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.
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 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.
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)