Qur’on insoniyatga furqon sifatida nozil qilingan, ya’ni insonning Yaratuvchisi bilan va u mavjud bo‘lgan yaratilmish olam bilan munosabatida haqni botildan ajratib beradigan vosita sifatida. Bu munosabatlarning asosiy tamoyillari Qur’onda aniq belgilab berilgan bo‘lib, unda taxmin yoki shubhaga o‘rin qoldirilmagan. Aynan shu tamoyillar Kitobning mohiyatini tashkil etadi (ummu-l-kitob). Masalan, salot (namoz) tamoyili insonning Alloh bilan bo‘lgan birlamchi munosabatini belgilaydi, zakot (muayyan tartibga solingan majburiy sadaqa) tamoyili esa insonlararo munosabatning birlamchi jihatini belgilaydi. Aynan shu nuqtai nazardan Alloh Qur’onni quyidagi oyatda ta’riflaydi:

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:

Shunday qilib, musulmon millatining (ummaning) birligi uchun asoslar Qur’oni Karimning o‘zidagi asosiy oyatlar bilan mustahkam qilib belgilangan. Bu oyatlar va ular o‘z ichiga olgan tamoyillar muhkamot deb ataladi.

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.

Shunga qaramay, Qur’on insonning sirlari va uning dunyosi haqida gapirganligi sababli, inson bilimi cheklangan haqiqatlarning ba’zi jihatlariga oid noaniq va tushunarsiz ishoralar zarur ravishda mavjud. Ushbu ishoralarning ba’zilarini faqat boshqa oyatlar bilan bog‘liqlikda tushunish mumkin, boshqalarining haqiqatini esa umuman tushunib bo‘lmaydi. Masalan, Qur’onning ba’zi suralari boshlanadigan alifbo harflarining o‘zida aniq ma’nolari yo‘q. Ular qadimgi arab she’riyatida ishlatilgan bo‘lsa-da, hech qachon oyatlarning boshida qo‘llanilmagan va kontekst har doim ko‘zda tutilgan ma’noni ko‘rsatib turgan.

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

Bunga arab she'riyatidan quyidagi baytda misol topish mumkin:

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

("Biz unga: "To'xta", dedik, u esa: "Qaaf", dedi. [waqaftu qisqartmasi, ma'nosi: "Men to'xtadim."])

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

Qur’on bo‘yicha esa, ilk ulamolar tomonidan qayd etilganidek, boshidagi harflar bilan ularning tegishli suralarda, shuningdek Qur’onning boshqa suralarida uchrashi o‘rtasida matematik bog‘liqlik mavjud. Buni tushuntirish uchun Qof surasini misol qilib olaylik, u quyidagicha boshlanadi:

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:

Shu sura ichida arab alifbosining qof harfi boshqa har qanday harfga qaraganda ko‘proq uchrashi ko‘rsatilgan. Shuningdek, bu surada qof harflarining umumiy harflar soniga nisbati Qur’onning qolgan bir yuz o‘n uchta surasining hech biridagidan yuqoriroq.

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.

Biroq, "Qof" harfining aniq ma'nosi noma'lum. Ba'zi Qur'on sharhlovchilari bu harfni "Qur'on" so'zining qisqartmasi deb taxmin qilganlar, boshqalari esa uni "qudiyal-amr" ("ish hal qilingan") iborasini ifodalaydi, deb taklif qilganlar. Oxirgi Payg'ambar Muhammad ﷺ, unga Qur'on nozil qilingan, uning ma'nosini tushuntirmagan va bu harf qo'llangan grammatik kontekst ham aniq ma'noni ko'rsatmaydi, shuning uchun biz faqat halol ravishda shuni aytishimiz mumkin: uning haqiqatini faqat Alloh biladi.

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.

Insonning o‘zi bilan bog‘liq yana bir misol — ruh (jon). Uning mavjudligi vahiy bilan ham, insoniy tajriba bilan ham tasdiqlangan, ammo uning haqiqati inson uchun noma'lumdir. Alloh Qur'onda uning kelib chiqishini bizga bayon qilib, shunday deydi:

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,

Demak, biz ruhning yaratilganini bilamiz, lekin uning nimadan yaratilganini faqat Alloh biladi. Biz ruh haqida boshqa narsalarni ham bilamiz, masalan, homilaning rivojlanishining beshinchi oyi boshida uni homilaga joylashtirishga bir farishta mas'ul bo'lishi, belgilangan ajali yetganda uni inson tanasidan chiqarishga esa boshqa bir farishta mas'ul bo'lishi va hokazo. Ammo u qanday yaratilgani, uning shakli, tanadagi o'rni yoki tanaga qanday bog'langani bizning bilimimizga kirmaydi.

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.

Dunyo va inson bilan bog'liq bir misolni oxirat hayoti va qiyomat soati haqidagi bayonlarda topish mumkin. Jannat va do'zax mevalari hamda ichimliklari nomlari bilan zikr qilinadi, ammo Ibn ‘Abbos (r) bayon qilganidek, faqat nomlari o'xshash; haqiqatlari esa butunlay boshqa. Alloh Taolo o'zi buni ba'zi o'ziga xos sifatlarini zikr qilish orqali ko'rsatadi: xuddi hech qachon nordon bo'lmaydigan oqar sut daryolari yoki mast qilmaydigan sharob, amallarni o'lchaydigan tarozi va do'zaxga mahkum etilganlarning terilari, ular yonib bo'lgach, olov ularni kuydirgandan so'ng darhol yana o'sib chiqadi.

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.

Xuddi shunday, bu dunyo tugashining belgilangan vaqti haqidagi bilim noma'lumdir. Garchi Qur'on va Sunnatda ko'p alomatlar zikr qilingan bo'lsa-da va parchalanish jarayoni yorqin tasvirlangan bo'lsa-da, uning aniq sodir bo'lish vaqti insondan butunlay yashirilgan. Shu sababli, Qiyomat soati va keyingi hayot tarkibiy qismlari haqidagi Qur'oniy ishoralar doimo noaniqdir.

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.

Xuddi shunday, Alloh butun Qur'onga "mutashobih", ya'ni "bir-biriga o'xshash" yoki "o'xshash" degan umumiy ma'noni quyidagi oyatda qo'llagan:

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

Demak, Qur’ondagi barcha oyatlar ohang va she’riy mukammallik jihatidan bir-biriga o‘xshaydi hamda ularning barchasi bir-birining ma’nolarini o‘zaro tasdiqlaydi.

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.

Biroq, bu ikki atamaning aniq ma'nolari tafsir ilmida juda muhim o'rin tutadi. Bu ma'nolar quyidagi oyatda, juda qattiq ogohlantirish bilan birga keltirilgan:

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:

Shunday qilib, muhkam deb ma'nolari aniq bo'lgan oyatlarga, mutashobih deb esa ichki ma'nolari faqat Allohga ma'lum bo'lgan oyatlarga aytiladi. Oyisha (roziyallohu anho) rivoyat qilishicha, Payg'ambar (ﷺ) bir gal yuqorida zikr qilingan oyatni o'qib, shunday dedilar:

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,

Muhkam va mutashobih tushunchalari Qur'onni tushunish uchun yo'riqnoma bo'lib xizmat qiladigan qoidalar majmuasini beradi. Islom huquqi (fiqh) tizimi muhkam oyatlardan rivojlangan. Dastlabki olimlar inson harakatlariga bevosita aloqador bo'lgan, mantiqiy va umumiy qabul qilingan grammatik qoidalarga muvofiq qo'llanilishi va sharhlanishi mumkin bo'lgan oyatlarga e'tibor qaratdilar. Biroq, Islom xabarini ichkaridan yo'q qilishga intilganlar hujumlarini aynan manbaga, Qur'onga qarshi boshladilar. Muhkam oyatlar falsafiy talqinlarga moslashmaydi. Shu sababli mutashobih oyatlar qarshi-Islom ta'limoti qurilgan ustunlarga aylandi va Allohning ismlari hamda sifatlari boshlang'ich nuqtaga aylandi. Masalan, Alloh Qur'onda O'zini ko'plab ismlari va sifatlari orasida al-Baseer, ya'ni Ko'ruvchi va as-Samee', ya'ni Eshituvchi deb ta'riflaydi. Payg'ambar ({ﷺ}) davrida va u vafotidan keyingi to'rt Rоshidiy xalifa davrida sahobalar bu sifatlarni o'z ma'nolariga ko'ra tushundilar, nima uchun va qanday ekanligini chuqur o'rganmasdan. Ularning nazarida Alloh barcha narsani ko'radi va eshitadi, hech qanday jihatdan O'z yaratiqlariga o'xshamagan holda. Biroq sahobalar davridan keyin ba'zilar, ko'rish va eshitish inson yoki hayvon xususiyatlari bo'lib, Ulug' Rabbiga munosib bo'lmagan maxsus sezgi a'zolarini talab qiladi, deb bahs ko'tardilar. Alloh esa Qur'onda allaqachon shunday degan edi:

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:

Natijada Jahmiyya deb ataladigan falsafiy oqim paydo bo‘ldi, u Allohning ismlari va sifatlarini inkor qildi. Bu oqimdan yana bir oqim, Mu‘tazila kelib chiqdi, u Jahm ibn Safvonning ochiq bid‘atga oid so‘zlarini yunon mantiqi va Qur’on hamda Sunnat matnlariga racionalistik ta’vil berish bilan yumshatdi. Dastlabki Abbosiy hukmdorlarning homiyligida bu oqim Ummatni qamrab oldi, to‘g‘rirog‘i, uning tushunchalari me’yorga aylandi, ularga qarshi chiqqanlar esa muntazam ravishda ta’qib qilindi. Allohning ismlari tan olindi, ammo ularni har qanday ma’nodan mahrum qilindi, Uning ko‘rish va eshitish sifatlari esa bilim degan ma’noda tushunildi.

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.

Vaqt o‘tishi bilan ummat orasida shunday kishilar paydo bo‘ldiki, ular butun Qur’on mutashobih ekanini da’vo qildilar va uning haqiqiy ma’nolarini faqat o‘zlarigina bilishlarini aytdilar. Tashqi ma’nolarni ular zohir yoki shariat deb atadilar, ichki ma’nolarni esa botin yoki haqiqat deb nomladilar. Ba’zilar ichki ma’nolar Payg‘ambarning avlodlari orqali yashirin ravishda yetkazilgan, deb da’vo qildilar va ularni imomlar deb atadilar. Boshqalar esa bu ma’nolar shayxlar, ya’ni ruhiy peshvolar zanjiri orqali o‘tganini aytdilar.

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.

Qur'on tasvirida bu yo'nalishning qalblarning egriligi va sapkirlik natijasi ekani aytilgani hamda Payg'ambarning ﷺ ummatni shu yo'lni tutganlardan ehtiyot bo'lishga ogohlantirgani bizga muhkamot oyatlarida mujassam bo'lgan Qur'on xabarining asl sofligi va ravshanligini baland tutishda yordam beradi.

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.