The Qur’an as Fully Categorical Revelation: An Analytical Study of Principled Opinions

Abstract

This study presents an analytical review of the lexical and terminological meanings of the term Muhkam, clarifying that the concept of the Qurʾān being entirely Muhkam is not related to the terminological division of Muhkam and Mutashābih, but is rather meaning-based. According to the juristic opinion of Ibn ʿArabī, there are two levels of Muhkamāt and Mutashābihāt in the Qurʾān: general Iḥkām and Tashābuh, and specific Iḥkām and Tashābuh. In terms of general Iḥkām, the entire Qurʾān is Muhkam, whereas according to specific Iḥkām, some verses are Muhkam and some are Mutashābih, which relate to different degrees of comprehension, implication, and interpretation. Within this intellectual context, the opinions of Imam Zamakhsharī, Imam Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Imam al-Qurṭubī, and experts in Qurʾānic sciences such as Imam al-Zarkashī, Imam Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī, and Ibn ʿAqīlah are collectively discussed. This study will aid in the understanding of the Qurʾān by clarifying the distinction inherent in the meaning of Muhkam within discussions on Qurʾānic terminology and the principles of exegesis.

Keywords: Muhkam, Muhkam and Mutashābih, Entirely Categorical Revelation, Ibn ʿArabī, Principles of Tafsir, General and Specific Iḥkām