APPROACH TO QURAN UNDERSTANDING
Before we begin, we should discuss Quran 3:7
[Quran 3:7] It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah . But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.
This verse makes it clear that there is deliberate vagueness to some aspects of the Quran. And this vagueness can allow people who have a bias to seek a desired interpretation out of that vagueness and attribute this to the Quran. We want to avoid being among those people. So with that in mind, we must emphasize that if the Quran is vague and not specific on something, that means we must not accept nor deny this thing based off of the Quran. Quranic silence on something does not mean it did or didn't happen. Likewise, if a verse in the Quran is vague and non-specific, but another verse talking about the same subject goes into more detail and gets more specific, then we follow that that specific verse is telling us rather than appeal to our desired interpretation from the vague verse. This is very important.
Some later verse could clarify what is meant by a previous verse, or could give more details in addition to that verse. But even then, as the Quran says, there remains deliberate vagueness and non-specificity in the Quran.
The most important rule is not to read anything into the text of the Quran. Let the Quran speak for itself fully. If the Quran does not explicitly reach conclusion X, then we cannot accept that the Quran asserts conclusion X. Reading the Quran in context matters as well.
Another very important thing to discuss is context. Verses in the Quran are not standalone verses, there are verses before it and after it. And many times, there is a conjunction between them ("and" as well as "or") indicating that these verses are connected. There are many verses that are connected together by context or conjunctions. Do not fall for the trap of only looking at the verse directly before the one in question. This verse that is directly before could be in conjunction with verses that are even before that one. You must really look at the whole context before you assert a specific verse is only talking about the previous verse, especially if that previous verse is part of verses preceding it which together are part of a group of verses connected together by conjunctions and context.
[See appendix below if you're interested in the Arabic!]
[Quran 2:26] Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allah intend by this example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient.
This verse is specific to the vagueness of the Quran. In this verse, Allah makes a deliberately vague statement as an example for why he does this and has parts of the Quran being vague and/or inconclusive. Those who disbelieve will say "This doesn't make sense, what did Allah mean by this?". And Allah explains that it is so that he could mislead many by it and guide many by it. This deliberate vagueness sorts out those who fail the test and those who are successful in the test. Those who believe understand why Allah gives this vague example, it is a test of belief. Many who in their hearts are defiant would mock the Quran, say it is vague and doesn't make sense, and point out alleged contradictions because they decided to take a specific interpretation in a verse that is deliberately vague and non-specific (See Quran 3:7). It allows those who want the Quran to be false to believe that the Quran is false. It allows them to follow their defiant desires and feel certainty that the Quran is not from God. That is part of the test. Guidance and misguidance. As we discussed above the Quran must be sufficiently compelling to guide those whose hearts are open and unbiased, but at the same time sufficiently vague to not compel and even misguide those whose hearts are closed and biased against it. Also note that as we discussed above, the Quran must have deliberate vagueness so that it supports 7th century belief while at the same time not contradicting modern scientific understandings. Vagueness is a feature of the Quran, not a flaw, as the Quran itself states.
It is important to note that this verse is only giving us one example of how Allah can misguide through the Quran, not a description of all the ways Allah misguides through the Quran. The mosquito is the example and the whole verse also is an example of how Allah guides and misguides through the Quran. That is, Allah gives an example of a Quranic statement of a mosquito and then explains how the statement can be used to misguide. Indeed, this may be part of the test to correctly understand this is what this verse is saying and to intellectualize the ramifications.
Lastly, we need to discuss the importance of peripheral route processing vs. central route processing.
Central Route Processing: Focus on a deep processing of the information. Integration of nuance and complexity to develop a full and complete understanding.
Peripheral Route processing: Focus on superficial characteristics (shallow processing of information). Ignores integration of nuance and complexity; achieves a peripheral level impression.
It's important that you engage in central route processing throughout your study of the Quran.
Additionally, if you think there is a contradiction in the Quran, then ask the following:
Have I made any unverified assumptions?
Have I considered all possible definitions of the words?
Have I considered all possible translations of the words?
Have I considered all grammatical syntactic definitions/renderings?
The alleged contradictions the nonbelievers tout in the Quran tend to be interpretations of ambiguous or vague verses and then saying it contradicts what another ambiguous (or even what a conclusive verse) says. They engage in peripheral route processing, follow the interpretation suitable to them of the ambiguous verse and then claim this interpretation is the correct one and then they find another verse their interpretation contradicts.
[Supplement](Optional, but recommended)
It greatly helps, especially for the non-Arabic speaker, to look into a word for word translation of the Quran and a Lexicon.
The Quran corpus is an excellent resource for a word for for word translation. http://corpus.quran.com/ Click on "word for word" tab and then search for the verse in question.
For the non-arabic speaker, you can reference Lane's Lexicon: http://www.tyndalearchive.com/TABS/Lane/ and search for the word you are using by first finding out the three letter root word (which the Quran corpus will tell you when you click on the specific word).
Let's refer first to the Quran corpus
http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=3&verse=7
This word for word translation makes things much cleaner than the translations. We see here that the word which means "precise" or "absolutely clear" in our translation is muḥ'kamātun. So let's delve into the Arabic. This comes from the root word ح ك م which means to give a definitive/final judgement.
Now let's refer to Lane's Lexicon page 618:
[Quran 3:7] It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah . But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.
This verse makes it clear that there is deliberate vagueness to some aspects of the Quran. And this vagueness can allow people who have a bias to seek a desired interpretation out of that vagueness and attribute this to the Quran. We want to avoid being among those people. So with that in mind, we must emphasize that if the Quran is vague and not specific on something, that means we must not accept nor deny this thing based off of the Quran. Quranic silence on something does not mean it did or didn't happen. Likewise, if a verse in the Quran is vague and non-specific, but another verse talking about the same subject goes into more detail and gets more specific, then we follow that that specific verse is telling us rather than appeal to our desired interpretation from the vague verse. This is very important.
Some later verse could clarify what is meant by a previous verse, or could give more details in addition to that verse. But even then, as the Quran says, there remains deliberate vagueness and non-specificity in the Quran.
The most important rule is not to read anything into the text of the Quran. Let the Quran speak for itself fully. If the Quran does not explicitly reach conclusion X, then we cannot accept that the Quran asserts conclusion X. Reading the Quran in context matters as well.
Another very important thing to discuss is context. Verses in the Quran are not standalone verses, there are verses before it and after it. And many times, there is a conjunction between them ("and" as well as "or") indicating that these verses are connected. There are many verses that are connected together by context or conjunctions. Do not fall for the trap of only looking at the verse directly before the one in question. This verse that is directly before could be in conjunction with verses that are even before that one. You must really look at the whole context before you assert a specific verse is only talking about the previous verse, especially if that previous verse is part of verses preceding it which together are part of a group of verses connected together by conjunctions and context.
[See appendix below if you're interested in the Arabic!]
[Quran 2:26] Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allah intend by this example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient.
This verse is specific to the vagueness of the Quran. In this verse, Allah makes a deliberately vague statement as an example for why he does this and has parts of the Quran being vague and/or inconclusive. Those who disbelieve will say "This doesn't make sense, what did Allah mean by this?". And Allah explains that it is so that he could mislead many by it and guide many by it. This deliberate vagueness sorts out those who fail the test and those who are successful in the test. Those who believe understand why Allah gives this vague example, it is a test of belief. Many who in their hearts are defiant would mock the Quran, say it is vague and doesn't make sense, and point out alleged contradictions because they decided to take a specific interpretation in a verse that is deliberately vague and non-specific (See Quran 3:7). It allows those who want the Quran to be false to believe that the Quran is false. It allows them to follow their defiant desires and feel certainty that the Quran is not from God. That is part of the test. Guidance and misguidance. As we discussed above the Quran must be sufficiently compelling to guide those whose hearts are open and unbiased, but at the same time sufficiently vague to not compel and even misguide those whose hearts are closed and biased against it. Also note that as we discussed above, the Quran must have deliberate vagueness so that it supports 7th century belief while at the same time not contradicting modern scientific understandings. Vagueness is a feature of the Quran, not a flaw, as the Quran itself states.
It is important to note that this verse is only giving us one example of how Allah can misguide through the Quran, not a description of all the ways Allah misguides through the Quran. The mosquito is the example and the whole verse also is an example of how Allah guides and misguides through the Quran. That is, Allah gives an example of a Quranic statement of a mosquito and then explains how the statement can be used to misguide. Indeed, this may be part of the test to correctly understand this is what this verse is saying and to intellectualize the ramifications.
Lastly, we need to discuss the importance of peripheral route processing vs. central route processing.
Central Route Processing: Focus on a deep processing of the information. Integration of nuance and complexity to develop a full and complete understanding.
Peripheral Route processing: Focus on superficial characteristics (shallow processing of information). Ignores integration of nuance and complexity; achieves a peripheral level impression.
It's important that you engage in central route processing throughout your study of the Quran.
Additionally, if you think there is a contradiction in the Quran, then ask the following:
Have I made any unverified assumptions?
Have I considered all possible definitions of the words?
Have I considered all possible translations of the words?
Have I considered all grammatical syntactic definitions/renderings?
The alleged contradictions the nonbelievers tout in the Quran tend to be interpretations of ambiguous or vague verses and then saying it contradicts what another ambiguous (or even what a conclusive verse) says. They engage in peripheral route processing, follow the interpretation suitable to them of the ambiguous verse and then claim this interpretation is the correct one and then they find another verse their interpretation contradicts.
[Supplement](Optional, but recommended)
It greatly helps, especially for the non-Arabic speaker, to look into a word for word translation of the Quran and a Lexicon.
The Quran corpus is an excellent resource for a word for for word translation. http://corpus.quran.com/ Click on "word for word" tab and then search for the verse in question.
For the non-arabic speaker, you can reference Lane's Lexicon: http://www.tyndalearchive.com/TABS/Lane/ and search for the word you are using by first finding out the three letter root word (which the Quran corpus will tell you when you click on the specific word).
Let's refer first to the Quran corpus
http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=3&verse=7
This word for word translation makes things much cleaner than the translations. We see here that the word which means "precise" or "absolutely clear" in our translation is muḥ'kamātun. So let's delve into the Arabic. This comes from the root word ح ك م which means to give a definitive/final judgement.
Now let's refer to Lane's Lexicon page 618:
So we see here that "precise/absolutely clear" is an accurate translation. It refers to verses that are secure in their meaning; verses that are firm and can't really mean anything else. Unequivocal and unambiguous. These verses are definitive in what they say.
Now let's see what the word "unspecific" in our translation means: mutashābihātun. This comes from the root word ش ب ه which means resemble. The following is from Lane's Lexicon page 1499-1500
Now let's see what the word "unspecific" in our translation means: mutashābihātun. This comes from the root word ش ب ه which means resemble. The following is from Lane's Lexicon page 1499-1500
So what we see here is the verses that are mutashābihātun are verses which resemble the unequivocal verses, but are not in fact unequivocal--so much so that only Allah knows their true meaning. This is an important concept--the Quran is stating that the verses which are actually ambiguous resemble the verses which are unambiguous. That is, verses which appear unambiguous may actually be nonspecific and we must approach the Quran with caution and not try to seek an interpretation that fits our desires. That is, if a verse is inconclusive, then it is inconclusive. If a verse could mean something else, then it could mean something else. However, as Quran 3:7 warns, those who want to seek discord seek out an interpretation that suits them. We must intercept their attempts and inform them that the verse they claim is a "contradiction" (for example) is actually inconclusive as to what it says.
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I want to discuss something else pertaining to Quran 2:26. We see here that what Allah means by a "mosquito" is ambiguous, and what Allah means when he says he misguides through it is unambiguous. So as we see here a verse may contain elements of ambiguity and umambiguity. Quran 2:26 for example is unambiguously referencing a Mosquito or that which is smaller than it, but the meaning of that reference is ambiguous. So even an ambiguous verse may have elements/parts of unambiguity, but what exactly is meant by it may be ambiguous. Additionally, there is a spirit behind this verse--it is alluding to the fact that through ambiguity, the Quran guides some and misguides some.
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One thing that I may have mistakenly alluded to is the assumption that we need these verses mentioned above to inform us that parts of the Quran are inconclusive. Actually, we don't need these verses, but these verses do help. In fact, if the Quran did not have those verses, we'd still reach the same conclusion--the Quran is written in poetic form with much allegory and metaphorical statements--there simply are inconclusive verses in the Quran that do not decisively and conclusively speak about something. Just by reading some verses and seeing that their interpretation is unclear, we can know that. We can also reason that Allah made verses unclear to test us--indeed life is a test as the Quran states (76:2) and indeed the Quran would be part of the test, and by testing us there needs to be a way to fail the test (such as deluding yourself into thinking a verse is definitively saying X, when what it is saying is not clearly laid out). The fact this is a possible case means it may be the case, and that would be sufficient to plausibly understanding why Allah may have placed vagueness into the Quran. These set of verses above are not required for us to reach this conclusion, however, they do affirm it. In fact, in Quran 3:7, "ayat" can be translated as "signs" in the Quran, and thus, this verse may not be referencing verses but rather, signs of Allah in the Quran which are all over the Quran--and as I said above, even if this verse didn't exist, there is still ambiguity and uncertainty in the meanings of some verses in the Quran, likely as part of our test, and as such, if a verse is inconclusive it is inconclusive, and we thus can only refer to conclusive verses for our definitive understanding.
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How do we know if a verse is ambiguous? If what it is referring to is not totally clear. Additionally, many mistakenly refer to 3:7's statement that the unambiguous verses are the foundation of the book to mean that most verses of the Quran are unambiguous. But the Quran never said that--this is just an extra-Quranic assumption imposed on the Quran. It just said that the unambiguous verses have the foundational message of the book, the base of the book, the root of the book, the overarching message of the book, the big picture--for example, the importance of worshipping Allah, prayer, etc.
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Can only a whose verse be vague or can parts of verses be vague? Quran 3:7 does not exclude that a single verse may have vague and non-vague elements. Quran 3:7 did not explain what makes a verse unambiguous: when it has a vague component, is the whole verse considered one of the unambiguous verses or the ambiguous verses? Or must an unambiguous verse have fully unambiguous elements? The Quran did not say. So that means we cannot assume it must be one way or another--it may vary between the Quran's verses. Sometimes, a verse may have an ambiguous element, yet the overarching meaning of the verse is unambiguous. For example, Quran 56:75 says "I swear by the setting of the stars". The "I swear" part is unambiguous but the "setting of the stars" is ambiguous/vague. So a verse can have ambiguous and unambiguous elements. However, the message in 56:75 that ALlah is swearing by something significant is unambiguous, but what exactly/specifically that significant thing being mentioned is ambiguous/vague. Additionally, what is unambiguous about Quran 3:7 is that there is vagueness in the Quran and those with sick hearts will seek from that vagueness and interpretation suitable to them. You will notice, the Quran also does not hold your hand throughout and it demands that you use your intellect (e.g. 47:24,4:82, 23:68, 38:29, 8:22). It's not going to walk you through what counts as a vague verse or not--it is left to your intellect to understand what the message of the Quran in this verse is--and if something is inconclusive, then you use your intellect to recognize it is inconclusive. If the Quran does not go into detail about something, then use your intellect to recognize that the Quran is not giving out those details so don't assume what those details are.
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More about Quran 3:7: The decisive, unambiguous verses have been called ‘‘ummu’l-kitāb’’. ‘‘Al-Umm’’ literally means a thing to which another thing returns; in which it takes refuge. That is why the mother is called al-umm. The decisive and unambiguous verses have been given this title because we return and rely on them for our understanding. That's why whenever we are faced with an inconclusive verse about something, we recognize it is inconclusive and that we can only refer to the conclusive verses for our definitive/conclusive answers. If a verse is inconclusive it is inconclusive, no need to try to pursue it. We return back to the unambiguous/decisive verses when we need an answer and we don't seek the ambiguous verses for those decisive answers. These conclusive/unambiguous verses are those verses we fall back on. The inconclusive aspects have a range of possible interpretations, and only Allah knows the true interpretation.
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Another thing we should note about 3:7. Don't confuse "ambiguous" with "metaphorical". Something could be metaphorical yet unambiguous. For example, if I say "it's raining cats and dogs" or "my brother is the black sheep of my family"--these are metaphorical statements yet are unambiguous in meaning (It's raining heavily, and my brother is different compared to the rest of the family respectively). Metaphorical does not mean ambiguous. When the Quran says "Allah sits firmly on the throne", it is metaphorical imagery, however, it is unambiguous in what it means: mastery over the kingdom and dominance over the creatures. Also note that verses which don't say anything further are not necessarily "ambiguous" verses--some verses don't add information but the nonbeliever inputs an extra-Quranic assumption on it and says the verses says this, however, the verse may not be saying what they attribute to it at all--that doesn't mean the verse is "ambiguous", however it does mean that the information the verse did not mention is inconclusive--we don't know what exactly the verse omitted, yet the verse remains unambiguous in what it didn't omit. A lot of times I will say "inconclusive" and it is important that you don't assume off the bat that I'm saying "ambiguous"--sometimes, a verse omits some piece of information and that piece of information is inconclusive, however, the verse itself is conclusive in what it didn't omit. So when I say "inconclusive" in other articles, specifically in "corruption of the bible in the Quran" article, many times I am saying a verse does not conclusively say what the non-believers attribute to it; the verse isn't saying anything about that although it might allude to it, however the think the verse might be alluding is not conclusively stated in the verse, so we must reference conclusive verses for our understanding.
Side note: The word choice in the Quran is so beautiful and precise. It didn't use the word "metaphorical", instead it used a different word to be understood in the context as "unclear/ambiguous" as a contrast to the clear/unambiguous verses. If it instead said "metaphorical", it would not have the same effect because many metaphorical verses are unambiguous. Even at one point, I made the mistake of confusing metaphorical with ambiguous. The wisdom behind the Quran remains evident.
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Oftentimes, we should take the gist of the verse or the overall message in trying to understand what it is saying. This should be included in any approach to Quranic understanding--recognizing the overall message of the verses and the specifics of the verses.
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The meaning of Ayat:
Ayat properly means a sign or miracle. Thus Quran 3:7 may only be referencing a sign or miracle. Some signs in the Quran are clear and other are ambiguous. Those whose hearts have perversity try to seek an interpretation of those ambiguous signs in order to cause discord and misguide others (signs can be ambiguous/unclear if they are not yet understood--example 54:1, see my article on the moon landing) . If this is the case, then Quran 3:7 is not referencing "verses" and as such it is not saying whether some verses or parts of verses are ambiguous or not--its not talking about verses, its talking about signs. So if this is the case, then the Quran does not discuss this and it is left to us to use our intellect and arrive at this conclusion. The Quran is written in poetic form with ambiguity throughout. Life is a test as the Quran explains, and thus the Quran could be part of the test and it could test us partly through ambiguous verses. Either way, we'd understand some verses are ambiguous. The Quran does not have to tell us this and hold our hands throughout everything. In fact, it demands you use your intellect (e.g. 47:24,4:82, 23:68, 38:29, 8:22).
Let's analyze some verses:
Some verses are very long and have very clear things in them, but within those long verses there is some ambiguity.
[Quran 74:31] And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And mention of the Fire is not but a reminder to humanity.
It's very unambiguous that this verse is saying he made the angels of the fire 19, but the verse then talks about something that is not made very clear--it even admits that it has some part that is ambiguous by saying "what does Allah mean by this as an example". Then the verse alludes to Allah guiding and misguiding through those ambiguities.
[Quran 56:75] I swear by the setting of the stars
The "I swear" is clear, decisive and unambiguous. But "setting of the stars" is ambiguous, and we are not sure what exactly it is referring to. So this verse has both ambiguous and unambiguous elements, and the full message of the verse is saying that Allah is swearing by something very significant. This verse has both ambiguous and unambiguous elements (and this is just an example, many verses have the same thing going on).
So even without seeing Quran 3:7, we see the Quran has ambiguous and unambiguous elements within it.
But what else does Ayat mean? Sign, apparent sign, mark, indication, message, evidence, proof, miracle, communication, verse of The Quran. If this is the case, then Quran 3:7 could be talking about verses being ambiguous and unambiguous. Or even more, it could be talking about parts of verses being ambiguous and unambiguous (Ayat can mean: messages, communications, indications).
And if Ayat means "sign", then indeed any collection of words in the Quran are ayats. This is because the Quran IS a linguistic miracle/sign for 7th century Arabs and the Quran even challenges them to try to write any part of the Quran--so any part of the Quran (even part of a verse) may be an "ayat" or a sign? "Ayat" is a sign and thus every verse is a sign from Allah and since there are large verses we can even say that every communication within a verse is also a sign of Allah--"ayat". The whole Quran is a linguistic miracle.
Conclusion: Quran 3:7 may be referring exclusively to miracles/signs or it may be referring to verses and parts of verses (communications/messages in the Quran). Or it could have just been only talking about whole verses which are unambiguous and ambiguous, but doesn't mention verses which have both ambiguous or unambiguous elements and thus does not exclude their existence nor does it exclude the fact those verses can also be used to test us and guide/misguide us--and we can reason this and we can use our intellect to arrive at this understanding. If I say "there are medical conditions which present with mild pain and others with severe pain", I am not excluding the fact there are medical conditions with moderate pain nor am I excluding medical conditions with alternating bouts of mild and severe pain. Such an exclusion is not stated in that statement--its only the presumption of the reader that leads them to that conclusion. Likewise, if I tell you there are sentences in this article with big words and others with small words--that doesn't exclude sentences with both big words and small words. Likewise, if a professor tells you that in your essay there are sentences that are well written and others, poorly written--it doesn't mean there aren't sentences with both well written and poorly written components. Again, such an exclusion is only perceived through the assumption of the reader. So again, this verse (3:7) does not exclude the existence of verses which have both ambiguous and unambiguous elements within it, and we observe verses which have both elements in it, therefore the Quran has verses with both ambiguous and unambiguous elements in it. Either way, we know the Quran has ambiguous and unambiguous descriptions within it.
As a side note: The Quran does not rule out the existence of different levels of ambiguity in the Quran or a spectrum of ambiguity levels. As an example, if I say "some medical conditions present with severe pain and others with mild pain"--I am not excluding or ruling out the existence of a spectrum of pain presentations with different medical conditions.
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Some may argue "But the Quran is alluding to it, therefore the Quran is claiming it to be the case". This assumes the Quran is not trying to test you and misguide you through ambiguity. This is a major assumption they make. Allah knows that upon using your intellect you can arrive at the conclusion that the Quran is not saying what you perceive it to allude to, that you are supposed to use your intellect and recognize the Quran may be testing us and may try to mislead us, and thus not to fall victim to what you think it is alluding to and focus on what it is explicitly saying. If a verse is inconclusive, it is inconclusive. If a verse does not explicitly exclude something, then don't assume it is. If a verse does not explicitly include something, then don't assume it does. Either may be the case, and it is inconclusive by itself.
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Parable of an IQ test:
Let's pretend the Quran said nothing about why it is vague of why Allah doesn't give 100% proof of anything (see article: Why is there no proof of God and Why is the Quran Vague). The Quran could've not mentioned it because Allah wanted us to figure that out on our own. Figure out a necessary conclusion from what it means to test humans. This too itself is a type of vagueness of the Quran--not tell you exactly why the Quran is vague: so you figure it out. Example: We could imagine be an IQ test that does not have instructions. Why not? Didn't they think there should've been instructions? Didn't they think it was important to include the instructions? Do they want the shape that doesn't fit or that fits, or either depending on the circumstance (perhaps all the other answer choices could fit the pattern and you're sometimes supposed to select the one that doesn't fit--even though the average questions asks you to select which answer choice fits the pattern--this is testing a higher level of intelligence). Why did the IQ test not mention the instructions? Did they think it wasn't important to tell you the instructions? Because part of the IQ test is to figure out what you are supposed to do--its testing IQ, after all...
Let's imagine an IQ test like this (with no instructions):
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I want to discuss something else pertaining to Quran 2:26. We see here that what Allah means by a "mosquito" is ambiguous, and what Allah means when he says he misguides through it is unambiguous. So as we see here a verse may contain elements of ambiguity and umambiguity. Quran 2:26 for example is unambiguously referencing a Mosquito or that which is smaller than it, but the meaning of that reference is ambiguous. So even an ambiguous verse may have elements/parts of unambiguity, but what exactly is meant by it may be ambiguous. Additionally, there is a spirit behind this verse--it is alluding to the fact that through ambiguity, the Quran guides some and misguides some.
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One thing that I may have mistakenly alluded to is the assumption that we need these verses mentioned above to inform us that parts of the Quran are inconclusive. Actually, we don't need these verses, but these verses do help. In fact, if the Quran did not have those verses, we'd still reach the same conclusion--the Quran is written in poetic form with much allegory and metaphorical statements--there simply are inconclusive verses in the Quran that do not decisively and conclusively speak about something. Just by reading some verses and seeing that their interpretation is unclear, we can know that. We can also reason that Allah made verses unclear to test us--indeed life is a test as the Quran states (76:2) and indeed the Quran would be part of the test, and by testing us there needs to be a way to fail the test (such as deluding yourself into thinking a verse is definitively saying X, when what it is saying is not clearly laid out). The fact this is a possible case means it may be the case, and that would be sufficient to plausibly understanding why Allah may have placed vagueness into the Quran. These set of verses above are not required for us to reach this conclusion, however, they do affirm it. In fact, in Quran 3:7, "ayat" can be translated as "signs" in the Quran, and thus, this verse may not be referencing verses but rather, signs of Allah in the Quran which are all over the Quran--and as I said above, even if this verse didn't exist, there is still ambiguity and uncertainty in the meanings of some verses in the Quran, likely as part of our test, and as such, if a verse is inconclusive it is inconclusive, and we thus can only refer to conclusive verses for our definitive understanding.
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How do we know if a verse is ambiguous? If what it is referring to is not totally clear. Additionally, many mistakenly refer to 3:7's statement that the unambiguous verses are the foundation of the book to mean that most verses of the Quran are unambiguous. But the Quran never said that--this is just an extra-Quranic assumption imposed on the Quran. It just said that the unambiguous verses have the foundational message of the book, the base of the book, the root of the book, the overarching message of the book, the big picture--for example, the importance of worshipping Allah, prayer, etc.
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Can only a whose verse be vague or can parts of verses be vague? Quran 3:7 does not exclude that a single verse may have vague and non-vague elements. Quran 3:7 did not explain what makes a verse unambiguous: when it has a vague component, is the whole verse considered one of the unambiguous verses or the ambiguous verses? Or must an unambiguous verse have fully unambiguous elements? The Quran did not say. So that means we cannot assume it must be one way or another--it may vary between the Quran's verses. Sometimes, a verse may have an ambiguous element, yet the overarching meaning of the verse is unambiguous. For example, Quran 56:75 says "I swear by the setting of the stars". The "I swear" part is unambiguous but the "setting of the stars" is ambiguous/vague. So a verse can have ambiguous and unambiguous elements. However, the message in 56:75 that ALlah is swearing by something significant is unambiguous, but what exactly/specifically that significant thing being mentioned is ambiguous/vague. Additionally, what is unambiguous about Quran 3:7 is that there is vagueness in the Quran and those with sick hearts will seek from that vagueness and interpretation suitable to them. You will notice, the Quran also does not hold your hand throughout and it demands that you use your intellect (e.g. 47:24,4:82, 23:68, 38:29, 8:22). It's not going to walk you through what counts as a vague verse or not--it is left to your intellect to understand what the message of the Quran in this verse is--and if something is inconclusive, then you use your intellect to recognize it is inconclusive. If the Quran does not go into detail about something, then use your intellect to recognize that the Quran is not giving out those details so don't assume what those details are.
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More about Quran 3:7: The decisive, unambiguous verses have been called ‘‘ummu’l-kitāb’’. ‘‘Al-Umm’’ literally means a thing to which another thing returns; in which it takes refuge. That is why the mother is called al-umm. The decisive and unambiguous verses have been given this title because we return and rely on them for our understanding. That's why whenever we are faced with an inconclusive verse about something, we recognize it is inconclusive and that we can only refer to the conclusive verses for our definitive/conclusive answers. If a verse is inconclusive it is inconclusive, no need to try to pursue it. We return back to the unambiguous/decisive verses when we need an answer and we don't seek the ambiguous verses for those decisive answers. These conclusive/unambiguous verses are those verses we fall back on. The inconclusive aspects have a range of possible interpretations, and only Allah knows the true interpretation.
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Another thing we should note about 3:7. Don't confuse "ambiguous" with "metaphorical". Something could be metaphorical yet unambiguous. For example, if I say "it's raining cats and dogs" or "my brother is the black sheep of my family"--these are metaphorical statements yet are unambiguous in meaning (It's raining heavily, and my brother is different compared to the rest of the family respectively). Metaphorical does not mean ambiguous. When the Quran says "Allah sits firmly on the throne", it is metaphorical imagery, however, it is unambiguous in what it means: mastery over the kingdom and dominance over the creatures. Also note that verses which don't say anything further are not necessarily "ambiguous" verses--some verses don't add information but the nonbeliever inputs an extra-Quranic assumption on it and says the verses says this, however, the verse may not be saying what they attribute to it at all--that doesn't mean the verse is "ambiguous", however it does mean that the information the verse did not mention is inconclusive--we don't know what exactly the verse omitted, yet the verse remains unambiguous in what it didn't omit. A lot of times I will say "inconclusive" and it is important that you don't assume off the bat that I'm saying "ambiguous"--sometimes, a verse omits some piece of information and that piece of information is inconclusive, however, the verse itself is conclusive in what it didn't omit. So when I say "inconclusive" in other articles, specifically in "corruption of the bible in the Quran" article, many times I am saying a verse does not conclusively say what the non-believers attribute to it; the verse isn't saying anything about that although it might allude to it, however the think the verse might be alluding is not conclusively stated in the verse, so we must reference conclusive verses for our understanding.
Side note: The word choice in the Quran is so beautiful and precise. It didn't use the word "metaphorical", instead it used a different word to be understood in the context as "unclear/ambiguous" as a contrast to the clear/unambiguous verses. If it instead said "metaphorical", it would not have the same effect because many metaphorical verses are unambiguous. Even at one point, I made the mistake of confusing metaphorical with ambiguous. The wisdom behind the Quran remains evident.
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Oftentimes, we should take the gist of the verse or the overall message in trying to understand what it is saying. This should be included in any approach to Quranic understanding--recognizing the overall message of the verses and the specifics of the verses.
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The meaning of Ayat:
Ayat properly means a sign or miracle. Thus Quran 3:7 may only be referencing a sign or miracle. Some signs in the Quran are clear and other are ambiguous. Those whose hearts have perversity try to seek an interpretation of those ambiguous signs in order to cause discord and misguide others (signs can be ambiguous/unclear if they are not yet understood--example 54:1, see my article on the moon landing) . If this is the case, then Quran 3:7 is not referencing "verses" and as such it is not saying whether some verses or parts of verses are ambiguous or not--its not talking about verses, its talking about signs. So if this is the case, then the Quran does not discuss this and it is left to us to use our intellect and arrive at this conclusion. The Quran is written in poetic form with ambiguity throughout. Life is a test as the Quran explains, and thus the Quran could be part of the test and it could test us partly through ambiguous verses. Either way, we'd understand some verses are ambiguous. The Quran does not have to tell us this and hold our hands throughout everything. In fact, it demands you use your intellect (e.g. 47:24,4:82, 23:68, 38:29, 8:22).
Let's analyze some verses:
Some verses are very long and have very clear things in them, but within those long verses there is some ambiguity.
[Quran 74:31] And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And mention of the Fire is not but a reminder to humanity.
It's very unambiguous that this verse is saying he made the angels of the fire 19, but the verse then talks about something that is not made very clear--it even admits that it has some part that is ambiguous by saying "what does Allah mean by this as an example". Then the verse alludes to Allah guiding and misguiding through those ambiguities.
[Quran 56:75] I swear by the setting of the stars
The "I swear" is clear, decisive and unambiguous. But "setting of the stars" is ambiguous, and we are not sure what exactly it is referring to. So this verse has both ambiguous and unambiguous elements, and the full message of the verse is saying that Allah is swearing by something very significant. This verse has both ambiguous and unambiguous elements (and this is just an example, many verses have the same thing going on).
So even without seeing Quran 3:7, we see the Quran has ambiguous and unambiguous elements within it.
But what else does Ayat mean? Sign, apparent sign, mark, indication, message, evidence, proof, miracle, communication, verse of The Quran. If this is the case, then Quran 3:7 could be talking about verses being ambiguous and unambiguous. Or even more, it could be talking about parts of verses being ambiguous and unambiguous (Ayat can mean: messages, communications, indications).
And if Ayat means "sign", then indeed any collection of words in the Quran are ayats. This is because the Quran IS a linguistic miracle/sign for 7th century Arabs and the Quran even challenges them to try to write any part of the Quran--so any part of the Quran (even part of a verse) may be an "ayat" or a sign? "Ayat" is a sign and thus every verse is a sign from Allah and since there are large verses we can even say that every communication within a verse is also a sign of Allah--"ayat". The whole Quran is a linguistic miracle.
Conclusion: Quran 3:7 may be referring exclusively to miracles/signs or it may be referring to verses and parts of verses (communications/messages in the Quran). Or it could have just been only talking about whole verses which are unambiguous and ambiguous, but doesn't mention verses which have both ambiguous or unambiguous elements and thus does not exclude their existence nor does it exclude the fact those verses can also be used to test us and guide/misguide us--and we can reason this and we can use our intellect to arrive at this understanding. If I say "there are medical conditions which present with mild pain and others with severe pain", I am not excluding the fact there are medical conditions with moderate pain nor am I excluding medical conditions with alternating bouts of mild and severe pain. Such an exclusion is not stated in that statement--its only the presumption of the reader that leads them to that conclusion. Likewise, if I tell you there are sentences in this article with big words and others with small words--that doesn't exclude sentences with both big words and small words. Likewise, if a professor tells you that in your essay there are sentences that are well written and others, poorly written--it doesn't mean there aren't sentences with both well written and poorly written components. Again, such an exclusion is only perceived through the assumption of the reader. So again, this verse (3:7) does not exclude the existence of verses which have both ambiguous and unambiguous elements within it, and we observe verses which have both elements in it, therefore the Quran has verses with both ambiguous and unambiguous elements in it. Either way, we know the Quran has ambiguous and unambiguous descriptions within it.
As a side note: The Quran does not rule out the existence of different levels of ambiguity in the Quran or a spectrum of ambiguity levels. As an example, if I say "some medical conditions present with severe pain and others with mild pain"--I am not excluding or ruling out the existence of a spectrum of pain presentations with different medical conditions.
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Some may argue "But the Quran is alluding to it, therefore the Quran is claiming it to be the case". This assumes the Quran is not trying to test you and misguide you through ambiguity. This is a major assumption they make. Allah knows that upon using your intellect you can arrive at the conclusion that the Quran is not saying what you perceive it to allude to, that you are supposed to use your intellect and recognize the Quran may be testing us and may try to mislead us, and thus not to fall victim to what you think it is alluding to and focus on what it is explicitly saying. If a verse is inconclusive, it is inconclusive. If a verse does not explicitly exclude something, then don't assume it is. If a verse does not explicitly include something, then don't assume it does. Either may be the case, and it is inconclusive by itself.
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Parable of an IQ test:
Let's pretend the Quran said nothing about why it is vague of why Allah doesn't give 100% proof of anything (see article: Why is there no proof of God and Why is the Quran Vague). The Quran could've not mentioned it because Allah wanted us to figure that out on our own. Figure out a necessary conclusion from what it means to test humans. This too itself is a type of vagueness of the Quran--not tell you exactly why the Quran is vague: so you figure it out. Example: We could imagine be an IQ test that does not have instructions. Why not? Didn't they think there should've been instructions? Didn't they think it was important to include the instructions? Do they want the shape that doesn't fit or that fits, or either depending on the circumstance (perhaps all the other answer choices could fit the pattern and you're sometimes supposed to select the one that doesn't fit--even though the average questions asks you to select which answer choice fits the pattern--this is testing a higher level of intelligence). Why did the IQ test not mention the instructions? Did they think it wasn't important to tell you the instructions? Because part of the IQ test is to figure out what you are supposed to do--its testing IQ, after all...
Let's imagine an IQ test like this (with no instructions):
Take the above example. Let's say they did not put any instructions because you are supposed to figure out the instructions. Is this a flaw or is this a feature of the IQ test? Apply the same thing to the Quran. Use your intellect and reason as the Quran demands.
In order for the test of life to be a valid test, the Quran must allow people to reject it. Either condition (believe in God or reject God) needs to be perceived as plausible to some. If there was no inclination to disbelieve, then people with a heart made of stone would be compelled to believe in God. There has to be enough information in the world where those who are loyal or have an open heart to God can see the truth and pursue a relationship with God, but there has to be sufficient ambiguity in the world that enables those with a heart of stone to reject God. The Quran must necessarily reflect that. It must have ambiguity. The Quran doesn't need to explain exactly where and to what extent the ambiguity exists--that's for you to figure out.
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023.068
“ Do they not ponder (Arabic: Yaddabbaru) over the Word (of God), or has anything (new) come to them that did not come to their fathers of old?”
047.024
“Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Quran (Arabic: Tadabaruna), or are their hearts locked up by them?”
See also 4:82, 38:29
The word used is (TA)DABBUR(una) in its various forms (Root D-B-R) which is commonly translated as ponder / meditate. However, the word has a much more powerful rendering than is commonly appreciated.
In order for the test of life to be a valid test, the Quran must allow people to reject it. Either condition (believe in God or reject God) needs to be perceived as plausible to some. If there was no inclination to disbelieve, then people with a heart made of stone would be compelled to believe in God. There has to be enough information in the world where those who are loyal or have an open heart to God can see the truth and pursue a relationship with God, but there has to be sufficient ambiguity in the world that enables those with a heart of stone to reject God. The Quran must necessarily reflect that. It must have ambiguity. The Quran doesn't need to explain exactly where and to what extent the ambiguity exists--that's for you to figure out.
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023.068
“ Do they not ponder (Arabic: Yaddabbaru) over the Word (of God), or has anything (new) come to them that did not come to their fathers of old?”
047.024
“Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Quran (Arabic: Tadabaruna), or are their hearts locked up by them?”
See also 4:82, 38:29
The word used is (TA)DABBUR(una) in its various forms (Root D-B-R) which is commonly translated as ponder / meditate. However, the word has a much more powerful rendering than is commonly appreciated.
Source: Edward Lanes Lexicon
Therefore:
- With regards the Quran, God asks mankind to research / ponder / examine / study earnestly / repeatedly till the matter is clear.
-Note the directive to research deeply is not restricted to the knowledgeable, scholars, or the learned elite. The command is to all mankind including disbelievers.
Source of this specific discussion: Joseph A Islam ww.quransmessage.com
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Therefore:
- With regards the Quran, God asks mankind to research / ponder / examine / study earnestly / repeatedly till the matter is clear.
-Note the directive to research deeply is not restricted to the knowledgeable, scholars, or the learned elite. The command is to all mankind including disbelievers.
Source of this specific discussion: Joseph A Islam ww.quransmessage.com
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Don't pursue the ambiguous verses?
It is commonly claimed that the Quran is teaching us to not think about the ambiguous verses. However, when we closely examine 3:7, we do not see such an explicit command:
"...Then as for those in whose hearts (qulubihim) is perversity (zayghun), so they follow what is 'tashabaha' (obscure, unclear) of it seeking discord/disagreement (fitna) and seeking its interpretation (tawil)..."
This verse is saying to not pursue the ambiguities seeking discord and committing yourself to one interpretation when the verse is ambiguous. It is not saying "don't think about the ambiguities or try to understand it", it is saying, 'don't pursue the ambiguities with the intention of causing discord'. This is, in fact, what nonbelievers do--they take ambiguous verses and then they claim those verses definitively teach X, and then they show that X is a scientific error (or a contradiction with the Quran)--just as Allah warned us in 3:7! The non-believers time and time again (especially in Wiki-Islam and AnsweringIslam) take ambiguous verses as if they are unambiguous, and they restrict the interpretation of the ambiguous verse to one possible understanding, and then they claim the Quran is in error as a result--just as Allah warned us in 3:7!
As we see here, this verse is not commanding us to not recognize that a verse is ambiguous and recognize that it could be referring to different things--instead, it is commanding us to recognize the ambiguities within the Quran and not restrict the interpretation of those verses to only one thing when they are ambiguous and could mean either thing.
What about "seeking its interpretation" (tawil)? First we note that 3:7 says "seeking discord and its interpretation" not "seeking discord or its interpretation", so the verse is telling us not to seek the interpretation of an ambiguous verse in conjunction with the the intention to create discord. Furthermore, the Arabic is more nuanced than that English translation. "Tawil" is not the same as "Tafseer":
It is commonly claimed that the Quran is teaching us to not think about the ambiguous verses. However, when we closely examine 3:7, we do not see such an explicit command:
"...Then as for those in whose hearts (qulubihim) is perversity (zayghun), so they follow what is 'tashabaha' (obscure, unclear) of it seeking discord/disagreement (fitna) and seeking its interpretation (tawil)..."
This verse is saying to not pursue the ambiguities seeking discord and committing yourself to one interpretation when the verse is ambiguous. It is not saying "don't think about the ambiguities or try to understand it", it is saying, 'don't pursue the ambiguities with the intention of causing discord'. This is, in fact, what nonbelievers do--they take ambiguous verses and then they claim those verses definitively teach X, and then they show that X is a scientific error (or a contradiction with the Quran)--just as Allah warned us in 3:7! The non-believers time and time again (especially in Wiki-Islam and AnsweringIslam) take ambiguous verses as if they are unambiguous, and they restrict the interpretation of the ambiguous verse to one possible understanding, and then they claim the Quran is in error as a result--just as Allah warned us in 3:7!
As we see here, this verse is not commanding us to not recognize that a verse is ambiguous and recognize that it could be referring to different things--instead, it is commanding us to recognize the ambiguities within the Quran and not restrict the interpretation of those verses to only one thing when they are ambiguous and could mean either thing.
What about "seeking its interpretation" (tawil)? First we note that 3:7 says "seeking discord and its interpretation" not "seeking discord or its interpretation", so the verse is telling us not to seek the interpretation of an ambiguous verse in conjunction with the the intention to create discord. Furthermore, the Arabic is more nuanced than that English translation. "Tawil" is not the same as "Tafseer":
So as we see, Tafsir (which is the former in the picture above) means explaining/interpreting, "tawil" which is the latter) is about explaining the meaning of something ambiguous, or more specifically, reducing the meaning of something ambiguous to one meaning. That is: an ambiguous verse can have 2 senses (2 understandings), and "tawil" means reducing its meaning to only 1 sense (1 understanding). In other words, an ambiguous verse could mean X or Y, "tawil" would be restricting the verse's meaning to only X.
The Quran warns us not to do this and informs us that those who want to create conflicts in Islam/Quran will use those tactics and say that a verse is definitively referring to only X, when the verse actually could be referring to either X or Y and the verse does not conclusively establish which is the case!
The above picture also mentions "apparent meaning"--which is what I have been talking about in this article and in the article titled [corruption of the bible in the Quran]--nonbelievers take a peripheral level understanding of the Quran, and say that the Quran is apparently saying X, but they ignore taking a central approach that appreciates the nuance and complexity of the Quran.
But does this contradict the verses where the Quran demands you to ponder over it? Not at all. Part of the intellectual understanding of the Quran is to recognize the ambiguous verses and how they are inconclusive as to what they are specifically saying and thus it could be either case. Such an exercise has been repeatedly demonstrated in my article Corruption of the Bible in the Quran.
What about Quran 2:26 and 74:31? Let's post the relevant parts below:
2:26- But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allah intend by this example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient.
74:31- and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.
So the context of these verses is Allah giving people an example--and the disbelievers will say "what does Allah mean by this?" Naturally, they will try to understand it, think about it, speculate as to its meaning and they may arrive at conclusions like the Quran doesn't make any sense, or the Quran is nonsense (BS) and is not from God. The verses go on to say that through these examples, Allah guides some and misguides others. In other words, those examples can be used as a guide for some and as misguidance for others. Those whose hearts are perversity and disbelievers will read those examples and be confused--and through their confusion, they may ponder over them and ultimately be guided or misguided through those examples. Allah wants to misguide those whose hearts are closed to Islam--the disbelievers (kafir/kufr), those with perversity in their hearts--and he does this through confusing them using those examples and allowing them to reach conclusions that reinforce their disbelief. The Quran does not explicitly say that you shouldn't try to understand those examples, or to recognize their ambiguity--rather it is saying that using those examples, Allah causes confusion for those who hearts are perversity/disbelievers and ultimately causes them to be misguided.
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I wanted to again restate that we don't need Quran 3:7 to know there are inconclusive verses in the Quran. If a verse in the Quran is inconclusive, then it is inconclusive period. If it could be mean something else, then it could mean something else. With that said, let's introduce a new concept. Quran 3:7 says that "no one knows its (mutashābihātun verses) interpretation except Allah". So I wanted to add a note here. This verse could be defining 'mutashabihatun' verses as the ones that only Allah knows its interpretation. If this is the case, this is perfectly fine. As we said earlier, we do not need 3:7 to tell us there are inconclusive verses in the Quran. Some verses could be inconclusive in and of themselves, and other verses somewhere else in the Quran inform us what those previous inconclusive verses were saying--as a result, those types of inconclusive verses are not 'mutashabihatum' verses as defined by the Quran. Of course there could be verses that are inconclusive and 'mutashabihatun'--but there could also be verses that are inconclusive, but they are not 'mutashabihatun' because other verses explain what those verses are saying. If a verse is inconclusive, it is inconclusive, period--if that inconclusive verse's meaning cannot be specified then it is 'mutashabihatun', if its meaning can be specified or can be specified through other verses of the Quran that clarify its meaning, then those verses are not 'mutashabihatun' as the Quran defines it. Get the gist of what I'm saying.
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[Quran 29:41-43] The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew. Indeed, Allah knows whatever thing they call upon other than Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. And these examples We present to the people, but none will understand them except those of knowledge.
This is yet another important Quranic verse. Notice how it starts off with an example of a spider's home being weak. And then it said these examples are in the Quran and none will understand them except those of knowledge. Indeed, it is possible we don't yet know some aspect of science behind this example to truly understand it. But there is another example: Quran 21:30. This verse strikingly mirrors the big bang and the subsequent creation of all living organisms from water. Literally what happened with the origin of the universe and life as discovered by modern science. However, 7th century Arabs who lack this knowledge tried their best to make sense of this verse and came up with the best possible explanation/tafsir of this verse they can conceive of. But the Quran itself said that none will truly understand these examples except those who have knowledge. Indeed early tafsirs did not have the knowledge to understand this verse so they used the best explanation they could come up with to understand it. Why is this relevant? This verse above (29:43) is a pointer to us--it reminds us that some aspects of the Quran will not be understood except by those who have knowledge. This is a pointer; an illustration; that the Quran has salient aspects to its interpretation that not everyone at all times will be able to understand. As a side note, there is no reason to say this verse only applies to "examples"--this verse did not say that it only applies to "examples" and not other verses. It did not say only these examples will not be understood except those with knowledge--indeed, other verses without examples that have other statements also may not be understood by those except with knowledge. This verse did not exclude other categories of verses (that don't have 'examples'/'mathalan') that only those with knowledge will understand. The Quran does not have to directly tell us this in order for it to be true--we could come to discover such verses with or without the Quran telling us. Additionally, the Quran could hint at this being true without directly stating it. This verse here serves as an illustration (a pointer; a hint) and a Quranic emphasis of an important Quranic phenomenon we need to take into account in our approach to Quranic understanding. Indeed the Quran demands that we deeply reflect over its verses and not to passively reach superficial understandings. The Quran will not hold our hands through its understanding--we must reflect over it, but will inspire us to think about it in certain ways. Indeed, if it weren't for these verses, I would not have been inspired/nudged the way I have been towards understanding these less salient aspects of the Quran. Indeed, verses like this have been catalysts to my understanding of the less salient aspects of the Quran and Allah knows that their presence will inspire such a deep, nuanced and complex understanding of the Quran in those who deeply reflect on the Quran. Indeed, all this makes up part of the test of life--are we willing to deeply reflect on the Quran through central route processing and have the humility to appreciate the nuance and complexity of the Quran--or will we be biased so as to take a peripheral route approach that ignores the nuance and complexity of the Quran because we want it to be false?
Get the gist of what I'm saying.
The Quran warns us not to do this and informs us that those who want to create conflicts in Islam/Quran will use those tactics and say that a verse is definitively referring to only X, when the verse actually could be referring to either X or Y and the verse does not conclusively establish which is the case!
The above picture also mentions "apparent meaning"--which is what I have been talking about in this article and in the article titled [corruption of the bible in the Quran]--nonbelievers take a peripheral level understanding of the Quran, and say that the Quran is apparently saying X, but they ignore taking a central approach that appreciates the nuance and complexity of the Quran.
But does this contradict the verses where the Quran demands you to ponder over it? Not at all. Part of the intellectual understanding of the Quran is to recognize the ambiguous verses and how they are inconclusive as to what they are specifically saying and thus it could be either case. Such an exercise has been repeatedly demonstrated in my article Corruption of the Bible in the Quran.
What about Quran 2:26 and 74:31? Let's post the relevant parts below:
2:26- But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allah intend by this example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient.
74:31- and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.
So the context of these verses is Allah giving people an example--and the disbelievers will say "what does Allah mean by this?" Naturally, they will try to understand it, think about it, speculate as to its meaning and they may arrive at conclusions like the Quran doesn't make any sense, or the Quran is nonsense (BS) and is not from God. The verses go on to say that through these examples, Allah guides some and misguides others. In other words, those examples can be used as a guide for some and as misguidance for others. Those whose hearts are perversity and disbelievers will read those examples and be confused--and through their confusion, they may ponder over them and ultimately be guided or misguided through those examples. Allah wants to misguide those whose hearts are closed to Islam--the disbelievers (kafir/kufr), those with perversity in their hearts--and he does this through confusing them using those examples and allowing them to reach conclusions that reinforce their disbelief. The Quran does not explicitly say that you shouldn't try to understand those examples, or to recognize their ambiguity--rather it is saying that using those examples, Allah causes confusion for those who hearts are perversity/disbelievers and ultimately causes them to be misguided.
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I wanted to again restate that we don't need Quran 3:7 to know there are inconclusive verses in the Quran. If a verse in the Quran is inconclusive, then it is inconclusive period. If it could be mean something else, then it could mean something else. With that said, let's introduce a new concept. Quran 3:7 says that "no one knows its (mutashābihātun verses) interpretation except Allah". So I wanted to add a note here. This verse could be defining 'mutashabihatun' verses as the ones that only Allah knows its interpretation. If this is the case, this is perfectly fine. As we said earlier, we do not need 3:7 to tell us there are inconclusive verses in the Quran. Some verses could be inconclusive in and of themselves, and other verses somewhere else in the Quran inform us what those previous inconclusive verses were saying--as a result, those types of inconclusive verses are not 'mutashabihatum' verses as defined by the Quran. Of course there could be verses that are inconclusive and 'mutashabihatun'--but there could also be verses that are inconclusive, but they are not 'mutashabihatun' because other verses explain what those verses are saying. If a verse is inconclusive, it is inconclusive, period--if that inconclusive verse's meaning cannot be specified then it is 'mutashabihatun', if its meaning can be specified or can be specified through other verses of the Quran that clarify its meaning, then those verses are not 'mutashabihatun' as the Quran defines it. Get the gist of what I'm saying.
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[Quran 29:41-43] The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew. Indeed, Allah knows whatever thing they call upon other than Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. And these examples We present to the people, but none will understand them except those of knowledge.
This is yet another important Quranic verse. Notice how it starts off with an example of a spider's home being weak. And then it said these examples are in the Quran and none will understand them except those of knowledge. Indeed, it is possible we don't yet know some aspect of science behind this example to truly understand it. But there is another example: Quran 21:30. This verse strikingly mirrors the big bang and the subsequent creation of all living organisms from water. Literally what happened with the origin of the universe and life as discovered by modern science. However, 7th century Arabs who lack this knowledge tried their best to make sense of this verse and came up with the best possible explanation/tafsir of this verse they can conceive of. But the Quran itself said that none will truly understand these examples except those who have knowledge. Indeed early tafsirs did not have the knowledge to understand this verse so they used the best explanation they could come up with to understand it. Why is this relevant? This verse above (29:43) is a pointer to us--it reminds us that some aspects of the Quran will not be understood except by those who have knowledge. This is a pointer; an illustration; that the Quran has salient aspects to its interpretation that not everyone at all times will be able to understand. As a side note, there is no reason to say this verse only applies to "examples"--this verse did not say that it only applies to "examples" and not other verses. It did not say only these examples will not be understood except those with knowledge--indeed, other verses without examples that have other statements also may not be understood by those except with knowledge. This verse did not exclude other categories of verses (that don't have 'examples'/'mathalan') that only those with knowledge will understand. The Quran does not have to directly tell us this in order for it to be true--we could come to discover such verses with or without the Quran telling us. Additionally, the Quran could hint at this being true without directly stating it. This verse here serves as an illustration (a pointer; a hint) and a Quranic emphasis of an important Quranic phenomenon we need to take into account in our approach to Quranic understanding. Indeed the Quran demands that we deeply reflect over its verses and not to passively reach superficial understandings. The Quran will not hold our hands through its understanding--we must reflect over it, but will inspire us to think about it in certain ways. Indeed, if it weren't for these verses, I would not have been inspired/nudged the way I have been towards understanding these less salient aspects of the Quran. Indeed, verses like this have been catalysts to my understanding of the less salient aspects of the Quran and Allah knows that their presence will inspire such a deep, nuanced and complex understanding of the Quran in those who deeply reflect on the Quran. Indeed, all this makes up part of the test of life--are we willing to deeply reflect on the Quran through central route processing and have the humility to appreciate the nuance and complexity of the Quran--or will we be biased so as to take a peripheral route approach that ignores the nuance and complexity of the Quran because we want it to be false?
Get the gist of what I'm saying.