The Beauty of the Apparently Unstructured Qur'an
When I send voice messages over WhatsApp, it’s not unusual for me to cancel them mid-way and then record all over until I’m satisfied. Even at my fluent best, when I play back the audio, I can hear long pauses and some poor word choices. Ask me to read the Quran and in sha Allah I can recite tens of pages in one go without a stutter. The fluency and the flow during the Quran recitation is a one of a kind experience.
A Direct Conversation
For a long time I wondered why the Qur’an is repetitive and unstructured. Yasir Qadhi stated that the Quran is conversational; it’s a direct conversation between Man and his Creator. Over time, I realized the beauty behind this nature. The Quran is the spoken word of Allah. Speakers who write books know the challenge of converting lectures to text. Stephen Covey, in 'The Seven Habits', acknowledged this challenge. Good writing usually compensates for lacking tone and body language, yet the Qur’an uses the same words for both oral and text and still delivers the message home.
The Wisdom of Repetition
In a book form, you can read it anytime. But when revealed, you couldn't recite the entire Qur’an on a listener at once. You have a short window to make your point. The repetitive nature ensures that no matter which chapter is recited, the key message—consequences of disbelief and reward for faith—is communicated effectively.
The Random Passage Test
If I open a fiction book like Harry Potter or a textbook at random, it may not make sense. But in the Qur’an, we look at the scale of verses. Many verses are self-sufficient and self-explanatory, yet they sit well within their context.
“O you who believe! If you obey and fear Allâh, He will grant you Furqân a criterion... and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you.”— Surah Al-Anfal: 29
Universality of the Message
The Qur'an speaks to each person at their intellectual capacity. Consider the verse asking us to look for faults in the creation of the heavens. A casual observer sees no cracks. A cosmologist like Stephen Hawking observes that if the expansion rate one second after the Big Bang differed by even 1/10^18, the universe would have collapsed.
“Then look again and yet again, your sight will return to you in a state of humiliation and worn out.”— Surah Al-Mulk: 4
Healing for the Heart
The Qur’an is mentioned as a cure. Scholars opine that while honey is for physical ailments, the Qur’an is for spiritual ones. There is always an Ayah that cures whatever emotional struggles you face. Repeating such verses obliterates negative thoughts and provides strength.
Conclusion
O Allah, make the Qur’an the spring of our hearts, and the light of our chests, the banisher of our sadnesses, and the reliever of our distresses.