Verse: Difference between revisions

'''Āya''' (Arabic:{{ia| "آیة"}}, verse) in technical usage is the sentences and phrases of the [[Qur'an]] which are separated from each other in a special order and form the [[sura]]s (chapters) of the Qur'an.

In the Qur'an the word is used in the technical meaning, and the Qur'an ayas (verses) are described as "al-bayyinat", meaning manifest and clear.

The literal meaning of "aya" is "sign" or "something clear and obvious". The word is also used in the Qur'an in its literal meaning in some places and refers to every creature as a sign of the existence and the attributes of [[God]], and to the [[miracle]]s of the [[prophets]] as they are signs of truth of their mission. In this application, the ayas (signs) of God are divided to "afaqi" (signs in the outer world) and "anfusi" (the signs in one's self).

"Aya" (Arabic: {{ia|آية}}) literally means sign,<ref>Al-Zarkashi, ''Al-Burhan fi 'ulum al-Qur'an'', Vol.1, p.363.</ref> symbol, or something clear and obvious,<ref>Al-Raghib al-Isfahani, ''Mu'jam mufradat alfaz al-Qur'an'', p.34.</ref> but in the technical usage in the [[Qur'an]], means, "a part of the Qur'an which is placed in a [[sura]] (chapter) and contains one or more sentences".<ref>Al-Suyuti, ''al-Itqan'', Vol.1, p.145.</ref> In other words, aya in technical usage means the words, phrases, and sentences of the Qur'an which forms suras. The connection of the technical and the literal meaning is that each one of the verses of the Qur'an is a sign, like natural signs, referring to [[God]], some of the beliefs, practical rulings, or moral principles.<ref>Tabataba'i, ''al-Mizan'', Vol.18, p.159.</ref>

The word "aya" is used 382 times in single and plural forms (Arabic: {{ia|آیات}}, ayat).<ref>'Abd al-Baqi, ''al-Mu'jam al-mufahras'', pp. 103-108.</ref> The main meaning is sign and symbol, and is used sometimes as "lesson" ([[Q 10]]:92), "miracle" ([[Q 2]]:12), "wonder" ([[Q 23]]:50), and "reason" ([[Q 30]]:20), which all return to the literal meaning.<ref>''Al-Mu'jam al-wasit'', Vol.1, p.25; ''Manahil al-'irfan fi 'ulum al-Qur'an'', Vol.1, p.338; ''al-Burhan fi 'ulum al-Qur'an'', Vol.1, p.266</ref>

The most correct and the most prevalent opinion about the first verses revealed to the [[Prophet (s)]], is that they are the first five verses of [[Sura al-'Alaq]]; but about the last verses, there is a disagreement.

One opinion is that the last verse revealed is the [[al-Ikmal Verse]]{{enote|{{اليَومَ أَكمَلتُ لَكُم دينَكُم وَأَتمَمتُ عَلَيكُم نِعمَتي وَرَضيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسلامَ دينًا فَمَنِ اضطُرَّ في مَخمَصَةٍ غَيرَ مُتَجانِفٍ لِإِثمٍ ۙ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفورٌ رَحيمٌ}}: Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion. (Quran 5:3)}}, which was revealed in the returning of the [[Prophet (s)]] from [[Hajjat al-Wida']] in [[Ghadir Khumm]]. [[Sura al-Ma'ida]], contains rulings which expresses the end of battles and the establishment of Islam; especially that in the end of the verse it informs of the end of the [[prophethood]], so according to this opinion the last verse of the Qur'an is from the last [[sura]].<ref>Ramyar, ''Tarikh-i Qur'an'', p.46</ref>

Regardless of [[al-Muqatta'at]] verses (separate letters), the shortest verse in the number of words is the verse 64 of [[sura al-Rahman]] (Arabic: {{ia|مُدهامَّتان}}, transliteration: "mudhāmmatān")<ref>''Al-Tahrir wa al-tanwir'', Vol.1, p.77</ref> which means, "dark green". This verse contains only one word. And the shortest in the number of the letters is the first verses of [[Suras al-Fajr]] (Arabic: {{ia|والفجر}}, transliteration: "wa l-fajr") meaning, "by the dawn"; and the first verse of [[Sura al-'Asr]] (Arabic: {{ia|والعصر}}, transliteration: "wa l-'asr", translation: "by the time") and some others (with six letters and two words).<ref>Al-Suyuti, ''al-Itqan'', Vol.2, p.357</ref>

The longest verse of the Qur'an is the [[al-Dayn Verse]] (debt) (Q 2:282) which nearly fills a page.

The verses of the [[Qur'an]] are categorized according to various aspects. Some of them are as following.

In the Qur'an, the verses are categorized in [[Muhkam and Mutashabih]] (definitive and metaphorical) verses:

|author=[[Q 3]]:7

* [[Al-Kursi Verse|Al-Kursi]] (the seat) verse: [[al-Baqara]] (2):255-257

* [[Al-Nur Verse|Al-Nur]] (the light) verse: [[al-Nur]] (24):35

* [[Al-Shahada Verse|Al-Shahada]] (the witness) verse: [[Al Imran]] (3):18

* [[Al-Ifk Verse|Al-Ifk]] (the calumny) verse: [[al-Nur]] (24):12

* [[Al-Amana Verse|Al-Amana]] (the trust) verse: [[al-Ahzab]] (33):72

* [[Al-Mulk Verse|Al-Mulk]] (the sovereignty) verse: [[Al Imran]] (3):26

* [[Al-Mubahala Verse|Al-Mubahala]] (the cursing) verse: [[Al Imran]] (3):61

* [[Al-Tathir Verse|Al-Tathir]] (the purification) verse: [[al-Ahzab]] (33):33

* [[Al-Sayf Verse|Al-Sayf]] (the sword) verse: [[al-Tawba]] (9):5

* [[Al-Tabligh Verse|Al-Tabligh]] (the communication) verse: [[al-Ma'ida]] (5):67

* [[Al-Wilaya Verse|Al-Wilaya]] (the guardianship) verse: [[al-Ma'ida]] (5):55

* [[Al-Hijab Verse|Al-Hijab]] (the veil) verse: [[al-Nur]] (24):31

* [[Al-Ikmal Verse|Al-Ikmal]] (the completion) verse: [[al-Ma'ida]] (5):5

* [[Al-Ibtila' Verse|Al-Ibtila']] (the trial) verse: [[al-Baqara]] (2):124

* [[Al-Sadiqin Verse|Al-Sadiqin]] (the truthful) verse: [[al-Tawba]] (9):119

* [[Laylat al-Mabit Verse|Laylat al-Mabit]] verse: [[al-Baqara]] (2):207

* [[Khayr al-Bariyya Verse|Kahyr al-Bariyya]] (the best of creatures) verse: [[al-Bayyina]] (98):7

Also in hadiths of the [[Prophet (s)]] and [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]], some titles and names are mentioned for some verses like: the strongest verse: [[al-Nahl]] (16):90{{enote|{{ia|إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأمُرُ بِالعَدلِ وَالإِحسانِ وَإيتاءِ ذِي القُربىٰ وَيَنهىٰ عَنِ الفَحشاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالبَغيِ يَعِظُكُم لَعَلَّكُم تَذَكَّرونَ}}: Indeed Allah enjoins justice and kindness and generosity towards relatives, and He forbids indecency, wrong, and aggression. He advises you, so that you may take admonition. (Quran 16:90)}} or the most frightening verse: [[al-Zalzala]] (99):7-8{{enote|{{ia|فَمَن يَعمَل مِثقالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيرًا يَرَهُ (۷) وَمَن يَعمَل مِثقالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ (۸)}}: So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, (7) and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it. (8) (Quran 99:7-8)}}.

The Prophet (s) said, the greatest verse is [[al-Kursi verse]]{{enote|{{ia|اللَّهُ لا إِلٰهَ إِلّا هُوَ الحَيُّ القَيّومُ لا تَأخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلا نَومٌ لَهُ ما فِي السَّماواتِ وَما فِي الأَرضِ مَن ذَا الَّذي يَشفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلّا بِإِذنِهِ يَعلَمُ ما بَينَ أَيديهِم وَما خَلفَهُم وَلا يُحيطونَ بِشَيءٍ مِن عِلمِهِ إِلّا بِما شاءَ وَسِعَ كُرسِيُّهُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضَ وَلا يَئودُهُ حِفظُهُما وَهُوَ العَلِيُّ العَظيمُ (۲۵۵) لا إِكراهَ فِي الدّينِ قَد تَبَيَّنَ الرُّشدُ مِنَ الغَيِّ فَمَن يَكفُر بِالطّاغوتِ وَيُؤمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ استَمسَكَ بِالعُروَةِ الوُثقىٰ لَا انفِصامَ لَها وَاللَّهُ سَميعٌ عَليمٌ (۲۵۶) اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذينَ آمَنوا يُخرِجُهُم مِنَ الظُّلُماتِ إِلَى النّورِ وَالَّذينَ كَفَروا أَولِياؤُهُمُ الطّاغوتُ يُخرِجونَهُم مِنَ النّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُماتِ أُولٰئِكَ أَصحابُ النّارِ هُم فيها خالِدونَ (۲۵۷)}}: Allah—there is no god except Him— is the Living One, the All-sustainer. Neither drowsiness befalls Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that may intercede with Him except with His permission? He knows that which is before them and that which is behind them, and they do not comprehend anything of His knowledge except what He wishes. His seat embraces the heavens and the earth, and He is not wearied by their preservation, and He is the All-exalted, the All-supreme. (255) There is no compulsion in religion: rectitude has become distinct from error. So one who disavows the Rebels1 and has faith in Allah has held fast to the firmest handle for which there is no breaking; and Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing. (256) Allah is the Guardian of the faithful: He brings them out of darkness into light. As for the faithless, their patrons are the Rebels, who drive them out of light into darkness. They shall be the inmates of the Fire, and they shall remain in it [forever]. (257) (Quran 2:255-257)}}. And according to a narration from [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], the most promising verse of the Qur'an is the verse 5 of [[sura al-Duha]] (93){{enote|{{ia|وَلَسَوفَ يُعطيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرضىٰ}}: [Addressing the Prophet (s)] Soon your Lord will give you [that with which] you will be pleased. (Quran 93:5)}}.<ref>Al-Suyuti, ''al-Itqan'', Vol.2, p.353</ref>

In the contrary, some think that although maybe the verses are ordered in the lifetime of the [[Prophet (s)]], but after him, taste and [[ijtihad]] of some of the [[companions]] has effected the existing order. According to [['Allama Tabataba'i]], the reports of the first collection of the [[Qur'an]] in the time of [[Abu Bakr]], confirms that the ijtihad of the companions had role in the order of the verses; and if we agree that all the verses are first ordered by the command of the Prophet (s), it doesn't mean that what the companions have collected is with the order the Prophet (s) had commanded. And the claimed [[ijma']] (consensus) that the existing order is the order of the lifetime of the Prophet (s) is only a "[[reported ijma']]" which is not reliable.<ref>Tabataba'i, ''al-Mizan'', Vol.12, pp.127-129</ref>

The "coherence of a group of the verses in a [[sura]]", means either the "unity of the context", which is accepted among the [[exeget]]es, or it means the "coherence of all of the verses of a sura". According to the latter meaning, every sura has one or more point/points, and after fulfilling it, the sura ends. The length of a sura is also dependent to the point/points it implies.<ref>''Al-Tamhid'', Vol.5, p.239</ref>

The group of scholars who believe in the ordering of the verses by [[God]], emphasize on the importance of discovering these points and connections. Among the exegetes, [[Al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabrisi|al-'Allama al-Tabrisi]] (d. 548/1153), had paid a special attention to the coherence of the verses. In the beginning of each sura, he expresses the coherence of the sura with the previous, and under each verse expresses the coherence of the verse with the next and the previous verses.

For the word "aya" (Arabic: {{ia|آیة}}) there are other general meanings mentioned; divine ayas are things which show the existence of [[God]] and His power, [[wisdom]], greatness, and his other attributes; so the word "aya" could be used for all of the creatures, because all of them are signs of their [[creator]]. Many times in the Qur'an, after describing the phenomena of the world, it is said, "They (the wonders of the world) are indeed signs (of God and his attributes)".<ref>Misbah Yazdi, ''Qur'an shinasi'', Vol.1, p.33</ref>

It also must be noted that in the Qur'an, the word "[[mu'jiza]]" (Arabic: {{ia|معجزة}}, miracle) isn't used and instead, the word "aya" (sign) and "[[bayyina]]" (Arabic: {{ia|بینة}}, evidence) is used; the word "mu'jiza" is mainly used by theologians.

The whole of the Qur'an is an aya (miracle) of [[God]] because no one can bring something like it. Divine rulings and obligations are also ayas (signs) as they are means of approaching God. Existing creatures are ayas (signs) of God as their existence indicates the existence and greatness of their creator. The [[prophet]]s are the ayas (signs) of God as they invite people to believing and worshiping God. Wonders and miracles of the prophets are also ayas (signs) because they have a clear indication of the power of God and also are signs of the truth of the mission of the prophets.<ref>Misbah Yazdi, ''Qur'an shinasi'', Vol.1. p.33</ref>

The ayas (signs) of God could be divided into the two categories of "tashri'i" (legislation) and "takwini" (creation).<ref>Misbah Yazdi, ''Qur'an shinasi'', Vol.1. p.33</ref> Tashri'i signs are mainly the [[Qur'an]] and other [[divine books]], which are about the divine rulings, theological knowledge, and ethics which are the means of approaching God.<ref>Tabataba'i, ''al-Mizan'', Vol.18, p.159</ref> Although some of the Qur'an verses are takwini, which express the wonders of the creation.

Takwini signs are the existing matters which indicate the existence, creation, knowledge, and other divine attributes.<ref>Tabataba'i, ''al-Mizan'', Vol.18, p.158</ref> These signs also make two subcategories: ordinary and extraordinary. The ordinary signs includes all of the phenomena of the world, and the extraordinary signs includes the miracles of the [[prophet]]s.<ref>Misbah Yazdi, ''Qur'an shinasi'', Vol.1. p.34</ref>

* Studying his signs in the [[soul]] and the body of human, which are the "anfusi" ayas (signs in one's self).

* Studying the signs that exist outside of the human, in nature and creatures, which are the "afaqi" ayas (literally: signs in the horizons).<ref>Makarim Shirazi, ''Tafsir-i nimuna'', Vol.18. p.328</ref>

In the Qur'an and [[hadith]] studying and thinking about both anfusi and afaqi ayas is emphasized on.

In hadith the importance of the attention to the afaqi and anfusi signs is noted, [[the Prophet (s)]] said: "the one who knows himself, had known his [[God]]".<ref>Al-Majlisi, ''Bihar al-anwar'', Vol.2, p.32; ''Ghurar al-hikam'', p.232</ref>

{{references}}