An-Qur'aani ya saukar da shi ga mutane a matsayin Furqaan, wata hanya ta raba tsakanin gaskiya da karya a cikin alakar mutum da Mahaliccinsa da kuma halittun da yake rayuwa a cikinsu. Ka'idojin asali na wadannan alaka an bayyana su sarai a cikin Alqur'ani, ba tare da wani wuri na hasashe ko shakka ba, kuma wadannan ka'idoji ne ke samar da ainihin littafin (umm al-kitaab). Misali, ka'idar sallah (salaah) tana bayyana alakar farko tsakanin mutum da Allah, yayin da ta zakka (sadaka ta wajibi da aka tsara) take bayyana wani muhimmin bangare na alakar dan Adam da dan Adam. Daga wannan mahanga ne Allah ya siffanta Alqur'ani a cikin ayar da ke biye:

The Qur’aan was revealed to mankind as a furqaan, a means of distinguishing between truth and falsehood in man’s relationship with his Creator and with the creation in which he exists. The basic principles of these relationships have been clearly defined in the Qur’aan, leaving no room for speculation or doubt, and these are the principles which make up the essence of the Book (umm al-kitaab). For example, the principle of salaah (prayer) defines the primary relationship between man and God, while that of zakaah (institutionalized obligatory charity) defines a primary aspect of human relationship. It is from this viewpoint that Allaah describes the Qur’aan in the following verse:

Saboda haka, tushen haɗin kan al'ummar Musulmi (Ummah) an kafa su da ƙarfi ta ayoyin Alƙur'ani masu muhimmanci kansu. Waɗannan ayoyi da ƙa'idodin da suke ƙunshe da su an kira su da suna muhkamaat.

Hence, the foundations for the unity of the Muslim nation (Ummah) are firmly laid down by the essential verses of the Qur’aan itself. These verses and the principles which they contain have been referred to as the muhkamaat.

Duk da haka, tun da Alkur'ani yana magana kan asirai na mutum da duniyarsa, akwai dole a cikinsa wasu nassoshi a bayyane da kuma a boye game da wasu al'amuran gaskiya waɗanda sanin mutum a kansu yana da iyaka. Wasu daga cikin waɗannan nassoshi ana iya fahimtarsu ne kawai ta hanyar dangantakarsu da wasu ayoyi, yayin da hakikanin wasu nassoshin kuwa ba za a iya fahimtar su ba kwata-kwata. Misali, haruffan haruffa da wasu surori na Alkur'ani suke farawa da su ba su da wata ma'ana a fili a cikinsu. Ko da yake ana amfani da su a cikin waƙoƙin Larabci na zamani, ba a taɓa amfani da su a farkon ayoyi ba, kuma mahallin magana koyaushe yana nuna ma'anar da ake nufi.

However, since the Qur’aan addresses the mysteries of man and his world, there are, of necessity, vague and obscure references to aspects of realities about which man’s knowledge is limited. Some of these references may only be understood in relationship to other verses, while the reality of other references cannot be understood at all. For example, the letters of the alphabet with which some of the soorahs of the Qur’aan begin have no obvious meanings in themselves. Although they were used in ancient Arabic poetry, they were never used at the beginnings of verses, and the context would always indicate the intended meaning

Misali na wannan ana iya samunsa a cikin waƙar Larabci mai zuwa:

An example of that can be found in the following couplet of Arabic poetry:

Mun ce mata, "Tsaya," sai ta ce, "Qaaf." [gajeriyar kalmar waqaftu, "Na tsaya."]

(We said to her, “Stop,” and she said, “Qaaf.” [short for waqaftu, “ I have stopped.”])

Duk da haka, game da Alkur'ani, malaman farko sun lura cewa akwai dangantakar lissafi tsakanin harafan gabatarwa da yawan bayyanarsu a cikin surorinsu, da kuma a cikin sauran surorin Alkur'ani kansa. Misali mai bayyanawa, bari mu duba Suratu Kaf, wadda ta fara kamar haka:

However, with regard to the Qur’aan, it has been noted by the early scholars that there is a mathematical relationship between the introductory letters and their occurrence in their respective soorahs, as well as in the other soorahs of the Qur’aan itself. For an illustrative example, let us examine Soorah Qaaf, which begins as follows:

An an nuna cewa harafin Qaaf na harafin Larabci ya fi yawaita a cikin wannan surah fiye da kowane harafi na haruffan Larabci. Haka kuma, adadin Qaaf-n da ke cikin wannan surah idan aka kwatanta da jimillar haruffan surah ya fi girma fiye da na kowace daga cikin sauran surorin Alqur'ani guda dari da goma sha uku.

It has been shown that the Arabic letter Qaaf occurs more frequently in this soorah than any other letter of the Arabic alphabet. Also, the ratio of Qaafs to the total number of letters in this soorah is higher than in any of the other one hundred and thirteen soorahs of the Qur’aan.

Duk da haka, ma'anar harafin Qaaf ba ta sani ba. Wasu malamai masu tafsirin Alkur'ani sun yi hasashen cewa harafi ne da ya zama gajeriyar kalmar "Qur'aan," yayin da wasu suka ba da shawarar cewa yana wakiltar jumlar "qudiyal-amr" ("al'amari ya riga ya kasance an tsara shi"). Tun da Annabi na ƙarshe, Muhammad ﷺ, wanda aka saukar masa da Alkur'ani, bai bayyana ma'anarsa ba, kuma yanayin nahawu da aka yi amfani da shi a cikinsa ba ya nuna wata ma'ana bayyananniya, to ba mu iya cewa da gaskiya ba sai dai cewa Allah shi kaɗai ne ya san hakikaninsa.

However, the intended meaning of the letter Qaaf is unknown. Some commentators of the Qur’aan have speculated that it is abbreviation for the word “Qur’aan,” while others have proposed that it represents the phrase, “qudiyalamr,” (“the matter has been destined”). Since the last Prophet, Muhammad (ﷺ), to whom the Qur’aan was revealed, did not explain its meaning, and the grammatical context in which it is used does not indicate any obvious meaning, we can only honestly say that Allaah alone knows its reality.

Wani misali kuma game da mutum kansa shi ne na rai (ruhi). Wanzuwarsa an tabbatar da ita ta hanyar wahayi, haka kuma ta hanyar gogewar ɗan adam, amma hakikanin abin da yake ba a sani ba ga mutum. Allah, a cikin Alƙur'ani, ya nuna mana asalinsa, inda yake cewa,

Another example in relation to man himself is that of the rooh (soul). Its existence is confirmed by revelation, as well as human experience, but its reality is unknown to man. Allaah, in the Qur’aan, points out its origin for us, saying,

Saboda haka, mun sani cewa rai halitta ce, amma daga me aka halicce ta, Allah shi kaɗai ne ya sani. Mun san wasu abubuwa game da ita, kamar gaskiyar cewa wani mala'ika yana da alhakin sanya ta a cikin tayi a farkon watan biyar na ci gabanta, kuma wani mala'ika yana da alhakin fitar da ita daga jikin mutum idan lokacinta na mutuwa da aka ƙayyade ya zo, da sauransu. Amma yadda aka halicce ta, siffarta, matsayinta a cikin jiki, ko yadda take haɗe da jiki, ba wani ɓangare ne na iliminmu ba.

Hence, we know that the soul is created, but as to what it is created from, Allaah alone knows. We know other things about it, like the fact that an angel is responsible for placing it in the fetus at the beginning of the fifth month of its development, and another angel is responsible for extracting it from the human body when its appointed time of death has arrived, etc. 4 But how it was created, its form, its place in the body, or how it is connected to the body is not part of our knowledge.

Dangane da mutum da duniyarsa, misali za a iya samunsa a cikin ambaton rayuwa ta gaba da Ranar Alqiyama. 'Ya'yan itatuwa da abubuwan sha na Aljanna da na Wuta ana ambatar sunayensu, amma kamar yadda Ibn ‘Abbaas (r) ya bayyana, sunayensu ne kawai suke kama; hakikaninsu kuwa gaba ɗaya ya bambanta. Allah Kansa ya nuna haka ta hanyar ambaton wasu halaye na musamman nasu, kamar koguna na madara mai gudana wadda ba ta taɓa tsami ba, ko ruwan inabi wanda ba ya bugar da mai shansa, da ma'auni da ke auna ayyuka, da fatun waɗanda aka ƙaddara wa Wuta, waɗanda ke sake tsirowa nan take bayan wuta ta ƙone su.

In relation to man and his world, an example can be found in the references to the next life and the final hour. Fruits and drinks of paradise and Hell are mentioned by name, but as Ibn ‘Abbaas (r) explained, only the names are similar; their realities are totally different.5 Allaah Himself indicates that by mentioning some of their unique qualities, such as rivers of flowing milk that never sours or wine that does not intoxicate, a scale that weighs deeds and the skins of those doomed to the Fire, which grow back again as soon as the fire has burnt them.

Haka kuma, ilimin ainihin lokacin ƙarshen wannan duniya ba a san shi ba. Ko da yake an ambaci alamomi da yawa a cikin Alƙur'ani da Sunnah, kuma an bayyana yadda duniya za ta wargaje sosai, amma ainihin lokacin da zai faru ɓoye yake gaba ɗaya ga mutum. Saboda haka, ambaton Alƙur'ani game da Sa'a ta ƙarshe da abubuwan rayuwa ta gaba koyaushe a fakaice suke.

Similarly, knowledge of the appointed time for the end of this world is unknown. Although many of the signs have been mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and the process of disintegration has been vividly described, the exact time of its occurrence is completely hidden from man. Hence, Qur’aanic references to the Final Hour and the components of the next life are always vague.

Haka kuma, Allah ya yi amfani da ma'anar gaba ɗaya ta mutashaabih, wato "masu kama da juna" ko "masu kamanceceniya", ga dukan Alƙur'ani a cikin wannan ayar:

Likewise, Allaah applied the general meaning of mutashaabih, “mutually resembling one another” or “similar,” to the whole Qur’aan in the following verse:

Wato, dukkan ayoyin Alkur'ani suna kama da juna a cikin kyawun salonsu da tsarin kidan harshensu, kuma dukkansu suna tabbatar da ma'anonin juna.

That is, all of the verses of the Qur’aan resemble each other in their rhythmic and poetic perfection, and they all mutually confirm each other’s meanings.

Sai dai, ma'anoni na musamman na waɗannan kalmomi biyu suna taka muhimmiyar rawa a ilimin tafsiri. Waɗannan ma'anoni suna cikin ayar da ke tafe, tare da gargaɗi mai tsanani.

However, the specific meanings of these two terms play a very important role in the science of tafseer. Those meanings are contained in the following verse, along with a very stern warning:

Saboda haka, ana iya bayyana muhkam a matsayin ayoyin da ma'anarsu a bayyane take, kuma mutashaabih a matsayin ayoyin da ma'anoninsu na ciki Allah kaɗai ya sani. ‘Aisha ta ruwaito cewa sau ɗaya Manzon Allah (ﷺ) ya karanta ayar da aka ambata a sama, sannan ya ce:

Hence, the muhkam could be defined as those verses whose meanings are clear, and the mutashaabih as those verses whose inner meanings are known only to Allaah. ‘Aa’ishah reported that once the Prophet (ﷺ) recited the above mentioned verse and said,

Ra'ayoyin muhkam da mutashaabih sun samar da wasu ka'idoji da ya kamata a fahimci Alkur'ani da su. Tsarin fiqhu (dokar Musulunci) ya samu ci gaba daga ayoyin muhkamaat. Malaman farko sun fi mayar da hankali ga ayoyin da ke da alaka kai tsaye da ayyukan mutum, ayoyin da za a iya aiwatarwa da fassarawa bisa ka'idojin nahawu na hankali da wadanda duniya ke karba. Sai dai, wadanda suke neman rusa sakon Musulunci daga ciki sun fara kai harinsu tun daga tushe, wato Alkur'ani. Ayoyin muhkamaat ba sa karbar fassarorin falsafa. Saboda haka, mutashaabihaat suka zama ginshikan da aka gina "kishin Musulunci" a kansu, kuma sunayen Allah da sifofinsa suka zama mafarin hakan. Misali, Allah ya bayyana kansa a cikin Alkur'ani da al-Baseer, Mai gani, da as-Samee', Mai ji, daga cikin sunayensa da sifofinsa masu yawa. A zamanin Annabi (ﷺ) da na Khalifofi Shiryayyu guda hudu bayan rasuwarsa, sahabbai sun fahimci ayoyin da ke dauke da wadannan sifofi bisa ma'anarsu ta zahiri, ba tare da zurfafa a kan dalili da yadda ba. A wurinsu, Allah yana ganin dukkan abubuwa yana jin su, ba tare da ya yi kama da halittunsa ta kowace hanya ba. Sai dai bayan zamanin sahabbai, wasu sun fara jayayya da cewa gani da ji halayen mutane ne ko dabbobi, wadanda ke bukatar wasu gabobin jiki da ba su dace da Ubangiji Allah Madaukakin Sarki ba. Ya riga ya fada a cikin Alkur'ani cewa:

The concepts of muhkam and mutashaabih provide a set of guidelines by which the Qur’aan should be understood. The system of fiqh (Islaamic law) has evolved from the muhkamaat verses. The early scholars concentrated on those verses which had direct relevance to human actions, the verses which could be applied and interpreted according to logical and universally acceptable grammatical principles. However, those who sought to destroy the message of Islaam from within began their attack at the very source, the Qur’aan. The muhkamaat verses do not lend themselves to philosophical interpretations. Hence, the mutashaabihaat became the pillars upon which counter-Islaam was built, and Allaah’s names and attributes became the starting point. For example, Allaah describes Himself in Qur’aan as al-Baseer, the Seer, and as-Samee‘, the Hearer, among His many names and attributes. During the era of the Prophet (r) and that of the four Righteous Caliphs after his death, the sahaabah understood the verses containing these attributes according to their obvious meanings without delving into the why and the hows. To them, Allaah sees and hears all things without resembling His creation in any way. However, after the era of the sahaabah, the argument was raised by some that seeing and hearing were human or animal characteristics which required particular sensory apparatuses not befitting the Lord God Almighty. He had already said in the Qur’aan that:

Sakamakon haka, wata makarantar falsafa mai suna Jahmiyyah ta bayyana, wadda ta musanta sunayen Allah da siffofinsa. Daga cikin wannan makarantar kuma ta samo asali wata makarantar, Mu‘tazilah, wadda ta rage tsananin maganganun bidi‘a bayyanannu na Jahm ibn Safwaan da dabarar tunani ta Girka da fassarori na hankali na nassosin Alqur’ani da Sunnah. A karkashin kariyar sarakunan ‘Abbasiyyah na farko, wannan makaranta ta mamaye al’ummar Musulmi, har ta kai ga akidunta sun zama abin da aka saba da shi, kuma duk wanda ya yi adawa da su ana tsananta masa a tsare. An amince da sunayen Allah, amma an sa su ba tare da wata ma’ana ba, kuma an fassara siffofinsa na gani da ji da cewa suna nufin ilimi.

As a result, a school of philosophy known as the Jahmeeyah arose, which denied Allaah’s names and attributes. Out of this school evolved another, the Mu‘tazilah, which toned down clearly heretical statements of Jahm ibn Safwaan with Greek logic and rationalist interpretations of the texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Under the patronage of the early ‘Abasssid rulers, this school engulfed the Ummah, to the degree that its concepts became the norm, and those who opposed them were systematically persecuted. Allaah’s names were recognized, but were made void of any meaning, and His attributes of sight and hearing were taken to mean knowledge.

Bayan lokaci, wasu daga cikin al'ummah suka taso da da'awar cewa dukkan Alƙur'ani mutashaabih ne, kuma su kaɗai ne suka san ainihin ma'anoninsa. Sun kira ma'anoni na waje da thaahir ko Shari'ah, yayin da ma'anoni na ciki kuma suka kira su baatin ko haqeeqah. Wasu sun yi iƙirarin cewa ma'anoni na ciki an mika su a asirce ta hanyar zuriyar Annabi ﷺ, waɗanda suka sanya wa suna imaamai, yayin da wasu kuma suka ce an mika su ta hanyar jerin shaykhai ko shugabannin ruhaniya.

In time, there arose others among the Ummah who claimed that all of the Qur’aan was mutashaabih and that they alone knew its real meanings. They called the outer meanings the thaahir or the Sharee‘ah and the inner meanings were termed the baatin or the haqeeqah. Some claimed that the inner meanings were handed down secretly through the Prophet’s descendants, whom they named imaams, while others claimed that they were passed down through a chain of shaykhs or spiritual leaders.

Labari mai daɗi shi ne cewa bayanin Alƙur'ani game da wannan al'amari a matsayin sakamakon karkatattun zukata da ɓata, da gargaɗin Annabi ﷺ ga al'ummar Musulunci da su guji waɗanda ke bin wannan hanya, suna taimaka mana mu ci gaba da riƙe tsarkake da bayyanannen saƙon Alƙur'ani da ke cikin ayoyin muhkamaat.

Fortunately, the Qur’aanic description of this trend as being a result of twisted hearts and deviation and the Prophet’s warning to the Muslim Ummah to avoid those who take this path aid us in continuing to hold high the essential purity and clarity of the Qur’aanic message contained in the muhkamaat verses.