^ 'Quran Tafsir Ibn Kathir - the Virtue of Ayat Al-Kursi'.The Holy Qur'ān: Text, Translation and Commentary. For example, line 3 'he is the lord of the heavens and the earth' corresponds to line 7 'his throne extends over heavens and earth'. This is flanked symmetrically outwards so that A corresponds to A', B corresponds to B', and so forth. The central chiasm is represented by ' yaʿlamu mā bayna ʾaydīhim wa-mā ḫalfahum meaning 'He knows what is before them and what is behind them'. The reciter imagines him or herself walking through Ayat al-Kursi until reaching the centre, seeing what is in front and what is behind, and finds they represent a perfect reflection of each other. Ayat al-Kursi displays an internal symmetry comprising concentric looping verses surrounding a pivotal chiasm 'x' of the type A B C D X D' C' B' A'.
