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The Mutashabihat of the Qur’an
Question: Inthe Qur’an, there are many verses which are ambiguous and unclear. The Qur’an itself calls them the Mutashabihat (3:7). My question is: Why has the Almighty revealed verses whose meaning is vague or unclear? Isn’t guidance the real purpose of revelation? How can we be guided through such verses?
Answer: It needs to be clarified that the Mutashabihat of the Qur’an are verses in which things that are beyond human observation or comprehension are mentioned in the form of comparison (Tashbih) to things which we know in our own language and through our own experience. The actual purport conveyed by these verses is clear. However, human intellect is not equipped to grasp the reality to which they refer. For example, it is said in Surah H~aaqahthat the Almighty’s throne shall be lifted by eight angels on the Day of Judgement. Now we cannot know what the throne will be like, though we may have a slight idea since the word throne is also a common word in our language. Similarly, Surah Muddaththir says that there will be 19 sentinels guarding Hell. Again we cannot say why there will be 19 and what they will be like, though we know that the word 19 mentions a definite number. Consequently, verses which mention the blowing of spirit in Adam1, the birth of Jesus (sws) without a father2, nature of God’s actions like His sitting on a throne3, the blessings of Paradise like the nature of its milk and honey4, the torments of Hell like the tree ofZaqqum growing in Fire5 are examples of the Mutashabihat. The real purpose of such verses is that they become a trial and test for people since they must profess faith in them, without going after their reality. The Qur’an says:
He it is Who has sent down to you the Book; in it are verses fundamental; they are the foundation of the book: others are Mutashabihat. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the Mutashabihat seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows their true reality except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: ‘We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:’ and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding. (3:7)
An important point worth noting in the above mentioned verses is that it has not been said that the meaning of the Mutashabihat is only known to Allah. Rather it has been declared that their reality is only known to Him. The actual word used is Ta’wil which is used in same sense here as in the following verse
He [Joseph] said: This is the reality [in the interpretation] of my dream which I had seen before. (12:100)
Consequently, the meaning of the words in which the dream of Joseph has been mentioned in the Qur’an is clear to everyone who knows Arabic. However, the reality denoted by the various elements of the dream like the sun, the moon and the eleven stars (12:4) was only known once the dream was fulfilled.
It is evident from these details that the Mutashabihat of the Qur’an are verses the true reality of which human intellect is not capable of knowing since there can be no words in a language which can describe things yet to come in human observation. Consequently, words which may be similar to the concepts conveyed by these things of the unknown world are used to portray these details. It is incorrect to regard them as verses whose meaning is unclear or doubtful.
‘Time Leap’ in the Qur’an
Question: Many verses in the Qur’an say that the Injil was given to Jesus (sws) who was born several hundred years after Moses (sws). But in 7:155-157 the problem is that Moses (sws) prays to Allah and in Allah’s response to Moses (sws) we read:
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures), - in the Tawrat and in the Injil …(7:157)
But most certainly the Injil had not been revealed at the time of Moses (sws). The obvious problem is that if the Injil had not been revealed yet at that time, nobody would have found anything in a non-existing Injil. So is the Almighty talking about a non-existent Injil? Please clarify.
Answer: In order to understand the Qur’an, one must have a strong grasp of the various styles of the Qur’anic verses. Among these styles is a style called ‘Idraj’.*
In this style, a few verses are inserted between a group of verses as a comment. This has various forms. One of its forms (like the one found in these verses) is to relate historical happenings to the people who were present before the Qur’an when it was being revealed so that these foremost addressees could know the relevance of a certain historical happening to them. Consider now the section of verses which surrounds 7:157:
And Moses chose seventy of his people for Our place of meeting: when they were seized with violent quaking, he prayed: ‘O my Lord! If it had been your will you could have destroyed, long before, both them and me: Would you destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? This is no more than your trial: by it You may lead astray whom you want and lead to the right path whom You may desire. You are our Protector: so forgive us and give us Your mercy; for You are the best of forgivers. And ordain for us that which is good, in this life and in the Hereafter: for we have turned unto You. He said: ‘With My Punishment I visit whom I will; But My Mercy extends to all things. That (Mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and practise regular charity, and those who believe in Our Signs – Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures) in the Torah and in the Injil – for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good [and pure] and prohibits them from what is bad [and impure]; he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that were upon them. So those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him – it is they who shall prosper. Say: ‘O men! I am sent to you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He that gives both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His Words: follow him that [so] you may be guided.’ -- Of the people of Moses there is a section who guide and do justice in the light of truth. We divided them into separate nations in twelve tribes. We directed Moses by inspiration, when his [thirsty] people asked Him for water: ‘Strike the rock with thy staff’: out of it there gushed forth twelve springs: each group knew its own place for water. We gave them the shade of clouds, and sent down to them Mann and Quail, [saying]: ‘Eat of the good things we have provided for you’: [But they rebelled]; to Us they did no harm, but they harmed their own souls.’ (7:155-160)
In this section of verses, verse 157 to verse 159 form an Idraj (insertion of a comment) by the Almighty. Consequently verse 156 is directly related to verse 160. The parenthetical section (157 to 159 shown in bold) is a comment to relate the tale of Moses (sws) and its implications with the direct addressees of the Qur’an when it was being revealed. In other words, what is being said is that while at the time of Moses (sws) salvation depended upon piety, Zakah and belief in the verses of Allah (the Torah in this case), the present addressees will only be saved if they do the things mentioned in verses 157 and 158. After their enlistment and a statement of exhortation from the Prophet Muhammad (sws) in the words: Say: ‘O men! I am sent to you all, as the Messenger of Allah…, verse 160 then shifts back to the history of Moses (sws) and takes its cue from verse 156. These are subtle aspects of the Qur’an and can only be appreciated if a person has strong grasp of the various styles and constructions of Qur’anic Arabic.
The following group of verses illustrates another instance where this style [Idraj] can be observed in the Qur’an.
And We also sent Abraham as a Prophet. Behold, he said to his people: ‘Serve Allah and fear Him: that will be best for you if you understand! ‘For you do worship idols besides Allah, and you invent falsehood. The things that you worship besides Allah have no power to give you sustenance: then seek you sustenance from Allah, serve Him, and be grateful to Him. To Him will be your return. And if you reject [me], so did the generations before you [rejected their respective Prophets] and the duty of a Prophet is only to communicate clearly [the message]. See they not how Allah originates creation, then repeats it. Truly that is easy for Allah. Say: Travel through the earth and see how Allah did originate creation; so will Allah recreate: for Allah has power over all things. He punishes whom He pleases, and He grants mercy to whom He pleases, and to Him will you be returned. Neither on earth nor in the heavens will you be able to break free from the grasp of Allah, nor will you have, besides Allah, any protector or helper. Those who reject the Signs of Allah and the Meeting with Him [in the Hereafter] – it is they who shall despair of My mercy: it is they who will suffer a most grievous penalty. So nothing was the answer of [Abraham’s] people except that they said: ‘Slay him or burn him.’ But Allah did save him from the Fire. Verily in this are Signs for people who believe. (29:16-24)
A careful analysis of these verses shows that verses 19 to 23 (shown in bold) are a comment from the Almighty inserted in the discourse of Abraham (sws) to his nation. These verses from the Almighty address the Quraysh and present arguments for the Day of Judgement so that a mere historical happening is related to the first addressees of the Qur’an. From verse 24, the Abrahamic episode is retaken with a portrayal of the response of Abraham’s nation.
The Similarity of Moses (sws) with Muhammad (sws)
Question: The following verse is often used by us Muslims to claim that the Bible predicts the coming of Muhammad (sws):
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. (Deuteronomy 18:18)
Muslims claim that since God is speaking to the Israelites who are the seed of Isaac (sws), He must be talking about the descendants of Ishmael (sws) who is Isaac’s brother. Therefore, they reason that the prophet like Moses (sws) must be Muhammad (sws) since he is the only prophet who comes from the lineage of Ismael (sws). However, a careful study of the usage of the phrase ‘from among their brothers’ in the Bible shows that this inference made by the Muslims may not be true. Consider the following verse where God instructs the Israelites about choosing their king:
When you say: ‘Let us set a king over us like the nations around us’, be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. (Deuteronomy 17:14-15)
It is evident from these verses that the word brother can be used in a different sense. My confusion is: Why can’t it be used in this same sense in Deuteronomy 18:18? Also, according to Deuteronomy 34:10-12, Moses (sws) cannot be compared to Muhammad (sws). These verses say that Moses (sws) cannot be compared to any of the Prophets. Please comment.
Answer: I think the matter stands resolved if the various connotations of the word ‘brother’ found in every language are taken into consideration. Every one knows that besides its literal meaning, the word brother may have two connotations,:
1. It is used for cousins.
2. It is used for people of the same community/brotherhood.
One must always deliberate on the context to determine and select the sense in which a word is used. Only a lack of this deliberation causes such problems.
The closing words of 17:15 clearly indicate that here the word brother is used in its second connotation described above. It is neither used in its literal sense nor in the sense of its above mentioned first connotation.
Similarly, in 18:18, it is used in its first connotation. The reason is found in the context. It is evident from the preceding verses that the progeny of Isaac (sws) are being addressed by Moses (sws). The underlined portion clearly indicates this:
The nation you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.’ (Deuteronomy 18:14-16)
Now if the progeny of Isaac (sws) is addressed and told: ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers’, then obviously here the word ‘brother’ cannot be used in its literal meaning. A little deliberation shows that here the word is clearly used in its second connotation. The brothers of the family of Isaac (sws) can only be the family of Ishmael (sws). This would mean that the prediction is about someone who must be among the progeny of Ishmael (sws).
As far as the likeness of the Prophet Moses (sws) with the Prophet Muhammad (sws) is concerned, verses 34:10-12 certainly do not contradict this in any way. They read:
Since then no Prophet has risen in Israel like Moses whom the Lord knew face to face who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt…
Here the qualification of the word ‘Israel’ clearly suggests that here the comparison is between Moses (sws) and other Prophets of the Israelites. In other words, the verses say that Moses (sws) cannot be compared to any of the subsequent Prophets who came to the Israelites. Consequently, the comparison is not between Moses (sws) and Muhammad (sws), who we all know was not a Prophet of the Israelites. He was sent to the Ishmaelites.
Is Rajm a Qur’anic Punishment?
Question: The Qur’an says married slave girls who commit fornication are to be punished half of what is the punishment for a married woman (4:25). This raises the question: Is stoning to death an Islamic punishment and is it mentioned in the Qur’an because how can you half stone a person to death? Please clear the confusion.
Answer: The punishment of stoning to death (Rajm) is not mentioned in the Qur’an. However, it is based on a Qur’anicverse* which prescribes certain punishments for criminals who are guilty of creating a law and order situation and spreading nuisance. One of these punishments is Taqtil. The words ‘an yuqattalu’ are used for it. They imply that not only should the criminals of this category be executed but that they should be executed in a manner that serves as a severe warning to everyone. The punishment of Rajm is one form of Taqtil. The Prophet (sws) in his own times, in accordance with this directive, administered this punishment to certain criminals guilty of adultery. Consequently, we can still stick to it or leave it to give way to other severer forms of punishment. The real thing is Taqtil, which, obviously, can have many forms.
The second thing which needs to be appreciated is that this punishment does not unconditionally relate to married individuals who are guilty of adultery, as is generally understood. The Prophet (sws), while taking into consideration the circumstances and the nature of crime in his own times, granted remission to certain criminals guilty of debauchery by exiling them; similarly, while obeying this verse he stoned to death certain others who did not deserve any leniency. His inquiry into the marital status of criminals guilty of fornication was also based on this pretext ie, whether the criminal deserved any leniency. Our jurists have erroneously inferred from the Prophet’s inquiry that the marital status of a person was actually the basis of the punishment and on this basis maintain that the directive of administering a hundred stripes (the punishment of fornication as mentioned in Surah Nur) is only for unmarried people. Actually, the Prophet (sws) while deciding the fate of such criminals asked many questions to see whether they deserved any mitigation. The question of an offender’s marital status was one such question, but our jurists concluded it was the only question asked and, hence, made it the basis of the punishment. They, thereby, incorporated in the penal code of Islam a totally baseless addition, which is against the Qur’an as well as the norms of sense and reason.
Are the Words of the Qur’an Spoken by Allah?
Question: Here is a question asked by my a Hindu friend. Hope you can answer it for me. According to the Muslims, the Qur’an contains the words of God. It is to be read as if God Himself had spoken these words stated in it. (It is important to emphasize this point because if the Qur’an is the word of God, then it should not contain any errors and it should hold true for all times.) However, such is not the case. One of these errors is that some of the verses in the Qur’an themselves show clearly that they were obviously spoken by Mohammed and not by God. For example:
I take refuge with the Lord of the Dawn. (113:1)
For me, I have been commanded to serve the Lord of this city, Him Who has sanctified it and to whom [Belong] all things; and I am commanded to be of those who bow in Islam to Allah’s Will. (27:91)
Should I seek other judge than God, when it is He who has sent down to you, the distinguishing book [the Qur’an]? (6:114)
Someone need not be a rocket-scientist to comprehend that these words are clearly addressed to God, Any sane person can see that these words are not spoken by Him but by Mohammed (sws) himself. So how can the whole of the Qur’an be considered the word of God?
Answer: I am afraid that your Hindu friend has not stated the stance of the Muslims correctly. When Muslims say that the Qur’an is the word of Allah, it means that whatever has been mentioned in it is divinely revealed by Allah. It does not mean that at all its verses are spoken by Allah alone. Your friend has pointed out just one of the sources of these verses – the Prophet Muhammad (sws). If he can go through the Qur’an a bit more, he will find that it contains statements from Satan, from the pagans, from the hypocrites, from the Christians, Jews etc. Similarly, it contains passages from Allah directly, from Gabriel and from the previous Prophets. However, the words of all these passages are revealed from Allah. It is because of being revealed by Allah that the Qur’an is called the Word of Allah; it is not that each word is spoken by Allah: neither the Qur’an nor the Muslims have ever claimed this.
Similarity of Islamic Rituals with Paganism
Question: Some elements of Hajj and ‘Umrah are very similar to what the Arab pagans did before the advent of Muhammad (sws). For example, throwing rocks at the Jamarat columns, going round the Ka‘bah and kissing the black stone. What is the history of these rituals and why are they so similar to that of the pagans?
Answer: In this regard, one needs to understand that after the Qur’an, the second source of Islam is the Sunnah of the Prophet (sws). By Sunnah is meant those established religious practices of the Prophet Abraham (sws) to which the Prophet (sws) gave sanction among his followers after reviving and reforming them and after making certain additions to them. The Qur’an has directed the Prophet (sws) to obey these Abrahamic practices in the following words:
Then We revealed to you to follow the ways of Abraham, who was true in faith and was not among the polytheists. (16:123)
These Abrahamic practices were in vogue in Arabia and the pagan Arabs of course were following them in whatever form they were at the advent of the Prophet (sws). They fasted, did H~ajj, offered prayers, gave Zakah since they were the progeny of Abraham (sws) and the followers of his religion.
Consequently, it should remain clear that practices of worship like S~alah, Zakah, Hajj, animal sacrifice were not introduced by the Qur’an or the Prophet through his Sunnah. However, since over the years, many innovations had crept up in these rituals, the Prophet (sws) cleansed them and re-shaped them into their original Abrahamic form. The rituals which existed in their original shape were of course not tampered with and were adopted as they were.
If we analyse the case of H~ajj (from where your question has originated), it will become evident that some of its practices had been distorted by the pagan Arabs. For example, they would not go to ‘Arafat and would return from Muzdalifah (2:199). The Prophet (sws) corrected it. Similarly, they would circumambulate the Ka‘bah naked. This was also abolished (7:31).
Now for the philosophy of the Hajj rituals you have referred to:
a. In ancient Arabia, covenants and agreements were strengthened by kissing hands and by moving around in circles. Both these were adopted in the H~ajj ritual because when one comes to the Ka‘bah, one actually revives the covenant of pleasing the Almighty. This revival is symbolised by kissing the black stone (the H~ajr-i-Aswad) and by circumambulating the Ka‘bah (Tawaf).
b.Pelting stones on columns (the jamarat) symbolise that a person must have the will to fight Satan and his accomplices in his life. He should even be ready to lay down his life for this purpose, if need be.
I think if this symbolism is known, the H~ajjrituals become very meaningful.
Do Angels Have Wings?
Question: A translation of a Qur’anic verse reads:
Praise be to God who created the heavens and the earth, who made the angels messengers with wings in two or three or four [pairs]. (35:1)
It apparently says that angels have wings. I was wondering if this is a correct translation?
Answer: The Arabic word used is Ajnihah which means ‘forelimbs’. When used for humans it can be translated as ‘arms’ since the forelimbs of humans are called arms, and when used for birds it can be translated as ‘wings’, since their forelimbs are called wings. The word is used in both these senses in theQur’an. For the former use see 20:22, and for the latter see 6:38.
However, since we do not have any knowledge of the actual physical structure of the angels, it cannot be said what the form of their forelimbs is. Consequently, a more careful translation of the word Ajnihah would be ‘forelimbs’.
Should Muslims Living in Non-Muslim Countries Unite ?
Question: I have heard from a friend of mine that Islam directs all the Muslims living in non-Muslim lands to unite under one leadership and present themselves as a single entity. Is this true?
Answer: I am afraid that nowhere has Islam directed Muslims living in a non-Muslim country to unite under one leadership. This may serve their interest and be very beneficial for them. However, they have not been bound by their religion in this regard. It is up to them if they want to adopt such a policy.
The Custody of Minors
Question: If a husband divorces his wife, then who among the two will have the right to have the children?
Answer: The matter of the custody of minor children has not been touched upon in the Shari‘ah. In other words, it has been left to the welfare of the children. In case of a dispute, a judge should make this ruling after analysing the situation of a case in the light of this principle.
Perhaps the reason for which nothing has been fixed in the Shari‘ah in this regard is the varying circumstances which may be found in different cases.