The Quran presents its message in various ways and in a variety of styles. As a result, it has become unparalleled among other works in explaining its own verses which are set in a very concise diction and which are inimitable. Thus it introduces itself as كِتَابًا مُّتَشَابِهًا:

اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُّتَشَابِهًا مَّثَانِيَ (23:39)

God has revealed the best of discourses whose verses resemble one another and whose surahs occur in pairs. (39:23)

Verses such as وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِي هَـذَا الْقُرْآنِ لِيَذَّكَّرُواْ (41:17) [1] bring to light this very characteristic of the Quran by the word tasrif. This word literally means “to circulate and pass around” ie presenting the same thing in various ways and in diverse styles:

كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ (1:11)

This is a Book, whose verses were first concise and then they were explained from Him who is wise and all-knowing. (11:1)

Thus, initially, the style adopted was concise, brief and succinct, and later these succinct verses which carried a world of meaning were explained. While explaining this characteristic of the Quran, Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi writes:

… if you read the Quran, you realize that the same topic appears in various surahs. A novice may regard this as mere repetition; however, those who deliberate on the Quran know that it does not contain any repetition. A topic which appears at other places also, does not appear with the same background and context. These are different at different places. The variations depend on the place and placement of the topic under discussion. At one place, an aspect would be hidden, while at another it would be revealed. Similarly, at one place, the real direction of address may be unspecified, and at another context, it becomes specified. In fact, my years of personal experience is that at one place a word appears to be unclear and at another place, its meaning becomes very clear. Similarly, at one place, the argument of some premise may not be understood; however, at another place, it becomes as clear as the sun. This style adopted by the Qur’an is to imprint its message on the reader. Consequently, it is to express gratitude to the Almighty that I mention the fact that in order to overcome the difficulties of the Quran the extent of help I have received from the Quran itself is emulated by no other source. The beauty of the Quranic message itself entails that it should be read in various styles. If a person has a keen mind, the exquisite variations in presenting the same fact help him in absorbing it in some way or the other.[2]

These are the words and first hand experience of the greatest scholar of the Quran in contemporary times after the great Hamid al-Din al-Farahi. Any student of the Quran who deliberates on the Quran will find this reality stamped on every page of it. Thus, it must be accepted as a principle that the Quran explains itself (اَلْقُرآنُ يُفَسِّر بَعضُهُ بَعْضاً). This principle holds good not only for the directives of the Quran, the historical references it cites and other allusions it makes but also for the invaluable treasure of the parallels of its own words and styles so that difficulties encountered in understanding them can be resolved by recourse to this treasure. Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi writes:

It is not possible to present the details here otherwise I could have shown how the Quran takes a word from the common spoken Arabic language and incorporates loftier meanings in it than its conventionally understood one. Not only this, the variation in which it would use this word and the aura it would create for it would be enough to fully guide and satisfy a student of the Quran about its usage and other minute details without making him to resort to elaborate Arabic lexicons like the Lisan and the Sihah. This characteristic of the Quran can be observed not only in words, but also with the styles it adopts and the grammatical constructions it contains. The constructions which have become very difficult for the grammarians of the Quran to comprehend have been explained and corroborated by the Qur’an at other places by variation in usage to the extent that one becomes fully certain of their implications.[3]

(Meezan: Javed Ahmed Ghamidi)

(Translated by Dr. Shehzad Saleem)

____________________________

[1]. “And we have explained in various ways Our revelations in this Quran so that theymay take heed.” (17:41)

[2]. Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i Quran, vol. 1, 28.

[3]. Amin Ahsan Islahi, Mabadi Tadabbur-i Quran, 60.

​