Scholars have spoken about different dimensions of religion, one of which is that of myth or narrative. Though religions are usually treated primarily as belief-systems, it may be argued that the narrative dimension is the basic and overarching element that defines the system, holds it together and gives it its ultimate meaning. Religion has always had to contend with the big and perennial questions of beginnings and ends and ultimate meanings. In contrast to philosophy (and science), religion has tended to address these issues through the device of myths and narratives.

This narrative element operates in the Qur'an on several levels: beginnings, biblical past, non-biblical past, present and eschatological future. The totality of these levels constitutes what may be described as the Qur'anic ‘grand story’. By ‘grand story’ I refer to the underlying, basic conceptual scheme that informs Qur'anic stories and bestows meaning and coherence on them. This basic conceptual scheme is predicated on a relationship between humankind and God that leads to either salvation or damnation. In expressing this relationship, the Qur'anic narrative form turns God into a person with a dramatic presence and human attributes. The focus in this chapter will be on the beginnings as expressed by the creation story and on the eschatological future.

Some key elements of this grand story are succinctly summed up in 16: 112–13 which reads:

At the centre of the story we come across the three dramatic elements of God, God's messenger and the people of the city. Furthermore, there is a cluster of three elements that are in operation: the ingratitude (kufr) of the people of the city, the message of the messenger and the chastisement ('adhab) sent by God.