Marasid al-Matali fi Tanasub al-Maqati wa al-Matali
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Dār al-Minhāj lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ
Marasid al-Matali fi Tanasub al-Maqati wa al-Matali ("The Observatories of Beginnings on the Correspondence of Endings and Openings") is a concise treatise on the Quranic sciences by al-Jalal al-Suyuti (849–911 AH / 1445–1505 CE) examining the thematic and rhetorical correspondence (tanasub) between the openings (matali') and conclusions (maqati') of the chapters (suwar) of the Quran .
Purpose and Sources
In his introduction, al-Suyuti notes that the correspondence between the beginnings and endings of surahs is an essential branch of Quranic sciences (ulum al-Quran), which he had previously addressed in his compendiums al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran (The Perfection in the Sciences of the Quran) and Asrar al-Tanzil (Secrets of Revelation) . He highlights that earlier verifying scholars had pointed out this phenomenon, citing the author of al-Kashshaf (al-Zamakhshari), his teacher Mahmud ibn Hamza al-Kirmani (author of al-Burhan fi Mutashabih al-Quran and al-Gharaib wa al-Ajaib fi al-Tafsir), Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, and al-Isbahani .
Al-Suyuti composed the work as a short booklet (kurrasah), deriving the majority of the correlations through his own analysis and reflection while explicitly citing predecessor scholars whenever borrowing from them .
Structure and Content
The treatise is organized sequentially following the canonical order of the Quranic chapters (tartib al-suwar) :
- Early Surahs: Demonstrating opening-to-closing symmetry, such as citing al-Isbahani's observation on Surat al-Baqarah where the ending aligns with the opening in mentioning the qualities of the believers and referencing the unbelievers . Surat Al Imran opens with the revelation of the Quran, the Torah, and the Gospel, and closes with the mention of the People of the Book who believe in what was revealed to them and to the Muslims; it also opens with إِنَّ اللهَ لاَ يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ ("Indeed, Allah does not fail in His promise") and concludes with إِنَّكَ لاَ تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ ("Indeed, You do not fail in Your promise") . Surat al-Nisa opens with the inception of creation and birth and closes with rulings on death and inheritance (kalalah) .
- Rhetorical Contrasts and Parallels: For Surat al-Mu'minun, al-Suyuti cites al-Zamakhshari in contrasting the opening قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ("Certainly will the believers have succeeded") with the concluding إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ ("Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed") .
- Final Surahs: The analysis continues through the shortest chapters at the end of the Quran, concluding with Surat al-Ikhlas, where both its opening and closing feature the word أَحَدٌ ("One"), and Surat al-Nas, whose opening and closing both feature النَّاسِ ("mankind") .
In his bibliographical classifications, al-Suyuti listed the text among his short single-gathering treatises (kurrasah) .
Transmission and Publication
Manuscript copies of the treatise are preserved in international libraries, including the Süleymaniye Library in Istanbul, the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Princeton University Library, and Leiden University Library . A critical edition of the text was prepared by Abd al-Muhsin al-Askar and published by Maktabat Dar al-Minhaj in Riyadh (1426 AH / 2005 CE) .
Answer updated