3:7

Salaam all,

This is 3:7
هُوَ الَّذِيَ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُّحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ في قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاء الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاء تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُوْلُواْ الألْبَابِ
Huwa allathee anzala AAalayka alkitaba minhu ayatun muhkamatun hunna ommu alkitabi waokharu mutashabihatun faamma allatheena fee quloobihim zayghun fayattabiAAoona ma tashabaha minhu ibtighaa alfitnati waibtighaa taweelihi wama yaAAlamu taweelahu illa Allahu waalrrasikhoona fee alAAilmi yaqooloona amanna bihi kullun min AAindi rabbina wama yaththakkaru illa oloo alalbabi

The Aya says:
He who made arrive the book on you (Muhammad). Of him are signs made precise and authoritative. They are the mother/source of the book. And others (are) different while looking alike. So, as for those in whose heart (is) deviation, then they make themselves follow what was different while looking alike of him (the book) aspiring severe testing and aspiring ultimate conclusion of him. No one knows his ultimate conclusion except Allah. And the ones imprinted in knowledge, they say: We made ourselves safe in him. Each (Aya is) from our Nurturing Lord, and does not mention and remember except people of the substance.

My personal note:
This is one Aya that has been cited and will be cited throughout history. It may have many messages in it and I get one. I do need to expand on some of the terms that were used.

AYAT MUHKAMAT: I translated it as precise and authoritative. The word has the meaning of something done just the right way and has the ability to be a ruling or a judge in situations. So, those Ayat have clarity and specificity. They carry rulings that cannot be abrogated.

Mutashabihat: This was translated as different looking alike or looking alike while different. It points to Ayat with differing meanings while looking alike, but also to Ayat with different wordings but meanings that look alike. In this is a pointing to some Ayat that may support different ways of understanding. This is because the sentences or the nature of what is talked about is not completely clear as to make those Ayat have one specific and narrow meaning or conclusion. The point is to accept that different interpretations of the Ayat is valid as long as no rule has been broken and as long as the understanding is in harmony of the Muhkamat.
TAWEEL: This word is used in the Arabic language to mean meaning at times. However, the only use for this word in the Qur’an is an conclusion or ultimate conclusion. This suggests that there are/will be people that want to give a single meaning or ultimate conclusion to the Mutashabih Ayat, without clear authority or knowledge. That is generally a sign of bias.

The last part is that the Aya mentions that some of the Ultimate conclusion of the mutashabih Ayat is only with God. There is a possibility that some of those who are imprinted in knowledge will know some of them, but never all. The sign of those who are imprinted in knowledge is that they accept all as being from God.

So, my conclusion is that this Aya tells us that the precise Ayat are the authority and the mother of the book. The Mutashabih can mean different things and the different understandings have to abide to the rule of language and cannot contradict what the precise Ayat say. A sign of a deviation of the heart is when someone or some group is trying to make an ultimate understanding of those Ayat without the real knowledge except for bias. The Aya reminds us that God knows the ultimate conclusion to those passages. While the people of knowledge may get to know the conlcusion to some of the passages, they will not know them all. Their sign however is that they accept whatever came to them from God as the truth.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Huwa: He
Allathee: The one who
Anzala: made arrive/ brought down
Note: ANZALA is derived from the root N-Z-L and it carries the meaning of arrival to stay and descent. One concrete meaning is the descent of the person from his or her horse or camel as they arrive at the place where they plan to stay. ANZALA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of making arrive or making come down happened by the subject (third person singular pointing to Huwa= He and this points to God).
AAalayka: on you
Note: the “you” is singular and points to the prophet.
Alkitaba: the book
Note: the root K-T-B and it means putting things together as in grouping the herd together or closing the lips or writing (the most common use), because in writing, one puts the letters and the ideas together. ALKITABA means the book.
Minhu: of him (the book)
Ayatun: Signs
Note: the root is Hamza-Y-H and it means sign. AYATUN means signs. This word is used for verses of the Qur’an because they are signs from God.
Muhkamatun: made to steer/ made precise and authority
Note: the root is Ha-K-M and it means the steer that steers the animal. This word is used for ruling and judging as well as other meanings of steering. The best steerer is the one that uses the best tools to steer and that is the Arabic definition of wisdom. MUHKAMATUN is a plural of a word that is derived from the root. This word suggests that something was made to steer. This includes that the entity is made in a fashion to be followed and that it may includes specific orders to be followed as well. I chose the meanings made to steer or made precise and authority.
Hunna: they (plural feminine pointing to Ayat)
Ommu: mother of/Source of/origin of
Note: the root is Hamza-M-M and it means mother if written OMM and destination if written AMM. OMMU means mother of. The word also suggests source of or origin of.
Alkitabi: The book
Note: the root K-T-B and it means putting things together as in grouping the herd together or closing the lips or writing (the most common use), because in writing, one puts the letters and the ideas together. ALKITABA means the book.
Waokharu: and others
Note: WA means and. OKHARU is derived from the root Hamza-KH-R and it means remaining for concept. This remaining could take the meaning of other or later and so forth depending on time and space and the plane of thought of the sentence. OKHARU here means: remaining in the form of others. Basically, mentioning the remaining Ayat of the book. Those are the others.
Mutashabihatun: different looking alike
Note: the root is SH-B-H and it means different looking like. This suggests that something looks like something else that is different. The looking alike may convey real similarity, or it may hide real tangible differences. MUTASHABIHATUN is a plural term that means they are different looking alike. This can mean the statements look alike but have different meanings. Or the statements are different but have meanings that look alike, or both.
Faamma: Therefore
Allatheena: those who
Fee: in
Quloobihim: their hearts
Note: the root is Qaf-L-B and it means turning something upside down or in a 180 degree angle. The word is used for emotion and thought or for the heart, because they change often and turn upside down and so forth. QULOOBI means hearts of or emotions and thoughts of. HIM means them.
Zayghun: deviation
Note: the root is Z-Y-GH. It means in concrete when the sun is not in the middle of the sky, or when the eye deviates from looking straight or when one deviates from the path or the road. Basically having the meaning of deviation from one should be or the safer place. ZAYGHUN carries the concept of deviation.
fayattabiAAoona: then they make themselves follow footsteps of
Note: FA means then or so or therefore. YATTABiAAooNA is derived from the root T-B-Ain and it means following footsteps or following behind. YATTABiAAooNA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of making oneself follow footsteps of (ma tashabaha= what is different looking alike) is happening by the subject (third person plural).
Ma: what
Tashabaha: differed while looking alike/looked alike while different
Note: the root is SH-B-H and it means different looking like. This suggests that something looks like something else that is different. The looking alike may convey real similarity, or it may hide real tangible differences. TASHABAHA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of the different making itself look alike happened by the subject (MA=what) in an interactive manner.
Minhu: of him (the book)
Ibtighaa: aspiring/desiring
Note: the root is B-GH-Y and it means the young unripe fruit and the young animal. This is some of the concrete meaning. It does attain the meaning of something to aspire to, as well as something bad or immature. Both may share that youth aspires to mature, and youth is associated with immaturity and foolish actions. IBTIGHAA means the desiring/aspiring for one self or the seeking for oneself.
Alfitnati: the severe testing (of misguidance)
Note: the root F-T-N and it means in concrete the melting of the metal that looks like silver or Gold in order to know the true from the false. So, in abstract it denotes at times fire, severe suffering and a test at the same time. ALFITNATI is the infliction of severe testing. This could be in many manners including the test of misguidance.
Waibtighaa: and aspiring/desiring
Note: WA means and. IBTIGHAA is derived from the root is B-GH-Y and it means the young unripe fruit and the young animal. This is some of the concrete meaning. It does attain the meaning of something to aspire to, as well as something bad or immature. Both may share that youth aspires to mature, and youth is associated with immaturity and foolish actions. IBTIGHAA means the desiring/aspiring for one self or the seeking for oneself.
Taweelihi: his ultimate conclusion
Note: the root is Hamza-W-L and it means ultimate as the concept. In it’s uses, it can attain the ultimate beginning or the ultimate ending or the ultimate meaning or the ultimate conclusion. TAWEELI means the action of ultimating to one conclusion of. Hi means him.
Wama: and not
yaAAlamu: He knows
Note: the root is Ain-L-M and it means knowledge or knowing. YaAALAMU is an action that is being completed or is ongoing that is derived from the root. It means the action of knowing is happening by the subject (Third person singular pointing to God) on the object (Taweelahu= his ultimate conclusion, that is coming up.
Taweelahu: his ultimate conclusion
Note: the root is Hamza-W-L and it means ultimate as the concept. In it’s uses, it can attain the ultimate beginning or the ultimate ending or the ultimate meaning or the ultimate conclusion. TAWEELA means the action of ultimating to one conclusion of. HU means him.
Illa: except
Allahu: Allah
Waalrrasikhoona: and the ones who are imprinted
Note: Wa means and. ALRRASIKHOONA is derived from the root R-S-KH. In concrete it is used for the fluid is sucked by the solid below. One example is the ink that becomes imprinted on the paper, and therefore becomes part of the paper. ALRRASIKHOONA are the ones who are imprinted.
Fee: in
alAAilmi: the knowledge
Note: the root is Ain-L-M and it means knowledge or knowing. ALAAiLMI means the knowledge.
Yaqooloona: they say/they happen to say.
Note: the root Qaf-W-L and it means saying in any form. YAQOOLOONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of saying is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural).
Amanna: We made ourselves safe
Note: the root is Hamza-M-N and it means Safety. AMANNA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means: The action of making become safe happened by the subject (first person plural). The entity that was made safe is the subject itself, but can include others.
Bihi: in him/by him/with him (the book)
Note: Bi denotes that what comes after is a tool and/or an object or an association with an action that was mentioned. In here the action is making become safe. HI means him and points to the book.
Kullun: Each/ every
Note: the root is K-L-L and it means the parts put together. This is the concrete and it means all or every or each. KULLUN means each.
Min: from
AAindi: presence of /possession of
Note: this is a very difficult word to translate. It means something close to at. However, it attains a meaning according to the usage of the sentence. Sometimes it gets the meaning of at as presence of and others as source of or possession of.
Rabbina: our nurturing Lord
Note: the root is R-B-B and it means lord or king who is also nurturing and sustaining. The word is used for the head of the household and for the teacher because both are leaders over us and they nurture us in many ways. RABBI means: nurturing lord of. NA means us.
Wama: and not
Yaththakkaru: he makes self mention and remember
Note: the root is TH-K-R and it means many things that may or may not be related. One concrete meaning is male organ or male. Another is what flows on the tongue. This is then used for memory and mentioning at the same time and it is the meaning of the word here. YATHTHAKKARU is an action that is being completed or will be completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of making mention and remember is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person singular or plural) to itself.
Illa: except
Oloo: people of
Alalbabi: the beneficial inside substance/ appropriate brain and heart
Note: the root is L-B-B and it means the inside of the seed that is nutritious and so forth. It means the inside of something that is of benefit. ALALBABI means the beneficial inside substance and that points to people who have a healthy way of looking at things that is not burdened by much bias.

Salaam all and have a great day


Hussein