Human Beings Do Not Create Their Own Ta’wil but Can Only Seek the Ta’wil Established by Allah

Human beings must distinguish between seeking ta’wil and creating ta’wil. Seeking ta’wil means striving to discover the meaning that Allah has established in His verses. Creating ta’wil means establishing a meaning oneself and then attributing it to Allah’s verse.

This distinction is important because the Qur’an is not the product of human thought. Human beings are only readers and seekers of meaning. They are not the creators of meaning in the revelation that was sent down.

In this article, “creating one’s own ta’wil” does not mean reading, examining, translating or developing human understanding. It means establishing something as Allah’s absolute meaning without sufficient support from Allah’s verses. “Seeking ta’wil” means examining the entire Book to discover the relationships and meanings that Allah has placed in the revelation.

This article does not assess the intentions of anyone who rejects it. What is assessed is the structure of the argument and its linguistic basis. The question is simple: Is a meaning sought in Allah’s verses or is it constructed first and then imposed upon the verse?

Allah SWT says:

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ ۖ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ ۗ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ۗ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ

He is the One who sent down the Book to you. Part of it consists of muhkamat verses. They are the mother of the Book. The others are mutasyabih verses.

As for those whose hearts contain deviation, they follow what is mutasyabih in it in pursuit of fitnah and in pursuit of its ta’wil. No one knows its ta’wil except Allah.

Those firmly grounded in knowledge say, “We believe in it. All of it is from our Lord.” And none take heed except Ulul Albab.

Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:7

In this verse, three layers must be distinguished.

The first layer is the wording of the Qur’an. The wording of the Qur’an is revelation. There is no dispute over this unless some of us do not understand Arabic.

The second layer is the linguistic analysis of that wording. My analysis is an effort to understand the wording and may be reassessed because it is my analysis. I am the one sharing this analysis with all of you.

The third layer is the methodological conclusion built upon that analysis. Therefore, the conclusion of this article at the third layer cannot automatically be equated with Allah’s absolute ta’wil.

Seeking Ta’wil Rather Than Creating Ta’wil

This verse uses the expression:

ابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ

To seek its ta’wil

The word ابْتِغَاءَ means to seek, pursue or strive for something.

The verse does not use a word that means creating or producing a new ta’wil. Human beings are described as those who seek ta’wil. This shows that ta’wil is treated as something that already possesses its own reality or meaning. Human beings only strive to seek it.

The word تَأْوِيلِهِ also contains the pronoun هُ, which means “its ta’wil”. It does not mean “my ta’wil” or “the ta’wil that I created”. The pronoun connects the ta’wil to the matter being discussed in the verse, namely Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:7.

Therefore, human beings have no right to insert their own meaning into a verse and then claim that it is Allah’s intended meaning.

Muhkamat Verses as the Foundation

Allah mentions:

آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ

The muhkamat verses are the mother of the Book

The muhkamat verses are described as أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ, meaning the foundation or mother of al-Kitab. This shows that the clear verses serve as a reference for understanding the mutasyabih verses. The meaning of a mutasyabih verse must not be left free to move according to human assumptions. Its relationship with all the other verses of Allah must be sought.

Therefore, when human beings encounter a mutasyabih verse, their task is not to create a meaning based on their own feelings, inclinations or theories. Their task is to return to the other verses of Allah and seek the explanation that Allah has placed in the Qur’an.

Human beings do not bring their own meaning to the Qur’an. They bring themselves to the Qur’an to seek the meaning intended by Allah.

“Only Allah Knows Its Ta’wil”

Allah says:

وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

And no one knows its ta’wil except Allah

With the construction مَا ... إِلَّا, this verse conveys restriction. If one stops after إِلَّا اللَّهُ, its meaning is:

No one knows its ta’wil except Allah.

The verb used is:

يَعْلَمُ

which means “to know”.

The verse does not use a verb meaning that human beings create ta’wil. It speaks about who knows the ta’wil. Therefore, human beings cannot claim that an interpretation produced by their own thoughts is Allah’s certain ta’wil.

Human beings may seek. They may examine. They may connect one verse with another. However, the result of their search cannot immediately be elevated to the status of Allah’s absolute ta’wil.

“We Believe in It”

Allah says:

وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ

And those firmly grounded in knowledge say, “We believe in it.”

They say:

آمَنَّا بِهِ

“We believe in it.”

This expression shows an attitude of accepting and affirming the revelation. It is not an expression that says:

“We have created its meaning.”

The pronoun in بِهِ does not turn the verse into an instruction to create an interpretation. It remains within the structure of a declaration of faith.

Then they say:

كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا

“All of it is from our Lord.”

The phrase كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا refers to the revelation as a whole that is being discussed. It does not refer to every conclusion that human beings later attribute to the revelation. They acknowledge that the verses come from the Lord. They are not saying that every human understanding of those verses comes from the Lord.

They do not select some verses to elevate according to their own desires while abandoning others. They acknowledge that the entire revelation comes from the Lord.

Creating One’s Own Ta’wil Opens the Door to Fitnah

Allah describes the group whose hearts contain deviation:

الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ

Those whose hearts contain deviation

They:

فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ

Follow what is mutasyabih in it

They follow what is mutasyabih in it with the purpose of:

ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ

Seeking fitnah and seeking its ta’wil

The problem is not merely that they read the verses of the Qur’an. The problem is that they follow the mutasyabih verses with an intention of deviation and a purpose of causing fitnah.

When human beings create their own meaning and then force the verse to submit to that meaning, they are no longer seeking ta’wil. They are producing a claim about ta’wil.

The Prophet’s Hadith on Ta’wil

The distinction between seeking ta’wil and creating one’s own ta’wil can also be seen in the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Prophet ﷺ supplicated for Ibn ‘Abbas:

عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ:

وَضَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَدَهُ بَيْنَ كَتِفَيَّ، أَوْ قَالَ: عَلَى مَنْكِبَيَّ، فَقَالَ:

اللَّهُمَّ فَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَعَلِّمْهُ التَّأْوِيلَ

From Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, who heard Ibn ‘Abbas say:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ placed his hand between my shoulders, or, he said, on my shoulder. Then he supplicated:

“O Allah, grant him deep understanding of the religion and teach him ta’wil.”

This report is recorded in Musnad Ahmad.

In Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet’s ﷺ supplication for Ibn ‘Abbas is reported with the wording:

اللَّهُمَّ عَلِّمْهُ الْكِتَابَ

“O Allah, teach him al-Kitab.”

This report is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 75.

This hadith shows that ta’wil can be learned when Allah teaches it. It does not show that human beings may create ta’wil according to their own thoughts. The verb used is:

وَعَلِّمْهُ التَّأْوِيلَ

“Teach him ta’wil.”

Therefore, true ta’wil is the ta’wil that Allah teaches. It is not the ta’wil that human beings produce from their own conjecture.

At the same time, ‘A’ishah RA narrated that the Prophet ﷺ recited Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:7 and then said:

إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ فَأُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ سَمَّى اللَّهُ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ

“When you see those who follow what is mutasyabih in it, they are the ones Allah has mentioned. Beware of them.”

This hadith is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 4547 and Sahih Muslim 2665.

This hadith does not prohibit every effort to understand the Qur’an. What is warned against is following mutasyabih verses in a manner that leads to deviation, disputation and fitnah.

The Prophet ﷺ also said:

مَنْ قَالَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ

“Whoever speaks about the Qur’an without knowledge should take his seat in the Fire.”

This report is recorded in Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi 2950. Al-Tirmidhi stated that this hadith is hasan sahih, although there are differing assessments of its chain of transmission.

There is also the following report:

مَنْ قَالَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ بِرَأْيِهِ فَأَصَابَ فَقَدْ أَخْطَأَ

“Whoever speaks about the Qur’an based on his own opinion and happens to be correct has still committed an error.”

This report is recorded in Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi 2952. Al-Tirmidhi described it as a gharib hadith and mentioned that one of its transmitters had been criticised. Therefore, this hadith must be cited with caution.

Taken together, these hadiths reinforce an important distinction. The Prophet ﷺ did not prohibit human beings from acquiring knowledge, understanding the Qur’an or seeking the ta’wil that Allah teaches. However, the Prophet ﷺ warned against those who speak about the Qur’an without knowledge, follow mutasyabih verses for the purpose of causing fitnah or establish something based on their own opinions.

Thus, the hadiths also distinguish between seeking the ta’wil that Allah teaches and creating ta’wil based on one’s own thoughts.

The Importance of Tafsir al-Qur’an bil-Qur’an in Explaining Mutasyabih Verses

Mutasyabih verses cannot be understood separately from the Qur’an as a whole. In Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:7 which we are discussing, the muhkamat verses are described as:

أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ

“The mother of the Book.”

Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:7

This position shows that the muhkamat verses serve as the reference axis for understanding the mutasyabih verses. We cannot take one mutasyabih verse and then construct its meaning based on our own thoughts. The verse must be read in relation to the other verses of Allah.

Allah says:

وَلَا يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلَّا جِئْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيرًا

“They do not bring you any parable except that We bring you the truth and the best explanation.”

Surah al-Furqan 25:33

This verse shows that the Qur’an itself brings an explanation for matters presented to it. Therefore, tafsir al-Qur’an bil-Qur’an is not merely a method developed by human beings. It is an effort to seek the Qur’an’s explanation through the Qur’an.

Allah also says:

الر ۚ كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِنْ لَدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ

“Alif Lam Ra. A Book whose verses have been made muhkam and then explained in detail by the One who is All-Wise and All-Aware.”

Surah Hud 11:1

This verse shows the relationship between verses that have been made muhkam and verses that have been explained in detail. Some verses serve as the axis while others elaborate their relationships, meanings and contents.

Allah says:

اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُتَشَابِهًا مَثَانِيَ

“Allah has sent down the best discourse, a Book that is mutasyabih and repeated.”

Surah al-Zumar 39:23

The word مُتَشَابِهًا indicates the existence of relationships of similarity between the parts of the Qur’an. One verse cannot be separated from the other verses because Allah’s verses exist within an interconnected network.

Allah says:

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِنْدِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا

“Do they not contemplate the Qur’an? If it had been from other than Allah, they would have found much discrepancy in it.”

Surah al-Nisa’ 4:82

This verse shows that the Qur’an must be read as a whole and its relationships must be contemplated. Its verses must not be placed in opposition to one another. The explanation of a mutasyabih verse must be sought through the axis and network of the other verses.

This is the importance of tafsir al-Qur’an bil-Qur’an. It does not mean that human beings have mastered absolute ta’wil. It means that human beings are seeking the explanation that Allah has placed in His Book.

We read the mutasyabih verse. Then we return to the muhkamat verses. After that, we examine the linguistic relationships, repetitions of wording and continuity of meaning throughout the Qur’an.

The result of our search remains an effort to understand the verse. It cannot immediately be claimed as Allah’s absolute ta’wil. Perfect ta’wil remains within Allah’s knowledge.

Conclusion

As human beings, we cannot make our thoughts and understanding the source of the meaning of revelation. We can only seek the ta’wil that Allah has established in His verses through all of His verses. This search must be grounded in the muhkamat verses that serve as the foundation of al-Kitab. When the true meaning cannot yet be ascertained, we must believe and acknowledge the limits of our knowledge.

The conclusion of this article is not that we are prohibited from reading, interpreting or thinking. The conclusion is that we cannot take our own understanding and then make it Allah’s absolute ta’wil. We may examine the language, compare verses and seek relationships throughout the Book. However, we remain seekers rather than creators of the meaning of revelation.

Therefore, as human beings, we are merely seekers of ta’wil, not creators of ta’wil.