt (verse 1 and 59), and the vision at the end of part I refers back to verse 1, clarifying the significance of the night journey. Furthermore, the text starts with the word "sub'ḥāna" (corresponding to the beginning of surah 16, which connects them) and ends with "kabbir'hu takbīran."
-
I divided it in main textual units according to the principles of structural analysis (or Semitic rhetoric)
Are they same?
These textual units can take several forms, from simple textual units (segment) to more complex textual units (section), as described by Roland Meynet
https//reveniraucoran.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/COMPOSITION-LEVELS.jpg
chrome-extension//efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https//reveniraucoran.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Levels-and-figures-of-rhetorical-composition-English.pdf
