Quranic Terms
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Meccan and Medinan — The Difference and Its Importance
Definition:
Meccan: revealed before the Hijra regardless of physical location.
Medinan: revealed after the Hijra regardless of loc…
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Abrogating and Abrogated — Divine Legislative Development
Definition:
Naskh: lifting a preceding Sharia ruling by a subsequent legal evidence.
Nasikh: the abrogating evidence. Mansukh: the…
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Muhkam and Mutashabih — The Clear and the Ambiguous
Verse: "In it are explicit (muhkam) verses — they are the Book's foundation — and others ambiguous (mutashabih)." (3:7)
Muhkam: Cl…
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Occasions of Revelation — Definition and the Golden Rule
Definition: Events or questions that formed the context for a verse's revelation.
Value: More precise understanding, knowing legis…
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Quranic Inimitability — The Unanswered Challenge
Definition: Creation's incapacity to match the Quran despite the explicit challenge: "Bring a surah like it." (2:23)
Dimensions: (…
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Tafsir and Ta'wil — A Fundamental Distinction
Tafsir: Uncovering the verse's apparent intended meaning through language rules, Sharia, and context.
Ta'wil: Directing a word to …
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Quranic Recitations — The Authorized Plurality
Definition: Different modes of pronouncing Quranic words — taken through continuous chains from the Prophet ﷺ. All are authentic Q…
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Disconnected Letters — The Secret of Surah Openings
What are they? 29 surahs begin with isolated letters: Alif-Lam-Mim, Kaf-Ha-Ya-Ain-Sad, etc.
Scholarly views: (1) Mutashabih — know…
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Iltifat — The Sudden Style Shift
Definition: Shifting from one style to another in speech — third person to second person, or vice versa.
Example in Al-Fatiha: Beg…
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Rhetorical Question — A Question Seeking No Answer
Definition: A question whose form is inquiry but meaning is denial or affirmation — not awaiting a genuine answer.
Examples: "Will…
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Repetition in the Quran — Emphasis Not Redundancy
Principle: Repetition in the Quran is purposeful — not a flaw or redundancy.
Purposes: (1) Confirmation: "Which of your Lord's fav…
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Ijaz and Itnab — Eloquent Brevity and Purposeful Elaboration
Ijaz (brevity): Much meaning in few words — highest eloquence level.
Example: "In retribution there is life for you" — four words …
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Quranic Verse-End — Divine Rhythm
Definition: The word ending each verse — not poetic rhyme but magnificent prose rhythm.
Types: Same ending letter, matching vowel,…
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Simile, Metaphor, and Metonymy in the Quran
Simile (tashbih): Comparison with particle — "Their example is like one who kindles a fire" (2:17).
Metaphor (isti'ara): Without p…
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Tawhid — Its Three Types
Definition: Singling out Allah in what is exclusive to Him — Rububiyyah, Uluhiyyah, and Asma wa Sifat.
Three types: (1) Rububiyyah…
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Iman — Definition, Pillars, and Branches
Definition: Belief in heart, profession on tongue, action with limbs — increases through obedience, decreases through disobedience…
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Shirk — Its Major Types
Definition: Associating a partner with Allah in what is exclusive to Him.
Major shirk (exits Islam): Directing supplication to oth…
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Divine Decree — Its Four Levels
Definition: Allah's eternal measurement of all things and creation of them according to His knowledge, will, and wisdom.
Four leve…
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Seal of Prophets — Nabi vs Rasul and the Finality
Nabi: One to whom Allah revealed — may renew a prior sharia.
Rasul: Commanded to convey an independent message — every Rasul is a …
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The Last Day — Names and Stages
Names in the Quran: Yawm Al-Qiyama, Yawm Al-Din, Yawm Al-Jam', Yawm Al-Hasra, Al-Sa'a, Al-Haqqa, Al-Qari'a, Al-Ghashiya — each poi…
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Five Degrees of Religious Rulings
Five degrees: (1) Fard/Wajib (obligatory): abandoner punished, doer rewarded. (2) Mandub/Sunnah (recommended): doer rewarded, aban…
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Halal and Haram — Default and Criteria
Default: everything is permitted unless specific evidence prohibits it.
Prohibition criteria: Explicit Quranic/Sunnah text, or con…
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Sources of Jurisprudence — Quran, Sunnah, Ijma, and Qiyas
Four sources in order: (1) Quran. (2) Authentic Sunnah. (3) Ijma: scholars' consensus in an era on a ruling. (4) Qiyas: analogizin…
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Allah's Most Beautiful Names — The Meaning of Ihsa
Verse: "To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them." (7:180)
Hadith: "Allah has ninety-nine names — a hund…
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Maqasid Al-Sharia — The Higher Objectives of Islamic Law
Definition: The major objectives Islamic law came to achieve.
Five Higher Objectives: (1) Preserving Religion. (2) Preserving Life…
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Waqf and Ibtida — Definition and Methodology
Definition:
The science of Waqf (stopping) and Ibtida (beginning) studies the positions where a reciter may pause or resume during…
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Compilation of the Quran in the Era of Abu Bakr
Direct Cause:
After the Battle of Yamama (12 AH), seventy Quran memorizers were martyred. Umar ibn al-Khattab feared that portions…
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Standardization of Mushaf Copies Under Uthman ibn Affan
Cause:
During Uthman's reign (25 AH), Islam spread widely and differences in recitation arose among armies in distant regions, thr…
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Quranic Verse-Endings (Fawasil) — Definition and the Science of Ayah Endings
Definition:
A Fasilah is the final word of a Quranic verse — resembling a poetic rhyme in rhythm and musicality, yet distinct from…
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Rhetorical Inimitability — Definition and Four Types
Definition:
Rhetorical Inimitability (I'jaz al-Bayani) is the incapacity of all humans and jinn to produce anything comparable to …
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Legislative Inimitability — The Complete Legal System
Definition:
Legislative Inimitability is humanity's inability to devise a legal and moral system matching the Quran in comprehensi…
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Inimitability of the Unseen — Three Types and Examples
Definition:
Inimitability of the Unseen is the Quran's disclosure of matters unknown to any human except by revelation — some fulf…
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Quranic Parables — Definition and Rhetorical Significance
Definition:
A Quranic parable (Mathal) is the illustration of an abstract meaning through a tangible image to bring it closer to t…
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Oath (Qasam) in the Quran — Types and Rhetorical Purposes
Definition:
An oath (Qasam) affirms a statement by invoking something venerable — Allah swears by many things in the Quran with pr…
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Iltifat (Rhetorical Shift) — Definition, Types, and Benefits
Definition:
Iltifat is the shift from one grammatical person to another — from first to third person, or from third to second, etc…
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Rhetorical Ellipsis (Hadhf) — "Ask the City" and Its Types
Definition:
Rhetorical Ellipsis (Hadhf) is the omission of a word or phrase with the context indicating what was omitted — more el…
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Uslub al-Hakim (The Sage's Style) — Definition and Quranic Example
Definition:
Uslub al-Hakim is when a speaker responds to a questioner with other than what was expected — either because the wiser…
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Tadmin (Semantic Inclusion) in the Quran — Meaning and Examples
Definition:
Tadmin is when a verb or noun carries the meaning of another word and therefore follows that word's grammatical patter…
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Abrogation (Naskh) — Conditions for Abrogating and Abrogated Texts
Definition:
Legal abrogation (Naskh): the lifting of an established Sharia ruling by a later Sharia evidence — proof of divinely g…
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Translation of the Quran — Ruling and Accepted Methodologies
Definition:
Translation of the Quran means conveying its meanings into another language — there are two types: literal and interpr…
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Rhetorical Question (Istifham Inkari)
Definition: A question not intended to seek information, but to deny or rebuke — negating an act's occurrence or correctness. It i…
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Isra'iliyyat (Judeo-Christian Narrations)
Definition: Narrations transmitted from the People of the Book — Jews and Christians — that entered Quranic exegesis and hadith li…
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Al-Mubhamat — Unspecified Persons and Things in the Quran
Definition: Matters mentioned in the Quran without explicit naming — whether persons, places, times, or quantities. Quranic schola…
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Shādhdhah (Irregular) Qira'at
Definition: A reading that lacks one of the conditions required for an accepted qira'a, even if its chain of transmission is sound…
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Narration by Meaning (Riwaya bil-Ma'na)
Definition: When a narrator conveys the content of a Prophetic hadith in his own words rather than the Prophet's exact wording, pr…
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Scientific Interpretation of the Quran (Al-Tafsir al-'Ilmi)
Definition: Directing Quranic verses toward modern empirical scientific discoveries — deriving cosmological, medical, and physical…
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The Science of Tajweed — Definition, Origins, and Ruling on Learning It
Linguistic definition: "Tajweed" derives from "jawwada" — to perfect and master. "He improved his work" means he brought it to the…
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Al-Fatiha — Mother of the Quran: Its Names and Meanings
Reason for the name: Called "Mother of the Quran" and "Mother of the Book" because it encompasses all the objectives of the Quran …
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The Hawamim Surahs — Why Grouped and What They Share
Definition: The Hawamim are the seven surahs beginning with "Ha-Mim" — appearing consecutively in the Mushaf from Surah Ghafir (40…
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Ruh and Nafs in the Quran — The Precise Distinction Between the Two Terms
First: Nafs (Soul/Self)
Used in the Quran with multiple meanings:
The person/individual: "Every soul shall taste death" (3:185) —…
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Gharib al-Quran — Rare Words and How They Are Interpreted
Definition:
Gharib (rare/obscure): a Quranic word whose meaning is unclear to many due to its rarity in Arab dialects, its origin …
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Verbal Similarity (Al-Mutashabih al-Lafzi) — Similar Verses with Different Meanings
Definition:
Al-Mutashabih al-Lafzi: verses that share similar or identical wording but differ in context, order, addition, or omis…
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Al-Huruf al-Muqattaah — Schools of Thought and Most Notable Opinions
Definition:
Al-Huruf al-Muqattaah (disconnected letters / fawatih): the alphabetic letters that open some surahs — like Alif-Lam-M…
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Quranic Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence — Agreed-Upon Foundations
Meaning:
The Quran is the primary source of Islamic legislation. Scholars of usul al-fiqh derived near-universally agreed-upon pri…
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Numerical Inimitability — Its Limits and Accepted Criteria Among Scholars
Meaning:
Numerical inimitability: using the proportionality of word, letter, and verse counts in the Quran as evidence of its mira…
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Medical and Scientific Inimitability — Accepted Examples and Prohibitions
Meaning:
Scientific inimitability: correspondence between Quranic allusions and recently discovered scientific facts — used as evi…
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The Seven Long Surahs, Al-Miun, and Al-Mufassal — The Division of the Quran
The well-known division: Scholars divided the Quranic surahs by length into four categories:
1. Al-Sab al-Tiwal (Seven Long Surahs…
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Al-Ummahat and Al-Mathani — The Distinction of Al-Baqarah and Al Imran
The term "Al-Ummahat" (the mothers):
Some scholars called Al-Baqarah and Al Imran "Al-Zahrawain" (the two luminous ones) or "the t…
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The Quranic Story and Its Purposes — Why Are Stories Repeated?
Definition of the Quranic story:
Historical events and figures mentioned by the Quran for a guidance purpose — not mere historical…
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Thematic Unity of the Surah — Does Each Surah Have a Central Theme?
The question:
Does each Quranic surah have a unifying central theme that connects all its verses? — A contested issue among schola…
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Plural Pronouns in the Quran — "Inna" and "Nahnu" as the Pronoun of Majesty
The question:
The Quran uses first-person plural pronouns — "We," "Indeed We," "We revealed," "We created" — referring to Allah al…
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Iltifat (Shift from Speaker to Absent) — Its Rhetorical Secrets
Definition:
Iltifat (shifting): a transition in style from one form to another — from first-person (I/We) to third-person (he/they…
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The Intellect in the Quran — Over 750 Occurrences in Various Forms
Meaning:
The Quran accords the intellect a high status — calling to reflection, pondering, and observation, and censuring those wh…
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Al-Fitrah — The Meaning of the Quranic Term and Its Relation to Islam
The comprehensive verse:
"So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. The fitrah of Allah upon which He has creat…
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"Amana" and "Aslama" — The Precise Distinction Between Iman and Islam in the Quran
The key verse:
"The bedouins say: We have believed. Say: You have not believed. Rather say: We have submitted, for faith has not y…
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Dua in the Quran — Its Names and Types
Names of Dua in the Quran:
Dua carries multiple names in the Quran expressing its meanings: "nida" (calling — Yunus 10:10), "sual"…
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Salah upon the Prophet — The Quranic Command and Its Linguistic and Legal Meaning
The verse:
"Indeed Allah and His angels send salah upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send salah upon him and salute him with pe…
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Numbers in the Quran — The Symbolic Meaning of "Seven", "Seventy", and "Thousand"
Numbers: literal vs. figurative:
Numbers in the Quran serve two functions — literal (an actual count) and figurative (an indefinit…
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Prepositions in the Quran — "Fi", "Ala", "Min" and the Secrets of Their Selection
Prepositions and the secret of selection:
Scholars of balaghah pay close attention to why one preposition was chosen over another …
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The Parenthetical Clause (Al-Jumla Al-Itiradhiyya) — Definition, Quranic Examples, and Function
Definition:
The parenthetical clause (jumla itiradhiyya): a clause inserted between two parts of another clause for a rhetorical p…
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Al-Tadhjil — The Independent Concluding Clause for Emphasis
Definition:
Al-Tadhjil: adding an independent-meaning clause after a preceding clause to reinforce and confirm it — like a proverb…
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Al-Idah Bada al-Ibham — Stating the General then Elaborating
Definition:
Al-Idah bada al-ibham (clarification after vagueness / general then specific): mentioning a vague or general term firs…
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Singular and Plural in the Quran — When Each Is Used for Rhetorical Effect
Plural where singular is expected:
"My Lord, send me back" (23:99) — the speaker addresses one Lord but uses the plural for majest…
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Definite and Indefinite in the Quran — Why "Al-Hamd" Surpasses "Hamdun" in Al-Fatihah
Definite and indefinite in Arabic:
The definite article "al" indicates totality and comprehensiveness — the indefinite refers to a…
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Context in Quranic Exegesis — The Principle That the Quran Interprets Itself
The principle and its importance:
Ibn Kathir said in his introduction: "The most sound method of tafsir is explaining the Quran by…
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