Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 7

(Ayah 7) ➊ In one place, all the verses of the Noble Quran have been called "muhkam" (clear and decisive), as it is stated: «الٓرٰ كِتٰبٌ اُحْكِمَتْ اٰيٰتُهٗ» [ھود : ۱ ] “{ الٓرٰ}, a Book whose verses have been made firm.” And in another place, all the verses are called "mutashabih" (similar), as it is stated: «اَللّٰهُ نَزَّلَ اَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيْثِ كِتٰبًا مُّتَشَابِهًا » [الزمر : ۲۳ ] “Allah has sent down the best statement, a Book consistent within itself.” And here, some verses are called "mutashabih" and some "muhkam," but there is no contradiction in this. The meaning of all verses being "muhkam" is that there is no deficiency or flaw in the entire Quran; it is extremely strong and firm. And the meaning of all verses being "mutashabih" is that all its verses are similar to each other in eloquence, rhetoric, subjects, and meanings. Here, where it is said that some are "muhkam" and some "mutashabih," "muhkam" refers to those verses whose meaning is absolutely clear and explicit, in which there is no room for interpretation; these are called {’’ اُمُّ الْكِتٰبِ ‘‘}, meaning the foundation and basis. In these very verses, people are invited to the religion, and in these are stated the fundamental beliefs, acts of worship, and rulings of the religion. The admonitions and lessons mentioned in the Noble Quran are also included in these, and the misguidances of mankind are also pointed out in these verses. Whereas "mutashabihat" refers to those verses that are similar and can have several possible meanings, so people become confused in understanding their intended meaning, or there is room for interpretation in them, or in which such realities are mentioned that it is necessary to believe in them in a general sense, but knowing their details is neither necessary for a person nor possible with human intellect. It is written in Tafsir Wahidi: “The deniers of Allah’s attributes declare Allah’s ‘istiwa’ (being above the Throne), His ‘yad’ (hand), and His ‘nuzul’ (descending every night to the lowest heaven and on the Day of Resurrection to the earth) as mutashabihat and consider it impossible to understand their meanings, but the Ahl al-Hadith consider them muhkam, understand their meanings clearly, but leave the reality of their nature to Allah.”

➋ In this verse, there is also a warning to the Christians that they use the verses { ”كَلِمَتُهٗ“ } and { ”رُوْحٌ مِّنْهُ“ } and others regarding Isa (Jesus) عليه السلام to argue for the divinity of Isa عليه السلام and for him being the son of Allah, but they do not pay attention to other verses: « اِنْ هُوَ اِلَّا عَبْدٌ اَنْعَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ » [الزخرف : ۵۹ ] “He is nothing but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor,” and «اِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيْسٰى عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ كَمَثَلِ اٰدَمَ» [آل عمران : ۵۹ ] “Indeed, the example of Isa to Allah is like that of Adam,” and other similar verses. (Ibn Kathir)

➌ { فَاَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ فِيْ قُلُوْبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ :} That is, those people in whose hearts is deviation and whose occupation is only to create discord, they leave the muhkam verses and pursue the mutashabihat, and since they can have several possible meanings, they derive from them such meanings that are contrary to the authentic and muhkam verses of the Quran, seeking discord and, in their opinion, seeking its true interpretation. Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha رضي الله عنها narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم recited this verse up to { ”اُولُوا الْاَلْبَابِ“ } and then said: “When you see those who pursue the mutashabihat, then know that they are those whom Allah has named, so beware of them.” [بخاری، التفسیر، باب : «منہ آیات محکمات » : ۴۵۴۷ ]

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Arguing about the Quran is disbelief.” [أبو داوٗد، السنۃ، باب النہی عن الجدال : ۴۶۰۳، عن أبی ہریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ، صحیح ] Therefore, it is necessary to act upon the muhkam part of the Quran and to have faith in the mutashabih as it is, and not to discuss its details. (Fath al-Bayan, Ibn Kathir)

➍ {وَ مَا يَعْلَمُ تَاْوِيْلَهٗۤ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ:} is the plural of { ”اللّٰهُ“ }, which means pure intellect. (Raghib) The intellect in which there is a mixture of desire, innovation, or shirk is not called {’’ لُبٌّ ‘‘}. The purpose is that the ability to reach the true meaning of the mutashabih is also granted to the people of knowledge, but only to those whose intellect is free from every kind of desire, innovation, and shirk. In the hadith, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed for Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما: [ اَللَّهُمَّ فَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّيْنِ وَ عَلِّمْهُ التَّأْوِيْلَ ] “O Allah! Grant him understanding in religion and teach him the interpretation.” [مستدرک حاکم : 534/3، ح : ۶۲۸۰ مسند أحمد: 266/1، ح ۲۴۰۱، صحیح ] It is thus known that the knowledge of interpretation is also given to those firmly grounded in knowledge.

➏ In Ahsan al-Bayan, it is stated that one meaning of "ta’wil" is the real essence of something; in this sense, it is necessary to pause at {”اِلَّا اللّٰهُ“}, because the real essence of everything is clearly known only to Allah. The second meaning of "ta’wil" is the explanation and clarification of something; in this sense, instead of pausing at { ’’ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ ‘‘}, one can also pause at {’’ وَ الرّٰسِخُوْنَ فِي الْعِلْمِ ‘‘}, because those firmly grounded in knowledge also have knowledge of the correct explanation and clarification. Both these meanings of "ta’wil" are established from the usage in the Noble Quran. (Summary from Ibn Kathir)