《古兰经》被降示给人类，作为一种"furqaan"（准则），用以分辨真理与谬误，无论是在人与其创造主的关系中，还是在人与其所处受造世界的关系中。这些关系的基本原则已在《古兰经》中被清楚地界定，不留任何猜测或怀疑的余地，而这些原则正构成了此经典的本质（"umm al-kitaab"，即经典之母）。例如，"salaah"（拜功）的原则界定了人与真主之间的首要关系，而"zakaah"（有制度的天课）的原则则界定了人际关系的一个首要方面。正是从这一观点出发，真主在下面这节经文中描述了《古兰经》：

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:

因此,穆斯林民族(Ummah)团结的基础,已由《古兰经》本身的根本经文牢固确立。这些经文及其所包含的原则,被称为“穆哈康玛特”(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.

然而，由于《古兰经》触及人类及其世界的奥秘，其中必然会出现一些模糊、隐晦的论述，涉及人类知识有限的某些实相层面。其中一些论述只有结合其他经文才能理解，而另一些论述的实质则根本无法理解。例如，《古兰经》某些章首的字母，本身并没有明显的含义。尽管这些字母在古代阿拉伯诗歌中曾被使用，但从未出现在经文的开头，而且上下文总能表明其所指的含义。

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

以下阿拉伯诗歌中的一联便是一个例子：

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

（我们对她说：“停下。”她说：“Qaaf。”[是 waqaftu 的缩写，意为“我已经停下了”。]）

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

然而,就《古兰经》而言,早期学者已经注意到,其开头的字母与它们在各自章节中的出现次数之间,以及与《古兰经》其他章节中的出现次数之间,存在一种数学关系。为作说明,让我们来看《古夫章》(Soorah Qaaf),它开头如下:

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:

已经有研究表明，阿拉伯字母“Qaaf”（ق）在这一章中的出现频率高于阿拉伯字母表中的任何其他字母。此外，这一章中“Qaaf”的数量与全部字母总数的比例，也高于《古兰经》其余一百一十三章中的任何一章。

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.

然而，字母“嗒”（Qaaf）的确切含义并不为人所知。一些《古兰经》注释学者推测它是“古兰经”（Qur’aan）一词的缩写，另一些人则提出它代表短语“qudiyalamr”（“事情已经被注定”）。由于最后的先知穆罕默德（ﷺ）（《古兰经》降示予他）并未解释其含义，而且它所处的语法语境也没有显示任何明显的意义，我们只能诚实地说：唯有真主（SWT）知晓其实质。

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.

另一个与人自身相关的例子是灵魂（rooh）。它的存在既得到启示的确认，也为人类的经验所证实，但它的实质却为人所不知。安拉在《古兰经》中为我们指明了它的来源，祂说：

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,

因此,我们知道灵魂是被造的,但它是由什么被造的,只有真主知道。关于灵魂,我们还知道其他一些事情,比如:在胎儿发育到第五个月之初时,有一位天使负责将灵魂放入胎儿体内;当人的寿限到来时,另有一位天使负责将灵魂从人体中取出,等等。4 但灵魂是如何被造的、它的形态、它在身体中的位置,以及它与身体如何相连,并不在我们的认知范围之内。

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.

在人与其所处世界的关系上,关于来世与末日的经文可以作为一个例子。天堂与火狱中的果实和饮品有着相同的名称,但正如伊本·阿拔斯(愿安拉喜悦之)所解释的,只是名称相似,其实质却截然不同。 Allaah 自己通过提及它们的一些独特属性来表明这一点,例如永不变酸的流动的奶河、不会使人醉的美酒、称量善恶功过的天平,以及堕入火狱者的皮肤,被火烧毁后又会立即重新长出。

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.

同样,世界终结的确定时间也是未知的。尽管《古兰经》和圣训中已提及许多征兆,并生动描述了世界毁灭的过程,但其确切发生的时间对人类而言是完全隐藏的。因此,《古兰经》中关于末日以及后世各项内容的提及始终是模糊的。

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.

那些以使人难以确知其实质的方式论及造化奥秘与造物主的古兰经文，被称为“穆塔沙比哈特”（mutashaabihaat）。古兰经在不同经文中描述自身：有的说它全然是“穆handkam”（muhkam），有的说它全然是“穆塔沙比哈”（mutashaabih），还有的说它一部分是“穆哈kam”、一部分是“穆塔沙比哈”。这并无矛盾，因为前两种情况中这些词取的是一般含义，而最后一种情况取的是更为专门的术语含义。阿拉伯语“muhkam”的一般含义是“完善的”或“完全成形的”，因此就其结构、逻辑和信息而言，整部古兰经都可以称为muhkam。故此，我们看到安拉这样提到古兰经：

The Qur’aanic verses that speak on the mysteries of creation and the Creator in such a way that their reality remains obscure are referred to as the “mutashaabihaat.” The Qur’aan has described itself in various verses as being entirely muhkam, in one verse as being entirely mutashaabih, and in another verse as being partially muhkam and partially mutashaabih. There is no contradiction here, because the first two cases use the words in their general sense, while the final one uses the words according to a more technical meaning. Since the general meaning of the Arabic term muhkam is “perfected” or “completely formed,” the whole Qur’aan may be referred to as being muhkam in respect to it construction, its logic, and its message. Hence, we find Allaah referring to the Qur’aan as follows:

同样，安拉在下面这节经文中，将“穆塔沙比”这一泛指含义——即“彼此相似”或“相像”——应用于整部《古兰经》：

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

也就是说,《古兰经》的所有经文在韵律与文辞的完美上彼此相似,并且它们的含义相互印证。

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.

然而，这两个术语的具体含义在tafseer（经注学）这门学科中扮演着非常重要的角色。这些含义包含在以下这节经文中，并伴有一个非常严厉的警告：

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:

因此,“穆哈康”(muhkam,明确经文)可以定义为其含义清楚明白的经文;“穆塔沙比希”(mutashaabih,隐微经文)则可定义为其内在含义唯有安拉知晓的经文。阿伊莎传述说,有一次先知(ﷺ)诵读了上述经文,然后说道:

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与mutashaabih这两个概念为理解《古兰经》提供了一套准则。伊斯兰教法（fiqh）体系正是从muhkamaat（明确性）经文中发展而来的。早期学者主要关注那些与人的行为直接相关的经文，这些经文能够依据合乎逻辑、为各方普遍接受的语法原则加以应用和解释。然而，那些企图从内部摧毁伊斯兰信息的人，却从根源——《古兰经》本身——开始攻击。muhkamaat经文并不适合哲学式的解释。因此，mutashaabihaat（隐微性）经文便成了构建反伊斯兰思想的支柱，而安拉的名称与属性则成了其起点。例如，安拉在《古兰经》中把自己描述为al-Baseer（全见者）和as-Samee‘（全听者），此外还有许多其他名称与属性。在先知（愿主福安之）时代以及他去世后的四位正统哈里发时期，圣门弟子依照这些属性经文的字面含义来理解，不去深究其缘由与形态。在他们看来，安拉洞察并听闻一切，而且绝不与其被造物有任何相似之处。然而，在圣门弟子时代之后，有人提出这样的论点：看见与听闻是人类或动物的特征，需要特定的感官器官，而这些都不适合至尊的主安拉。安拉在《古兰经》中早已说过：

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:

因此,一个名为"贾赫迈叶"(Jahmeeyah)的哲学流派兴起,它否认安拉的名称和属性。由此又衍生出另一个流派"穆尔太齐赖"(Mu‘tazilah),该派以希腊逻辑和对《古兰经》与《逊奈》文本的理性主义解释,来淡化贾赫姆·本·萨夫万的明显异端言论。在early阿拔斯王朝统治者的庇护下,该派席卷了乌玛,以至于其观点成为了主流,而反对者则遭到系统性的迫害。安拉的名称虽被承认,却被剥夺了一切含义;而祂的听与视两项属性,则被解释为"知识"。

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.

随着时间推移,乌玛(Ummah)中出现了另一些人,他们声称整部《古兰经》都是穆台沙比哈(mutashaabih)经文,只有他们自己才知道其真实含义。他们把表面含义称为塔希尔(thaahir)或沙里尔仪(Sharee‘ah),把内在含义称为巴廷(baatin)或哈给给(haqeeqah)。有人声称,这些内在含义是通过先知的后裔秘密传承下来的,他们称这些后裔为伊玛目(imaams);另一些人则声称,它们是通过一连串的谢赫(shaykhs)或精神导师传承下来的。

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.

幸运的是,《古兰经》将这一趋势描述为心存偏邪与误入歧途的结果,而先知对穆斯林乌玛的警告,即避开走这条路的人,帮助我们继续高举《古兰经》中"穆迪卡马特"(muhkamaat)经文所载启示的根本纯净与清晰。

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.