Usool at-Tafseer (The Fundamental Principles of Qur'aanic Interpretation)

Usool at-Tafseer (The Fundamental Principles of Qur'aanic Interpretation)

Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips.

THE MUHKAM (CLEAR) AND MUTASHAABIH (OBSCURE) VERSES

The Qur’aan was revealed to mankind as a furqaan, a means of distinguishing
between truth and falsehood in man’s relationship with his Creator and with
the creation in which he exists. The basic principles of these relationships
have been clearly defined in the Qur’aan, leaving no room for speculation or
doubt, and these are the principles which make up the essence of the Book (umm
al-kitaab). For example, the principle of salaah (prayer) defines the primary
relationship between man and God, while that of zakaah (institutionalized
obligatory charity) defines a primary aspect of human relationship. It is from this
viewpoint that Allaah describes the Qur’aan in the following verse:
( ÇÌÈ tbqßJn=ôètƒ 5Qöqs)jÏ9 $|‹Î/ttã $ºR#uäöè% ¼çmçG»tƒ#uä ôMn=ÅÁèù Ò=»tGÏ. )
“A Book whose verses have been made clear, an Arabic reading for a
people who are aware.”1
Hence, the foundations for the unity of the Muslim nation (Ummah) are firmly
laid down by the essential verses of the Qur’aan itself. These verses and the
principles which they contain have been referred to as the muhkamaat.
However, since the Qur’aan addresses the mysteries of man and his world,
there are, of necessity, vague and obscure references to aspects of realities about
which man’s knowledge is limited. Some of these references may only be
understood in relationship to other verses, while the reality of other references
cannot be understood at all. For example, the letters of the alphabet with which
1 Soorah Fussilat, (41):3.
T
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some of the soorahs of the Qur’aan begin have no obvious meanings in
themselves. Although they were used in ancient Arabic poetry, they were never
used at the beginnings of verses, and the context would always indicate the
intended meanings. An example of that can be found in the following couplet of
Arabic poetry:
قُلْنَا لَھَا : قِفِيْ ، فَقالَتْ : ق
Qulnaa lahaa: qifee, fa qaalat: qaaf 2
(We said to her, “Stop,” and she said, “Qaaf.” [short for waqaftu, “ I have
stopped.”])
However, with regard to the Qur’aan, it has been noted by the early scholars
that there is a mathematical relationship between the introductory letters and their
occurrence in their respective soorahs, as well as in the other soorahs of the
Qur’aan itself. For an illustrative example, let us examine Soorah Qaaf, which
begins as follows:
( ÇÊÈ Ï‰‹ÉfyJø9$# Éb#uäöà)ø9$#ur 4 úX )
“Qaaf, By the Glorious Qur’aan.”
It has been shown that the Arabic letter Qaaf occurs more frequently in this
soorah than any other letter of the Arabic alphabet. Also, the ratio of Qaafs to the
total number of letters in this soorah is higher than in any of the other one
hundred and thirteen soorahs of the Qur’aan.
However, the intended meaning of the letter Qaaf is unknown. Some
commentators of the Qur’aan have speculated that it is abbreviation for the word
“Qur’aan,” while others have proposed that it represents the phrase, “qudiyalamr,”
(“the matter has been destined”). Since the last Prophet, Muhammad (r), to
whom the Qur’aan was revealed, did not explain its meaning, and the grammatical
context in which it is used does not indicate any obvious meaning, we can only
honestly say that Allaah alone knows its reality.
2 Mentioned by Ibn Faaris, and quoted in Min ‘Uloom al-Qur’aan, p. 136.
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Another example in relation to man himself is that of the rooh (soul). Its
existence is confirmed by revelation, as well as human experience, but its reality
is unknown to man. Allaah, in the Qur’aan, points out its origin for us, saying,
( ’nÎ1u‘ ̍øBr& ô‘ÏB ßyr”9$# È@è% ( Çyr”9$# Ç‘tã štRqè=t«ó¡o„ur )
“They ask you about the rooh; tell them, ‘The rooh comes from my
Lord’s command.’ ”3
Hence, we know that the soul is created, but as to what it is created from, Allaah
alone knows. We know other things about it, like the fact that an angel is
responsible for placing it in the fetus at the beginning of the fifth month of its
development, and another angel is responsible for extracting it from the human
body when its appointed time of death has arrived, etc.4 But how it was created,
its form, its place in the body, or how it is connected to the body is not part of our
knowledge.
In relation to man and his world, an example can be found in the references to
the next life and the final hour. Fruits and drinks of paradise and Hell are
mentioned by name, but as Ibn ‘Abbaas (r) explained, only the names are
similar; their realities are totally different.5 Allaah Himself indicates that by
mentioning some of their unique qualities, such as rivers of flowing milk that
never sours or wine that does not intoxicate, a scale that weighs deeds and the
skins of those doomed to the Fire, which grow back again as soon as the fire has
burnt them.
Similarly, knowledge of the appointed time for the end of this world is
unknown. Although many of the signs have been mentioned in the Qur’aan and
Sunnah, and the process of disintegration has been vividly described, the exact
time of its occurrence is completely hidden from man. Hence, Qur’aanic
references to the Final Hour and the components of the next life are always vague.
The Qur’aanic verses that speak on the mysteries of creation and the Creator
in such a way that their reality remains obscure are referred to as the
3 Soorah al-Israa’ (17):85.
4 See Qur’aan 32:11 and Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, pp. 1391-3, nos. 6390-7.
5 Collected by Ibn Abee Haatim and Ibn Jareer. See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, vol. 1, p. 66.
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“mutashaabihaat.” The Qur’aan has described itself in various verses as being
entirely muhkam, in one verse as being entirely mutashaabih, and in another verse
as being partially muhkam and partially mutashaabih. There is no contradiction
here, because the first two cases use the words in their general sense, while the
final one uses the words according to a more technical meaning. Since the general
meaning of the Arabic term muhkam is “perfected” or “completely formed,” the
whole Qur’aan may be referred to as being muhkam in respect to it construction,
its logic, and its message. Hence, we find Allaah referring to the Qur’aan as
follows:
( ÇÊÈ AŽÎ7yz AOŠÅ3ym ÷bà$©! ‘ÏB ôMn=ÅÁèù §NèO ¼çmçG»tƒ#uä ôMyJÅ3ômé& ë=»tGÏ. 4 !9# )
“Alif, Laam, Raa. A Book from the Wise and Aware (Allaah), whose
verses were made muhkam, then explained.”6
Likewise, Allaah applied the general meaning of mutashaabih, “mutually
resembling one another” or “similar,” to the whole Qur’aan in the following
verse:
( u’ÎT$sW¨B $YgÎ6»t±tF•B $Y6»tGÏ. Ï]ƒÏ‰ptø:$# z‘|¡ômr& tA¨“tR ª!$# )
“Allaah has revealed the best speech (in the form of) a mutashaabih
book repeating (its message).”7
That is, all of the verses of the Qur’aan resemble each other in their rhythmic and
poetic perfection, and they all mutually confirm each other’s meanings.
However, the specific meanings of these two terms play a very important role
in the science of tafseer. Those meanings are contained in the following verse,
along with a very stern warning:
6 Soorah Hood (11):1.
7 Soorah az-Zumar (39):23.
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$tB tbqãèÎ6®KuŠsù Ô÷÷ƒy— óOÎgÎ/qè=è% ’Îû tûïÏ%©!$# $¨Br’sù ( ×M»ygÎ7»t±tFãB ãyzé&ur É=»tGÅ3ø9$#
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( ÇÐÈ É=»t6ø9F{$# (#qä9’ré& HwÎ) ㍩.¤‹tƒ
“It is He Who revealed the Book to you; in it are muhkamaat verses
which are the essence of the Book (umm al-kitaab) and other (verses)
which are mutashaabihaat. As for those whose hearts are twisted, they
follow the mutashaabih, seeking to sow discord and searching for its
inner meanings, but no one knows its inner meaning except Allaah.
And those firmly grounded in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it, as it is
all from our Lord.’ Yet, none will realize (this) except the wise.”8
Hence, the muhkam could be defined as those verses whose meanings are clear,
and the mutashaabih as those verses whose inner meanings are known only to
Allaah. ‘Aa’ishah reported that once the Prophet (r) recited the above
mentioned verse and said,
( فَإِ َ ذا رأَيتِ الَّذِين يتَّبِعون ما تَ َ شابه مِْنه فَأُوَلئِكِ الَّذِين سمى اللَّه فَا  ح َ ذروه  م .)
“ If you meet those who seek out the obscure verses (mutashaabih), they are the
ones whom Allaah has named in the Qur’aan, so beware of them.” 9
The concepts of muhkam and mutashaabih provide a set of guidelines by
which the Qur’aan should be understood. The system of fiqh (Islaamic law) has
8 Soorah Aal ‘Imraan (3):7.
9 Collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 6, pp. 53-4, no. 70) and Muslim (Sahih
Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1402, no. 6442).
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evolved from the muhkamaat verses. The early scholars concentrated on those
verses which had direct relevance to human actions, the verses which could be
applied and interpreted according to logical and universally acceptable
grammatical principles. However, those who sought to destroy the message of
Islaam from within began their attack at the very source, the Qur’aan. The
muhkamaat verses do not lend themselves to philosophical interpretations. Hence,
the mutashaabihaat became the pillars upon which counter-Islaam was built, and
Allaah’s names and attributes became the starting point. For example, Allaah
describes Himself in Qur’aan as al-Baseer, the Seer, and as-Samee‘, the Hearer,
among His many names and attributes. During the era of the Prophet (r) and
that of the four Righteous Caliphs after his death, the sahaabah understood the
verses containing these attributes according to their obvious meanings without
delving into the why and the hows. To them, Allaah sees and hears all things
without resembling His creation in any way. However, after the era of the
sahaabah, the argument was raised by some that seeing and hearing were human
or animal characteristics which required particular sensory apparatuses not
befitting the Lord God Almighty. He had already said in the Qur’aan that:
( Öäï†x« ¾ÏmÎ=÷WÏJx. }§øŠs9 )
“Nothing is like Him.”10
As a result, a school of philosophy known as the Jahmeeyah arose, which denied
Allaah’s names and attributes. Out of this school evolved another, the Mu‘tazilah,
which toned down clearly heretical statements of Jahm ibn Safwaan with Greek
logic and rationalist interpretations of the texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Under
the patronage of the early ‘Abasssid rulers, this school engulfed the Ummah, to
the degree that its concepts became the norm, and those who opposed them were
systematically persecuted. Allaah’s names were recognized, but were made void
of any meaning, and His attributes of sight and hearing were taken to mean
knowledge.
In time, there arose others among the Ummah who claimed that all of the
Qur’aan was mutashaabih and that they alone knew its real meanings. They called
the outer meanings the thaahir or the Sharee‘ah and the inner meanings were
10 Soorah ash-Shooraa (42):11.
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termed the baatin or the haqeeqah. Some claimed that the inner meanings were
handed down secretly through the Prophet’s descendants, whom they named
imaams, while others claimed that they were passed down through a chain of
shaykhs or spiritual leaders.
Fortunately, the Qur’aanic description of this trend as being a result of
twisted hearts and deviation and the Prophet’s warning to the Muslim Ummah to
avoid those who take this path aid us in continuing to hold high the essential
purity and clarity of the Qur’aanic message contained in the muhkamaat verses.