Symmetries in the extremities of Sura al-Yasin

Dr. Neal Robinson (a non-Muslim scholar) has found that “the somewhat repetitive nature of the Introduction and Conclusion is accounted for once it is recognized not only that they complement each other but also that they both have a chiastic structure.”

Here is the rhetorical analysis from Dr. Neal Robinson, Discovering the Qur’an (London: SCM Press Ltd, 1996), pages 151-152:

Introduction

A     The book of revelation

              B     Thou warn

                             C     They will not believe

                                           D     Lampoon

                             C’    They will not believe

              B’    Thou warn

A’    The book of reckoning

Conclusion

A     God’s word: revelation

              B     The creation of things benefiting man

                             C     Reliance on other gods

                                           D     Solace for the Messenger about their word

                             C’    Comparing others with God

              B’    The creation of man

A’    God’s word: re-creation