Imam al-Suyūṭī and Symmetry in the Qur’an: Understanding the Connection Between the Beginning and Ending of Surahs

The Qur’an is a shoreless ocean of treasures. The combined lifespans of humanity are insufficient to collect all its pearls. Yet, every sincere Muslim should desire to become better skilled at diving into its wondrous depths. It enhances your ability to transform your spirit through deeper tadabbur (contemplation) of the Qur’an in general, and in particular, through recognizing some of the possible secrets behind how each sūrah (chapter) of the Qur’an begins and ends.

For half a millennium and counting, the leading scholars of Islam have regarded the great Imam Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī (d. 911H/1505CE, Allah grant him mercy) as a towering super-expert on the Qur’an, and hold his seminal project, al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān, as one of the most authoritative, indispensable references on the Qur’anic sciences. After summarizing in al-Itqān earlier scholarship on the ten brilliant styles of “opening statements” that every sūrah falls within, and how the “closing remarks” of every sūrah are perfectly suited to retain its most important themes,

 al-Suyūṭī dedicated a standalone treatise called Marāṣid al-Maṭāliʿ (Capturing the Beginnings) to demonstrate the evident symmetry or parity between the introduction and conclusion of each sūrah.