‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: {It is He Who has sent down to you the Book. In it are definite verses, which are the foundation of the Book, while others are ambiguous. Those with deviant hearts follow the ambiguous verses, seeking discord and seeking their [false] interpretation. But no one knows their [true] interpretation except Allah. And those who are well-grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it. It is all from our Lord." None will take heed except people of understanding} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 7]. Then, he said: "If you see those who follow the ambiguous verses, they are those whom Allah has named; so, beware of them."
Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 4547), Muslim (No. 2665), Abu Dawud (No. 4598), At-Tirmidhi (No. 2994), Ibn Majah (No. 47), Ahmad (No. 23079, 25001) and Ad-Darimi (No. 145).
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: {It is He Who has sent down to you the Book. In it are definite verses, which are the foundation of the Book, while others are ambiguous. Those with deviant hearts follow the ambiguous verses, seeking discord and seeking their [false] interpretation. But no one knows their [true] interpretation except Allah. And those who are well-grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it. It is all from our Lord." None will take heed except people of understanding.} Allah Almighty says in this verse that it is He Who sent down the Qur’an to His Prophet and that it contains clear verses that give specific unambiguous rulings; these serve as the foundation and points of reference of the Book, and they are to be referred to when differences arise. And it contains other verses that may give a number of potential meanings, over which people may get confused or they may think there is a contradiction between one of those verses and another verse. Then, Allah points out how people deal with those verses. Those whose hearts are deviated from the truth abandon the definite verses and turn to the ambiguous ones, thereby seeking to create misconceptions and mislead people. On the other hand, those well-grounded in knowledge know these ambiguous verses and refer them to the definite ones, believing in them and that they are from Allah Almighty and that they cannot be confusing or contradictory. But no one remembers this or takes heed from it except the people of sound minds. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told the Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that, if she saw those who follow the ambiguous verses, then indeed they are the ones named by Allah in the verse that reads: {Those with deviant hearts}; so, beware of them and do not listen to them.
Lessons
The definite verses of the Qur’an are those verses whose meanings are apparent and clear; whereas the ambiguous verses are those verses with a number of potential meanings and so they require consideration and understanding.
The Hadīth warns against associating with the people of deviation and religious innovations and those who raise ambiguous issues with the aim of misleading people and casting doubts into their hearts.
The concluding part of the verse {None will take heed except people of understanding} is an indirect reference to the deviant people and praise for those well-grounded in knowledge. In other words, he who does not take heed and admonition and follows his vain inclination is not one of the people of understanding.
Following the ambiguous verses causes deviation of the heart.
The ambiguous verses whose meanings may not be understood should be referred to the definite verses.
Allah Almighty has made some of the Qur’an definite and some of it ambiguous as a test for people to distinguish the people of faith from the people of misguidance.
Part of the wisdom behind making some of the Qur’an's verses ambiguous is to show the superiority of scholars to others and to highlight the limitations of people's minds, so that they may submit to their Creator and acknowledge their own deficiencies.
The Hadīth highlights the merit of being well-grounded in knowledge and the necessity of steadfastness in it.
The Qur’an's exegetes have two views on the pause after the word 'Allah' in the verse that reads: {But no one knows their [true] interpretation except Allah. And those who are well-grounded in knowledge.} In the case of those who advocate the pause after the word 'Allah', the 'interpretation' here refers to knowing the reality and essence of it and such matters that cannot be realized like the spirit, the Hour, and other things whose knowledge Allah kept exclusively to Himself. Those well-grounded in knowledge believe in it and leave its realities to Allah, and thus they submit and become safe. On the other hand, those who advocate the continuity of recitation and not taking a pause after the word 'Allah' hold that the 'interpretation' here means explanation and clarification. Thus, Allah Almighty knows it, and so do the people well-grounded in knowledge, who believe in them and refer them to the definite verses.
وفيها أخبر الله سبحانه أنه هو الذي أنزل على نبيه القرآن، الذي منه آيات واضحة الدلالة، معلومة الأحكام لا لبس فيها، هي أصل الكتاب ومرجعه، وهي المرجع عند الاختلاف،
ومنه آيات أُخر محتملة لأكثر من معنى، يلتبس معناها على بعض الناس، أو يظن أن بينها وبين الآية الأخرى تعارض،
ثم بين الله تعامل الناس مع هذا الآيات،
فالذين في قلوبهم مَيْلٌ عن الحق فيتركون المُحْكم، ويأخذون بالمتشابه المُحْتمل، يبتغون بذلك إثارة الشبهة وإضلال الناس، ويبتغون بذلك تأويلها على ما يوافق أهواءهم،
وأما الثابتون في العلم فإنهم يعلمون هذا المتشابه، ويردُّونه للمحكم، ويؤمنون به وأنه من عند الله سبحانه وتعالى، ولا يمكن أن يلتبس أو يتعارض، ولكن ما يتذكر بذلك ولا يتعظ إلا أصحاب العقول السليمة.
ثم قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لأم المؤمنين عائشة رضي الله عنها أنها إذا رأت الذين يتبعون المتشابه فإنهم هم الذين سمَّى الله في قوله:
{فأما الذين في قلوبهم زيغ}
فاحذروهم ولا تصغوا إليهم.
المحكم من آيات القرآن: ما اتضحت دلالته وظهر معناه، والمتشابه: ما احتمل أكثر من معنى واحتاج إلى نظر وفهم.
التحذير مِن مخالطة أهل الزيغ وأصحاب البدع ومَن يطرح المشكلات لإضلال الناس وتشكيكهم.
في ختم الآية بقوله تعالى: {وما يذكر إلا أولو الألباب} تعريض بالزائغين، ومدح للراسخين، يعني: مَن لم يتذكَّر ويتَّعظ، واتَّبع هواه ليس مِن أولي الألباب.
اتباع المتشابه سبب لزيغ القلب.
وجوب رد الآيات المتشابهة التي قد لا يُفهم معناها إلى الآيات المحكمة.
جعل الله سبحانه بعضَ القرآن محكمًا وبعضَه متشابهًا؛ ابتلاءً للناس ليتميز أهل الإيمان من أهل الضلال.
في وقوع المتشابه في القرآن: إظهار فضل العلماء على غيرهم، وإعلام للعقول بقصورها؛ لتستسلم لبارئها وتعترف بعجزها.
فضيلة الرسوخ في العلم وضرورة الثبات فيه.
للمفسرين في الوقوف على {الله} من قوله: { وما يعلم تأويله إلا الله والراسخون في العلم } قولان، فمن وقف على {الله}، فيكون المراد بالتأويل علم حقيقة الشيء وكنهه وما لا سبيل إلى إدراكه كأمر الروح والساعة مما استأثر الله بعلمه، والراسخون في العلم يؤمنون به ويكلون حقائقه إلى الله فيسلمون ويسلمون، ومن وصل ولم يقف على {الله} ، فيكون المراد بالتأويل التفسير والكشف والإيضاح، فيكون الله يعلمه والراسخون في العلم يعلمونه أيضا، فيؤمنون بها ويردونها للمحكم.
قَرَأَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم هَذِهِ الآيَةَ { هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ } إِلَى { أُولُو الأَلْبَابِ } قَالَتْ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم…
Narrated by Ā’ishah
AuthenticMuttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim)Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2994
شرح أصول اعتقاد أهل السنة والجماعة للالكائي (163)إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ , أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ سَمَّاهُمُ اللَّهُ فَاحْذَرُوهُم
