Advanced Search

Definition: Meccan: revealed before the Hijra regardless of physical location. Medinan: revealed after the Hijra regardless of location.…

Definition: Naskh: lifting a preceding Sharia ruling by a subsequent legal evidence. Nasikh: the abrogating evidence. Mansukh: the abrog…

Definition: Events or questions that formed the context for a verse's revelation. Value: More precise understanding, knowing legislati…

Tafsir: Uncovering the verse's apparent intended meaning through language rules, Sharia, and context. Ta'wil: Directing a word to a po…

Definition: Different modes of pronouncing Quranic words — taken through continuous chains from the Prophet ﷺ. All are authentic Quran. …

Definition: The science of Waqf (stopping) and Ibtida (beginning) studies the positions where a reciter may pause or resume during recita…

Definition: A Quranic parable (Mathal) is the illustration of an abstract meaning through a tangible image to bring it closer to the mind…

Definition: Iltifat is the shift from one grammatical person to another — from first to third person, or from third to second, etc. — wit…

Definition: Rhetorical Ellipsis (Hadhf) is the omission of a word or phrase with the context indicating what was omitted — more eloquent …

Definition: Uslub al-Hakim is when a speaker responds to a questioner with other than what was expected — either because the wiser answer…

Definition: Tadmin is when a verb or noun carries the meaning of another word and therefore follows that word's grammatical pattern — a s…

Definition: Legal abrogation (Naskh): the lifting of an established Sharia ruling by a later Sharia evidence — proof of divinely guided g…

Definition: Translation of the Quran means conveying its meanings into another language — there are two types: literal and interpretive. …

Definition: A question not intended to seek information, but to deny or rebuke — negating an act's occurrence or correctness. It is one of…

Definition: Matters mentioned in the Quran without explicit naming — whether persons, places, times, or quantities. Quranic scholars have …

Definition: A reading that lacks one of the conditions required for an accepted qira'a, even if its chain of transmission is sound — contr…

Definition: Directing Quranic verses toward modern empirical scientific discoveries — deriving cosmological, medical, and physical truths …

Linguistic definition: "Tajweed" derives from "jawwada" — to perfect and master. "He improved his work" means he brought it to the highest…

Reason for the name: Called "Mother of the Quran" and "Mother of the Book" because it encompasses all the objectives of the Quran in a sin…

Definition: The Hawamim are the seven surahs beginning with "Ha-Mim" — appearing consecutively in the Mushaf from Surah Ghafir (40) to Al-…

First: Nafs (Soul/Self) Used in the Quran with multiple meanings: The person/individual: "Every soul shall taste death" (3:185) — ev…

Definition: Gharib (rare/obscure): a Quranic word whose meaning is unclear to many due to its rarity in Arab dialects, its origin in anot…

Definition: Al-Mutashabih al-Lafzi: verses that share similar or identical wording but differ in context, order, addition, or omission — …

Definition: Al-Huruf al-Muqattaah (disconnected letters / fawatih): the alphabetic letters that open some surahs — like Alif-Lam-Mim, Ali…

Meaning: The Quran is the primary source of Islamic legislation. Scholars of usul al-fiqh derived near-universally agreed-upon principles…

Meaning: Numerical inimitability: using the proportionality of word, letter, and verse counts in the Quran as evidence of its miraculous …

Meaning: Scientific inimitability: correspondence between Quranic allusions and recently discovered scientific facts — used as evidence t…

The term "Al-Ummahat" (the mothers): Some scholars called Al-Baqarah and Al Imran "Al-Zahrawain" (the two luminous ones) or "the two mothe…

Definition of the Quranic story: Historical events and figures mentioned by the Quran for a guidance purpose — not mere historical docume…

The question: Does each Quranic surah have a unifying central theme that connects all its verses? — A contested issue among scholars. …

The question: The Quran uses first-person plural pronouns — "We," "Indeed We," "We revealed," "We created" — referring to Allah alone. …

Definition: Iltifat (shifting): a transition in style from one form to another — from first-person (I/We) to third-person (he/they), or f…

Meaning: The Quran accords the intellect a high status — calling to reflection, pondering, and observation, and censuring those who do no…

The comprehensive verse: "So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. The fitrah of Allah upon which He has created peopl…

Names of Dua in the Quran: Dua carries multiple names in the Quran expressing its meanings: "nida" (calling — Yunus 10:10), "sual" (asking…

The verse: "Indeed Allah and His angels send salah upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send salah upon him and salute him with peace." (A…

Numbers: literal vs. figurative: Numbers in the Quran serve two functions — literal (an actual count) and figurative (an indefinite large …

Prepositions and the secret of selection: Scholars of balaghah pay close attention to why one preposition was chosen over another — each c…

Definition: The parenthetical clause (jumla itiradhiyya): a clause inserted between two parts of another clause for a rhetorical purpose. …

Definition: Al-Tadhjil: adding an independent-meaning clause after a preceding clause to reinforce and confirm it — like a proverb that is…

Definition: Al-Idah bada al-ibham (clarification after vagueness / general then specific): mentioning a vague or general term first, then …

Plural where singular is expected: "My Lord, send me back" (23:99) — the speaker addresses one Lord but uses the plural for majesty (the r…

Definite and indefinite in Arabic: The definite article "al" indicates totality and comprehensiveness — the indefinite refers to an unspec…

The principle and its importance: Ibn Kathir said in his introduction: "The most sound method of tafsir is explaining the Quran by the Qur…