Welcome to the program. We extend our congratulations to all listeners on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Prophet’s elder grandson and second successor, Imam Hassan Mojtaba (AS).

One of the characteristics of the holy Qur’an is that this holy book consists of mohkamat (definitive) and motashabehat (metaphorical) ayahs. The mohkamat or definitive ayahs are the ayahs which are so expressive and clear that leave no doubt or ambiguity. But the moshabehat or metaphorical ayahs are the ayahs which don’t have expressive and clear meanings so that the narrow-minded people do not get their real purport and stick to the external meaning. For instance, ayah 5 of surah Ta Ha reads, “The Beneficent settled on the Throne.”

When reading this ayah, some people think that Almighty God sits on a luxurious throne at a splendid palace like kings; while in ayah 11 of surah Shura it is said, “Nothing is like Him.”

Indeed ayah 7 of surah Ale Imran explains this important point, “It is He who has sent down to you the Book. Parts of it are definitive verses, which are the mother of the Book, while others are metaphorical. As for those in whose heart is deviance, they pursue what is metaphorical in it, courting temptation and courting its interpretation. But no one knows its interpretation except Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge; they say, ‘We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.’ And no one takes admonition except those who possess intellect.”

According to this ayah, a person who seeks the truth has no way for understanding the real meaning of the ayahs of the Qur’an except taking into consideration all of the ayahs and study them comprehensively. In fact if there are ambiguities in some of the ayahs of the holy Qur’an, one has to look at other ayahs to find their real meaning to some extent. The definitive ayahs are like highways and the metaphorical ayahs are like byways and narrow roads. It is clear that, in order not to get deviated and perplexed on the byways, one has to reach the highway to continue his course with more confidence.

Describing the definitive ayahs as “Umm al-Kitab” (mother of the Book) confirms this; for, Umm means mother and essence of anything. Hence, the definitive ayahs are considered the essence and base of other ayahs. The noteworthy point is that some people pursue the metaphorical ayahs to found deviated interpretations and devilish currents in the society like the Kharejites of the first decades of Islam and the Takfiris of the contemporary era. Ayah 7 of surah Ale Imran continues that no one knows the interpretation of the metaphorical ayahs except Allah and those who are firmly grounded in knowledge. It means those who are firm and exceptionally prominent over others. As the holy Qur’an is the guiding light, it wants to urge the true followers to apply their reason and contemplate deeply to find the realities of the Qur’an.

According to some exegetes of the holy Qur’an another reason behind the metaphorical ayahs is that they prove the exigent need of ordinary people to the Prophet and his divinely designated successors as they are infallible and are the absolute symbols of those who are firmly grounded in knowledge. As a matter of fact, even for understanding the real purport of the definitive ayahs we need the infallible leaders. For instance God orders us in the holy Qur’an to perform daily ritual prayers but we don’t know how to perform the details. Therefore, for all rules and injunctions we need the Prophet or his infallible successors to expound them. That’s why the Prophet said, “I leave behind among you two weighty things: the Book of God and my progeny. The Two will not part from each other till they return to me at the pond (Kawthar).

The last point of ayah 7 of surah Ale Imran is that those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say, “We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.”    

The infallible leaders are not like those who believe in part of ayahs and disbelieve in other parts. The Prophet of Islam said in part of his sermon on the day of Ghadir, “Whoever doubts one point of what has been sent down to me it is as if he had doubted the whole of what has been sent down to me.”

RM/SS