In the structure of the Quran, the works of experts like Raymond Farrin stand out, particularly regarding “Symmetries and the Ring System.”
The writings under this title have especially benefited from Farrin’s research. Farrin is an academic who completed his Ph.D.
in Arabic language and literature at the University of California, Berkeley. After studying
Arabic poetry, he began researching the structure of the Quran. Following his findings on the
ring (structure) system in the Quran, he concluded that it would have been impossible for
Prophet Muhammad to have created such a structure, leading him to embrace Islam.
From these studies, it is understood that there is a symmetrical arrangement both in the
order of the surahs in the Quran, the internal structure of the surahs, and in certain verses.
The symmetries in the Quran manifest in several ways. One of them is parallelism, where
the structure follows the pattern A1-B1-A2-B2. Another is chiasmus, where the structure
follows the pattern A1-B1-B2-A2. The most common symmetry in the Quran is concentrism,
where the structure follows the pattern A1-B1-M-B2-A2 around a central point. In this
structure, the same letters represent related content. You can better understand what is
meant by centrism symmetry by looking at the simple example below:
A1 = I entered the shopping mall with my car.
B1 = I ate pizza in the shopping mall.
C1 = I chatted with a friend I met in the shopping mall.
M = I bought basketball clothes in the shopping mall.
C2 = I chatted with the sales assistant in the clothing store at the shopping mall.
B2 = I ate cake in the shopping mall.
A2 = I drove my car back home from the shopping mall.
As seen, the entries and exits with the car in A sections are described symmetrically. In the
B sections, the items eaten are described symmetrically as well. The C sections describe the
conversations that took place. In the center, the M section describes the purchase of
basketball clothes. In concentric symmetries, the most important or interesting event is
generally placed at the center. Since the structure connects the beginning to the end, the
second part to the second-to-last part, and other sections in a similar manner, it has been
referred to as a “ring” relationship, and such structures are named the “ring system.”
We can witness the symmetrical structures within the Quran starting from Surah Al-Fatiha:
1 – In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
2-3-4 – Praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the
worlds. Sovereignty O merhametlidir, şefkatlidir. He is Merciful, Compassionate.
He is the Master of the Day of Judgment.
5 – We worship You alone, and
You alone we ask for help. The central verse; related both to the beginning and the end
6-7 – Guide us to the straight path. The path of those whom You have favored.
Not the path of those who
have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who are astray.
In this structure, we observe the use of symmetry, where themes like mercy, sovereignty,
and guidance mirror one another across the verses, creating a balanced and interconnected
flow within the Surah.
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