The clear and the ambiguous verses (muhkam and mutashabih)

Summary

On Al Imran 7, Sha'rawi holds that the clear (muhkam) is what leaves no room for disagreement, and that the ambiguous (mutashabih) is what takes effort to grasp, so the clear is for action and the ambiguous for faith ¹ ².

Referring the ambiguous to the clear

He says the believer refers the ambiguous to the clear. In the verse about God's hand, God is declared free of human likeness, and no practical ruling follows from the ambiguous text ⁴ ⁵.

Deviation and desire

He reports that those with deviation in their hearts follow the ambiguous seeking discord. Deviation begins as an inclination, then thought submits to the heart's tilt, and desire is the disease of opinion ⁶ ⁷.

The pause

He reports that some scholars pause after the name of God so that "those firm in knowledge" begins a new sentence, while others join it. He holds that the meaning reaches one point either way, and names none of those who said it ³.

Not yet checked

His account of the pause and of the clear and the ambiguous has not been checked against the works of the Qur'anic sciences and tafsir. The academic view and any non-Sunni view have not been checked.

Opinions on the question

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

The clear is for action and the ambiguous for faith; the ambiguous is referred to the clear, with the denial of likeness

Sha'rawi holds that the clear is acted on and the ambiguous is believed, and that the ambiguous is referred to the clear. He holds that the two pauses lead to the same meaning {cite:tafsir-sharawi-khawatir-scan-vol-2 p.1281} {cite:tafsir-sharawi-khawatir-scan-vol-2 p.1277}.

Held by: Muhammad Mutawalli al-Sha'rawi

Sources

Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1272

Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1273

Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1281

Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1276

Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1277

Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1278

Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1282

Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)

In the lexicon, add is gripping a thing with the teeth and holding it. If a person bites another without right and a wound results, the biter must pay the damages for the wound, assessed as a just award by experts. If one man bites another's hand and the bitten man pulls it free so that the biter's front teeth fall out, most jurists hold that there is no liability, relying on a prophetic judgement in such a case; the Shafi'is limit this to a bitten man who chose the easiest means of release, and the preferred Maliki view requires compensation.