LessonsArrangement of the Qur’an and the Rhetorical Style of SurahsQuiz

Some surahs begin without a lengthy preamble resembling the formal heading of a letter or proclamation. Without a heading does not mean the surah has no name; it means that its opening moves directly into the matter being addressed.

The opening may report someone’s words, present a complaint, declare a decision, or deliver instruction. Its immediacy draws the audience into the concern that the discourse is about to address.

Instead of objecting to the lack of a conventional preface, one should identify the addressee, subject, and purpose of the first sentence. These supply the most useful clues to how the following passages belong together.

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An opening without a formal heading

Arrangement of the Qur’an and the Rhetorical Style of Surahs

Some surahs begin without a lengthy preamble resembling the formal heading of a letter or proclamation. Without a heading does not mean the surah has no name; it means that its opening moves directly into the matter being addressed.

The opening may report someone’s words, present a complaint, declare a decision, or deliver instruction. Its immediacy draws the audience into the concern that the discourse is about to address.

Instead of objecting to the lack of a conventional preface, one should identify the addressee, subject, and purpose of the first sentence. These supply the most useful clues to how the following passages belong together.