Transliteration:( Huwal lazeee anzala 'alaikal Kitaaba minhu Aayaatum Muh kamaatun hunna Ummul Kitaabi wa ukharu Mutashaabihaatun fa'ammal lazeena fee quloobihim zaiyghun fa yattabi'oona ma tashaabaha minhubtighaaa 'alfitnati wabtighaaa'a taaweelih; wa maa ya'lamu taaweelahooo illal laah; warraasikhoona fil 'ilmi yaqooloona aamannaa bihee kullum min 'indi Rabbinaa; wa maa yazzakkaru illaaa ulul albaab )
"It is He Who revealed to you this Scripture. In it are verses, which are clear. They are the substance of the Book [8], and others are those in the meaning of which there is doubt [9]. As for those whose hearts are perverted, they will follow that which is doubtful. They are those who seek to mislead, maintaining their own viewpoint of it, and its right interpretation [10] is known to Allah alone [11]. And those who are firm in knowledge say: 'We believe in it. All (of it) is from our Lord' [12]. And none has the grasp of the same, to the best, except those who perfectly understand [13]."
The "clear verses" mentioned here refer to those that are the foundation of Islamic law and belief.
These verses:
Are unambiguous,
Serve as proof in theological matters,
And form the basis for legal rulings and actions in Islamic jurisprudence (Shari’ah).
These are the verses upon which the entire religious code is established.
The term “those in the meaning of which there is doubt” includes:
Verses whose meanings are hidden or not fully understood, such as the Muqatta‘at (disjointed letters at the beginning of some surahs),
Or verses whose literal interpretation is beyond human capacity, like those describing Allah’s attributes in metaphorical terms.
These verses are not to be understood independently without authentic scholarly interpretation.
This portion warns that people with perverted hearts chase these unclear verses not to understand, but to mislead others and cause fitnah (mischief).
However, if qualified scholars interpret these verses with the intention of correcting falsehood or protecting the layperson, then such interpretations are not sinful — in fact, they serve a protective role in the community.
While the verse says that true interpretation is with Allah, this does not mean others are completely unaware.
Allah has taught these meanings to His Beloved Prophet ﷺ, as He says:
“The Most Merciful – taught the Qur’an.” (Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:1–2)
It is an established truth that the Prophet ﷺ was given knowledge of both clear and ambiguous verses.
If the Prophet ﷺ had not understood them, their revelation would have been without purpose — like speaking Arabic to someone who knows only Urdu.
These ambiguous verses are a divine secret between Allah and His Messenger, and through him, some saints and scholars have also been blessed with their meanings.
Those firm in knowledge say:
“We believe in it — all of it is from our Lord.”
From this we learn:
A truly educated and mature scholar does not claim knowledge where none exists.
It is permissible and even recommended to hold collective faith — like believing in all Prophets without knowing their exact number.
Furthermore:
Even without understanding, one must accept and act upon all Islamic teachings.
Just as medicine works without knowing its chemical composition, the Qur’an benefits even those who cannot understand its translation.
Hence, understanding translation is not a requirement for receiving benefit — otherwise, the ambiguous verses would never have been revealed.
At certain points, choosing not to seek the meaning of ambiguous verses becomes an act of worship.
Staying silent and not attempting unauthorized interpretation can be a source of Divine pleasure, especially when done out of humility and reverence.
Such intentional abstention is a rewardable act when it protects the sanctity of divine knowledge.
Therefore, remaining respectfully ignorant of such matters, where required, is both virtuous and rewarding.
The tafsir of Surah Imran verse 7 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Imran ayat 5 which provides the complete commentary from verse 5 through 9.
(3:7) It is He Who has revealed the Book to you. Some of its verses are absolutely clear and lucid, and these are the core of the Book.[5] Others are ambiguous.[6] Those in whose hearts there is perversity, always go about the part which is ambiguous, seeking mischief and seeking to arrive at its meaning arbitrarily, although none knows their true meaning except Allah. On the contrary, those firmly rooted in knowledge say: ‘We believe in it; it is all from our Lord alone.’[7] No one derives true admonition from anything except the men of understanding.
5. Muhkam means that which has been made firmly and perfectly. The muhkam verses mentioned here are those Qur’anic verses which are embodied in clear and lucid language and whose meaning is not liable to any ambiguity and equivocation. The words of these verses are clear pointers to their true meaning and, therefore, it is difficult to subject them to arbitrary interpretation. Such verses form the core of the Holy Book; they are the verses which fulfil the true purpose for which the Qur’an was revealed, and they invite the whole world to Islam. They embody admonition and instruction as well as the refutation of erroneous doctrines and the elucidation of the Right Way. They also contain the fundamentals of the true faith; teachings relating to belief, worship and morality, and mandatory duties and prohibitions. These are the verses which will guide the genuine seeker after Truth who turns to the Qur’an in order to find out what he ought and ought not to do.
6. ‘Ambiguous’ verses are those whose meaning may have some degree of equivocation. It is obvious that no way of life can be prescribed for man unless a certain amount of knowledge explaining the truth about the universe, about its origin and end, about man’s position in it and other matters of similar importance, is intimated to him. It is also evident that the truths which lie beyond the range of human perception have always eluded and will continue to elude man; no words exist in the human vocabulary which either express or portray them. In speaking about such things, we necessarily resort to words and expressions generally employed in connection with tangible objects. In the Qur’an, too, this kind of language is employed in relation to supernatural matters; the verses which have been characterized as ‘ambiguous’ refer to such matters.
At best, such expressions may serve to either bring man close to or enable him to formulate some view of reality, even if it is a faint one. The more one tries to determine the precise meaning of such verses, the more their ambiguities proliferate, and the more one is confronted with choosing between several plausible interpretations. All this is likely to alienate one progressively further away’ from the Truth instead of bringing one closer to it. Those who seek the Truth and do not hanker after the satisfaction of their egocentric quest for exotic superfluities, will be satisfied with the dim vision of reality derived from these verses. They will concentrate their attention instead on the clear and lucid ‘core’ verses of the Qur’an. It will be left to those who are either out to make mischief and mislead people or who have an abnormal passion for superfluities to devote their attention to hair-splitting discussions about the contents of the ‘ambiguous” verses.
7. This might give rise to an unnecessary problem: How can people believe in ‘ambiguous’ verses when the contents of these cannot be grasped?
The fact is that a reasonable person will believe that the Qur’an is the Book of God through his reading of its clear and lucid verses, rather than by learning fanciful interpretations of the ambiguous verses. Once so convinced, he is not likely to be worried by doubts and anxieties caused by the ambiguities of the verses concerned. One who seeks the Truth is satisfied with the obvious meaning of these verses, and wherever he encounters complications and ambiguities he abstains from pursuing their solution too far. Instead of wasting his time splitting hairs, he is content to believe in the things laid down in the Book of God, without seeking to know them precisely and in detail. He turns his attention, in the main, to questions of a practical nature.
[116]- Those which are stated in such a way that they are open to more than one interpretation or whose meaning is known only to Allāh, such as the opening letters of certain sūrahs.
For a faster and smoother experience,
install our mobile app now.
Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics