لطفا منتظر باشید ...
When different components of
something have similarity and are of an ambiguous or complicated kind, it is
called mutashabih'. Likewise,
verses with ambiguous meaning and susceptible to various probabilities are
called mutashabihat. Their
comprehension is not easy without close examination and investigation in
depth. To quote a tradition in this regard:
Abu Abd Allih (al‑'Imam al‑Sadiq)
(A) was asked about the muhkam and
the mutashabih. He said: "Muhkam is that upon which we act,
and mutashabih isthat which appears
ambiguous to one who is ignorant of it (i.e. of the exact import of the verse).
(Bihar, vol. 92,p.382)
In the above narration, (to one who is ignorant of it) signifies a
fine distinction. It indicates that the mutashabihat
are not unclear to one and all, including the Masumun (i.e. the Prophet
[S], Fatimah [ A] and the Imams [ A] ). The "mutashabihat"
are so called because of the difficulty that most people face in
understanding the verses. Al‑'Imam al‑Shdiq (A) has also pointed
out that:
...The muhkam is that which is acted upon, and the mutashabih is that some of which resembles some other. (Bihar, vo1.92, p.383)
In any case, it is obvious that
derivation of ahkam is easier in the
case of muhkamat. As for mutashabihat, much effort is needed,
involving the referring of Sunnah to muhkamat.
Al‑'Imam 'Ali ibn Mush al-Rida (A) has said
...One who refers the mutashabihat
of the Qur'an to its muhkamat is guided
to the path. (Bihar, vo1.92, p.377 ).
The muhkamat verses are not only clear in themselves, but also help in
the interpretation of the other verses. From this point of view, they have been
called umm al Kitab"(lit. the
mother of the Book), for the muhkamat form
the foundation of the other verses.
Why Mutashabih Verses?
Considering that the Qur'an is
the basic source as well as the primary reference for deriving ahkam, a question may possibly arise in
one's mind as to why not all the verses of the Qur'an have been revealed as muhkamat. In that event, there would
have been less differences among the jurisprudents and their fatwas (decrees). Further, it may be
argued that, especially since the Qur'an is the book of enlightenment and
guidance for all mankind and for all ages, not merely a source for the
derivation of ahkam, it would have
been followed without errors or deviations, arising from its misinterpretation,
had its verses been entirely muhkamat.
In answer to the question mentioned
above, certain reasons have been suggested by scholars. Some of these are noted
below:
1. AI‑Shaykh al‑Tusi,
in his tafsir, Tibyan (p. 11), has said: "Wisdom has required that the Qur'anic words and
phrases be used in a way that their understanding should require investigation,
effort and exertion, so as to result in the growth of knowledge." That
is, since human development and growth, on the level of the individual as well
as of society, is a law of God embedded in nature, God has set forth the verses
of the Qur'an in such a profound and rich fashion so as to afford human beings
to benefit from them and seek inspiration from them in step with their growing
intellectual, spiritual and material needs in their individual and social
lives, and thus traverse the Divinely‑envisaged path of development and
perfection without encountering any stagnation.
2. The mutashabih verses, by their very existence in the Qur'an, point
towards the need that people have for the Prophet (S) and his Successors (A).
That is, they cause the people to make recourse to them for necessary
clarifications, in the manner of pupils approaching their teachers for the
solution of their difficulties. Amir al‑Mu'minin (A) has said: "God
has set forth the Qur'an in three categories: muhkam, mutashabih, and mujmal,
so that the truth should be distinguished from falsehood through the means
of the Prophet's Successors."
The importance of what has been
stated above becomes clear when we realize the essential need for the Imam's
existence and its impact on the growth of humanity and Islamic society.
Furthermore, it is realizable by referring to the Qur'anic verses and
traditions concerning Imamate and the need for the leadership of society. It
is equally recognizable in the light of the realities of human life and the
past and contemporary history of human societies in general and of Islamic
countries in particular.
The role of an imam, or leader,
in guiding or misguiding mankind is not to be denied. God, in order to set
apart the righteous leaders, who guide towards light, from those who lead into
darkness, and to enable people to distinguish between them on the basis of
clear criteria, so that they may elect to follow the righteous leaders, has set
forth some of the Qur'anic verses in such a fashion that none other than the
Infallible Imams or the Prophet have the requisite capacity of understanding
and elucidating them. This fact has been instrumental in prompting believers to
seek understanding of the Qur'anic meanings from them. The people's other
profound requirements, too, were answered in this process. This fact has been
indicated in the hadith from Amir alMu'minin (A).
Amir al‑Mu'minin (A) was
asked concerning the exposition of muhkam
(verses) of the Book of God Almighty. He said: "As to
the muhkam (verse) which has never
been abrogated by any other verse of the
Qur'an is the utterance of God Almighty: 'It is He Who sent down upon thee the
Book, wherein are muhkam verses that
are the umm al‑Kitab, and
others are mutashabih. Verily, the
people have perished on account of the mutashabihat,
for they did not understand their meaning and reality. Thus they fabricated
their ta'wilat themselves, in
accordance with their own opinions, seeking thereby to be able to do without
the Awsiya' (the Prophet's Successors, i.e. the Imams)." vol.93, p.12)
The last sentence of the above
tradition indicates that for understanding the mutashdbihdt the followers of Islam cannot do without the Awsiya'
(A) of the Prophet (S) and that they should refer to them.
3. Some of the mutashabihat pertain to the realms of
Resurrection and the Hereafter, which are beyond human experience and thought;
hence their obscurity is something natural and inevitable.
The Qur'an on Muhkamat and Mutashabihat:
The first verse of the Surat Hud states:
"A Book whose verses are set muhkam .... "
This can be taken to mean that
all the Qur'anic verses are muhkamat. However,
the twenty‑third verse of the Surat al‑Zumar states:
God has sent down the fairest discourse as a Book,
consimilar.(mutashabihan) in its opt‑repeated.
This can be interpreted to mean
that the entire verses of the Qur'an represent mutashabihat. The seventh verse of the Surat Al Imran states:
It is He Who sent down upon thee the Book, wherein are muhkam verses
that are the umm al‑Kitab, and others are mutashabih. (3: 7)
From this verse, it can be
inferred that the Qur'anic verses are of two kinds; some are "muhkamat" and some others "mutashabihat. "
One's first unstudied impression
concerning the above verses is that they may seem contradictory. However, on a
close examination it will become clear that there is no such contradiction
whatsoever. For the first verse, which implies that all the Qur'anic verses are
muhkamat, signifies that the Divine
verses are firm and muhkam in regard
to their words and phrases, their arrangement, as well as their meaning and
similar other aspects. They do not contain any kind of weakness or infirmity
whatsoever.
The meaning of the second verse
quoted above is that all the verses of the Qur'an are similar (mutashabih) in their harmony,
consistency, sublimity, clarity, eloquent delivery and miraculous nature. There
is neither any disharmony nor any inconsistency in them.
The third verse implies that some
of the Qur'anic verses are self-contained, in that their sense does not depend
for their full comprehension on that of the other verses, and these are clear
and muhkam. The other verses which
are not such are labelled mutashabihat. This
explanation ought to suffice for dispelling any impression of a contradiction.
A‑Shayhh al‑Tusi's Remark:
The great Islamic scholar al‑Shaykh
al‑Tusi says something illuminating in this regard. He states:
Among these verses, there is no
inconsistency or contradiction. The first verse denotes that the Qur'an is not
vulnerable to any inconsistency or contradiction in its verses. Accordingly,
the verses are considered muhkamat. The
second verse conveys the similarity of some verses with some of others. How
ever, the third verse conveys that the meaning of some verses is comprehensible,
and that of some other verses is not so. The meaning of these three verses is
nothing except that which has been mentioned. Hence there remains no basis for
sensing a contradiction.
Examples of Muhkamat and Mutashabihat:
Here it would be proper to give
some examples of muhkamat and mutashabihat in order to illustrate
their character. Here are some examples of the muhkamat:
God is the creator of every thing..., (39: 62)
