3. Sūrat Āli ʿImrān

٣۔ سُورَةُ آل عِمرَان

Qurʾān > Chapter 3 > Section 2
القرآن > كتاب ٣ > باب ٢

3.2 Decisive vs. Allegorical verses. Supplication of the Believers.

٣۔٢ مقطع في سُورَةُ آل عِمرَان

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.  

He it is Who revealed to you the Book, wherein are verses ˹that are˺ clear, lucid in proof, forming the Mother Book, the original basis for rulings, and others allegorical, whose meanings are not known, such as the opening verses of some sūras. He ˹God˺ refers to the whole ˹Qur’ān˺ as: 1) ‘clear’ ˹muhkam˺ where He says ˹A Book˺ whose verses have been made clear ˹Q. 11:1˺, meaning that it contains no imperfections; and as 2) ‘allegorical’ ˹mutashābih˺, where He says A Book consimilar ˹Q. 39:23˺, meaning that its parts resemble each other in terms of beauty and veracity. As for those in whose hearts is deviation, inclination away from truth, they follow the allegorical part, desiring sedition, among the ignorant of them, throwing them into specious arguments and confusion, and desiring its interpretation, its explanation, and none knows its interpretation, its explanation, save God, Him alone. And those firmly rooted, established and capable, in knowledge (al-rāsikhūna fī’l-‘ilm is the subject, the predicate of which is ˹what follows˺) say, ‘We believe in it, the allegorical part, that it is from God, and we do not know its meaning; all, of the clear and the allegorical, is from our Lord’; yet none remembers (yadhdhakkar, the initial tā’ ˹of yatadhakkar˺ has been assimilated with the dhāl), that is, none is admonished, but people of pith, possessors of intellect, who, when they see those following that ˹allegorical part only˺, also say:
القرآن:٣:٧ –

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ ۖ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ۗ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ  

(هو الذي أنزل عليك الكتاب منه آيات محكمات) واضحات الدلالة (هن أم الكتاب) أصله المعتمد عليه في الأحكام (و أخر متشابهات) لا تفهم معانيها كأوائل السور وجعله كله محكما في قوله "" أحكمت آياته "" بمعنى أنه ليس فيه عيب، ومتشابهًا في قوله (كتابا متشابهًا) بمعنى أنه يشبه بعضه بعضا في الحسن والصدق (فأما الذين في قلوبهم زيغ) ميل عن الحق (فيتبعون ما تشابه منه ابتغاء) طلب (الفتنة) لجهالهم بوقوعهم في الشبهات واللبس (وابتغاء تأويله) تفسيره (وما يعلم تأويله) تفسيره (إلا الله) وحده (والراسخون) الثابتون المتمكنون (في العلم) مبتدأ خبره (يقولون آمنا به) أي بالمتشابه أنه من عند الله ولا نعلم معناه (كل) من المحكم والمتشابه (من عند ربنا وما يذكر) بادغام التاء في الأصل في الذال أي يتعظ (إلا أولوا الألباب) أصحاب العقول ويقولون أيضا إذا رأوا من يتبعه.
quran:3:8 –

˹Who say˺, "Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.  

Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to deviate, do not cause them to incline away from the truth, in ˹their˺ desire to interpret it, such as is inappropriate for us — as You caused the hearts of those ˹others˺ to deviate — after You have guided us, ˹after˺ You have shown us the way to it; and give us mercy from You, as a strengthening; You are the Bestower.
القرآن:٣:٨ –

رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ  

{ربنا لا تُزغ قلوبنا} تملها عن الحق بابتغاء تأويله الذي لا يليق بنا كما أزغت قلوب أولئك {بعد إذ هديتنا} أرشدتنا إليه {وهب لنا من لَدنك} من عندك {رحمة} تثبيتا {إنك أنت الوهاب}.
quran:3:9 –

Our Lord, surely You will gather the people for a Day about which there is no doubt. Indeed, Allah does not fail in His promise."  

Our Lord, You shall gather mankind for a day, that is, on a day, of which there is no doubt, no uncertainty, that is, the Day of Resurrection, when You will requite them for their deeds as You had promised; verily God will not fail the tryst, His promise of the Upraising: there is a shift of address here from the second ˹to the third˺ person and these ˹last words˺ could constitute God’s speech. The purpose of their supplication in this way is to show that their concern is with the matter of the Hereafter, and for this reason they ask ˹God˺ for adherence to the path of guidance, in order to attain its reward. The two Shaykhs ˹Bukhārī and Muslim˺ reported that ‘Ā’isha, may God be pleased with her, said, ‘The Messenger of God (s) recited this verse: It is He Who revealed to you the Book, wherein are verses clear ˹to the end of˺ the verse, and said, “When you see those pursuing the allegorical parts, ˹know that˺ these are the ones God refers to ˹in this verse˺, so beware of them” ’. Al-Tabarānī reported in his al-Kabīr that Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī heard the Prophet (s) say, ‘I fear nothing for my community except three faults’, and he mentioned that one of these would be when the Book is opened in front of them, and the believer will desire to interpret it, and yet none knows its interpretation, save God; and those firmly rooted in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it, all is from our Lord; yet none remembers but people of pith’ ˹Q. 3:7˺ ˹end of the˺ hadīth.
القرآن:٣:٩ –

رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ النَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ  

يا {ربنا إنك جامع الناس} تجمعهم {ليوم} أي في يوم {لا ريب} لا شك {فيه} هو يوم القيامة فتجازيهم بأعمالهم كما وعدت بذلك {إن الله لا يخلف الميعاد} موعده بالبعث فيه التفات عن الخطاب ويحتمل أن يكون من كلامه تعالى والغرض من الدعاء بذلك بيان أن همهم أمر الآخرة ولذلك سألوا الثبات على الهداية لينالوا ثوابها روى الشيخان عن عائشة ؓ قالت: (تلا رسول الله ﷺ هذه الآية هو الذي أنزل عليك الكتاب منه آيات محكمات إلى آخرها وقال: فإذا رأيت الذين يتبعون ما تشابه منه فأولئك الذين سمى الله فاحذروهم) وروى الطبراني في الكبير عن أبي موسى الأشعري أنه سمع النبي ﷺ يقول: (ما أخاف على أمتي إلا ثلاث خلال وذكر منها أن يفتح لهم الكتاب فيأخذه المؤمن يبتغي تأويله وليس يعلم تأويله إلا الله والراسخون في العلم يقولون آمنا به كل من عند ربنا وما يذكر إلا أولو الألباب) الحديث.