Garchi mathal atamasi odatda o‘xshatish yoki metafora deb tarjima qilinsa-da, Qur’on kontekstida u maqollarni va hatto ideallarni ham o‘z ichiga oladi. Shu sababli Islom ilmlariga ko‘ra mathalning ta’rifi quyidagicha: uning tuzilishidan qat’i nazar, bir g‘oyani ifodalovchi qisqa, ammo ta’sirchan va qalbga ta’sir etuvchi adabiy parcha. Qur’ondagi mathal uch asosiy shaklda keladi: al-mathal al-musarrah (aniq bayon etilgan), al-mathal al-kamin (yashirin) va al-mathal al-mursal (shaklsiz).11

Although the term mathal is commonly translated as simile or metaphor, in the context of the Qur’aan it includes proverbs, and even ideals. Hence, the definition of a mathal according to the Islaamic sciences is a concise but impressive and moving literary passage in which an idea is expressed, regardless of its construction. The mathal in the Qur’aan comes in three basic forms, the musarrah mathal (stated), the kaamin mathal (hidden), and the mursal mathal (formless).11

Bu shakl, nomidan ma'lum bo'lganidek, aniq o'xshatishni o'z ichiga oladi va Qur'onda keng qo'llanilgan.12 Bunday misollarni Islomni soxta ko'rsatadigan munofiqlar haqida keltirilgan olov va suv o'xshatishlari hamda istioralarida uchratish mumkin:

This form, as the name implies, contains an obvious comparison and is widely used in the Qur’aan.12 Such examples may be found in the fire and water similes and metaphors used in reference to the hypocrites who feign Islaam:

Olov bu parchada uning yorug'lik xususiyati tufayli ishlatilgan, suv esa yerni qayta tirildirish qobiliyati tufayli ishlatilgan. Olov va suv haqiqatan ham unsurlarni ifodalaydi.

Fire is used in this passage due to its quality of light, and water is used due to its ability to bring earth back to life. Fire and water really represent the elements.

Vahiy insonlarning qalblarini yoritish va ularga hayot baxsh etish uchun samodan nozil qilingan. Ushbu oyatlarda Alloh munofiqlarning vahiy ta'siri haqida, ular Islomni qabul qilganlarga o'xshab ko'rinadilar, olov va suv misolida tushuntiradi. Islomga moddiy manfaat olish uchun kirgan munofiqlar, issiqlik va yorug'likdan foydalanish uchun olov yoqqan kishiga o'xshaydi. Biroq, ularning Islomga kirishi qalblariga hech qanday yoritish ta'sirini bermaydi; xuddi shunday, Alloh olovdan yorug'lik xususiyatini olib tashlaydi va faqat issiqlik xususiyatini qoldiradi. Shu sababli ular to'liq zulmatda, ko'r, haqiqatni ko'ra olmaydilar. Munofiqlar yana, yomg'irli bo'ronda, uning chaqnashlaridan o'limdan qo'rqqan va aql-idrokni larzaga soladigan momaqaldiroqdan qochishga urinayotgan kishiga o'xshaydi. Alloh kalomi ularga nozil bo'lganda ruhan jonlanish o'rniga, munofiqlar uning gumburlagan amr va nahylarini to'sishga urinadilar, chunki ularga bo'ysunish nafslari va jonlarining o'limini anglatishidan qo'rqadilar.

Revelation was sent down from the heavens to enlighten human hearts and bring them to life. In these verses, Allaah uses fire and water to explain the effect of revelation on those who pretend to be Muslims. The hypocrites who enter Islaam so as to benefit from it materially are like someone who lights a fire in order to benefit from its warmth and light. However, their entrance into Islaam has no enlightening effect on their hearts; likewise, Allaah removes the quality of light from the fire leaving only its quality of heat. Hence, they are in total darkness, blind, unable to see the truth. The hypocrites are also like someone in a rainstorm fearing death from its flashes of lightning and trying to avoid its mind-shattering thunderclap. Instead of coming to life spiritually when God’s word is revealed to them, the hypocrites try to block out its thundering commands and prohibitions, fearing that submission to them would mean the death of their souls and egos.

Yana bir masal olov va suv haqida bo'lib, u haqiqat va botil to'g'risidagi quyidagi oyatda keltirilgan.

Another mathal involving fire and water can be found in the following verse concerning truth and falsehood.

Yana bir bor, hayotga ato etish uchun nozil qilingan vahiy yomg'irga o'xshatiladi, u yerni o'simliklar bilan tiriltirish uchun yog'adigan suvga o'xshaydi. Inson qalblari esa turli kattalikdagi metaforik vodiylar bo'lib, vahiy toshqini ularga mos ravishda oqib tushadi. Jismoniy toshqin o'z oqimida yer yuzining ko'pigi va chiqindilarini olib ketganidek, hidoyat va ilm ham qalblarga oqib tushib, past istaklarni yuvib ketadi. Qalblar esa oltin, kumush, temir, mis va boshqalar kabi turli xil rudalarga o'xshatiladi, ular olov issig'ida tozalanadi. Iflosliklar ko'pik va chiqindi shaklida yuzaga chiqadi va tashlab yuboriladi, sof metall esa orqada qoladi. Xuddi shunday, mo'minlarning qalblari vahiyning issiqligi va nuriga duchor bo'lganida, yomon istaklar chetlatiladi va qalblar poklanadi.

Once again, revelation, which is sent down to bring hearts to life, is likened to water coming down to bring the earth to life with plants. Human hearts are the metaphorical valleys of varying sizes in which the flood of revelation flows accordingly. As the physical flood carries the froth and scum of the earth in its currents, so guidance and knowledge flow upon the hearts to wash away base desires. Hearts are then likened to different types of ore, such as gold, silver, iron, copper, etc., which are purified by the heat of the fire. Impurities rise to the surface in the form of froth and scum which are discarded, leaving the pure metal behind. Likewise, when the hearts of believers are exposed to the heat and light of revelation, evil desires are cast off and the hearts are purified.

Yuqoridagi ikkala misolda ham olov va vahiy hamda suv va vahiy o'rtasidagi o'xshashlik aniq ko'rinib turibdi. Qiyoslash bildiruvchi "like" (kabi, singari) so'zi hamda "comparison" (qiyos), "parable" (masal) va "simile" (o'xshatish) so'zlarining qo'llanilishi matnlarning maqsadiga hech qanday shubha qoldirmaydi.

In both of the examples given above, the comparison between both fire and revelation and water and revelation is obvious. The comparative preposition “like” and the words “comparison, parable, simile” are all mentioned, leaving no doubt as to the intent of the passages.

Bu shaklda o‘xshatish vositalari qo‘llanmaydi.15 Shunga qaramay, bunday turdagi mas’al insoniy tabiiy his-tuyg‘ularga yaqin, chuqur va ta’sirli ma’nolari tufayli islomiy g‘oyalarni osonlik bilan qabul qilinadigan darajada ifodalaydi. Masalan, ikki chekka o‘rtasidagi o‘rta yo‘l tushunchasi Qur’oni karimning ko‘plab oyatlarida go‘zal tarzda ifodalangan. Infoq-sarf qilish masalasida esa Alloh ta’olo ...

In this form, the terms of comparison are not used.15 However, this type of mathal conveys Islaamic ideals readily acceptable to natural human instincts due to the deep and impressive meanings which they imply. For example, the concept of the middle road between the two extremes is beautifully expressed in many verses of the Qur’aan. In the case of spending, Allaah praises those

Namozga kelsak, Alloh buyuradi:

And in the case of salaah, Allaah advises:

Yana bir go'zal ifodaga misol sifatida eshitish ko'rishga o'xshamasligi haqidagi tushunchani keltirish mumkin. G'arbda bu tushunchaning yanada keskin shakli ko'pincha shunday iqtibos qilinadi: "Ko'rish — ishonish." Biroq hayotda biz narsalarni ko'rmasdan turib ularga ishonadigan holatlar shu qadar ko'p (magnetizm, aql, shamol va boshqalar) ediki, bu maqol to'g'ri bo'lishi mumkin emas. Islomiy qoida shuni bildiradiki, narsani ko'rish uning haqida faqat eshitishdan kuchliroq ishonch hosil qiladi. Shu sababli, Ibrohim payg'ambar Allohdan o'liklarni qanday tiriltirishini ko'rsatishni so'raganida, Alloh shunday dedi:

Another example of beautiful expression may be found in the concept that hearing is not like seeing. In the West, a more extreme version of this concept is often quoted as, “Seeing is believing.” However, life is too full of instances where we believe in things without seeing them (magnetism, the mind, wind, etc.) for that saying to be accurate. The Islaamic precept is that seeing a thing produces a stronger belief than merely hearing about it. Hence, when Prophet Ibraaheem requested that Allaah show him how He brings life to the dead, Allaah said,

Ushbu shakl qisqa oyatlar bo'lib, ular saboq beradi va ko'pchiligi maqollarga aylangan. Mathal kaamin singari, unda ibora yoki o'xshatishlarning birortasi yo'q; ammo taqqoslashlar qilinishi mumkin yoki nazarda tutilishi mumkin.19 Quyidagi oyatlar ushbu turdagi mathalni aniq ko'rsatib beradi:

This form covers short verses which convey lessons, many of which have become proverbs. Like the mathal kaamin, it has none of the expressions or similes; however, comparisons may be made or implied.19 The following verses clearly illustrate this type of mathal:

Qur’on’dan mas’al (o‘xshatish) foydalanishdan olinadigan foyda juda ko‘p.25 Ko‘zga ko‘rinmas tushunchalar aniq shaklda ifodalanadi, toki ular osonroq anglanib, esda saqlansin. Nazariy jihatdan tushunish juda qiyin bo‘lgan tushunchalar inson kundalik tajribasi yoki tabiatdagi jarayonlar bilan ifodalanganda, tez va oson tushuniladigan bo‘ladi. Masalan, ko‘rsatish uchun pul bergan kishi hech qanday savob olmaydi, degan g‘oya quyidagi o‘xshatish orqali aniq tarzda yetkaziladi:

The benefits gained from the use of the mathal in the Qur’aan are numerous.25 Intangible concepts are presented in a tangible format in order for them to be more easily grasped and retained. Concepts which may be quite difficult to grasp on a theoretical basis become quickly and easily comprehensible when put in the terms of everyday human experiences or processes in nature. For example, the idea that one who gives money for show gains no reward is tangibly brought across by the following simile:

Ba'zan mas'al (mathal) odamlarni ma'qul ishlarga undash uchun ishlatiladi: insonning tabiatiga yoqimli bo'lgan narsaga o'xshatish orqali. Bunga misol bo'lgan oyatni ko'ring:

Sometimes the mathal is used to encourage people to do certain righteous acts by comparing them to something which is appealing to human nature. An example of this function may be found in the verse:

Boshqa hollarda mathal ba'zi yomon amallardan qaytarish uchun ishlatiladi, bunda ular jirkanch narsalarga o'xshatiladi. Masalan, Alloh g'iybat haqida quyidagilarni aytgan:

At other times, the mathal is used to discourage certain evil practices by comparing them to distasteful things. For example, Allaah said the following concerning backbiting:

Barchamiz o'lgan birodarimizning go'shtini yeyish fikridan his qiladigan jirkanch tuyg'uni, g'iybat yoki tuhmatni eshitganimizda ham his qilishimiz kerak.

The revulsion we all feel at the thought of eating the flesh of our dead brother should be felt when we hear slander or backbiting.

Mas'al ham ma'lum xulq-atvorlarni maqtash yoki boshqalarni tahqirlash va sharmanda qilish orqali maqbul xatti-harakat me'yorlarini belgilash uchun ishlatilishi mumkin. Majoziy nutq odatda to'g'ridan-to'g'ri buyruqlar va batafsil tushuntirishlarga qaraganda ko'proq ta'sirchan va samarali muloqot usuli hisoblanadi. Shu sababli Alloh Qur'onda ularni tez-tez qo'llagan.

The mathal may also be used to praise certain types of individuals or disgrace and debase others in order to set up certain standards of acceptable behavior. Figurative speech is generally a more moving and effective method of communica-tion than direct commands and detailed explanations. Hence, Allaah has used them frequently in the Qur’aan:

Payg'ambarimizning (r) so'zlarida ham ko'plab misollar bor, ular orqali u ta'limotini yetkazish uchun mas'al (o'xshatma) usulidan foydalangan. 30

There are also numerous examples in the statements of the Prophet (r) where he relied on the mathal to get his message across. 30