Verse: Difference between revisions

In the Qur'an, the word is used in the technical meaning, and the Qur'an Āyas (verses) are described as "al-bayyinat", meaning manifest and clear.{{enote|We have certainly sent down manifest signs to you. Qur'an 2:99, Certainly We have sent down illuminating signs. Qur'an 24:46, Thus have We sent it down as manifest signs. Qur'an 22:16}}

The literal meaning of "Āya" 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]] (s) as they are signs of the truth of their mission. In this application, the Āyas (signs) of God are divided to "afaqi" (signs in the outer world) and "anfusi" (the signs in one's self).{{enote|Soon We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and in their own souls until it becomes clear to them that He is the Real. Qur'an 41:53}}

The word "Āya" is used 382 times in single and plural forms (Arabic: {{ia|آیات}}, Āyat).<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" {{enote|So today We shall deliver your body so that you may be a sign for those who come after you.’ Indeed many of the people are oblivious to Our signs Qur'an 10:92}}, "miracle" {{enote|Ask the Children of Israel how many a manifest sign We had given them Qur'an 2:211}}, "wonder" {{enote|and We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign Qur'an 23:50}}, and "reason and argument" {{enote|Of His signs is that He created you from dust, then, behold, you are humans scattering [all over]! Qur'an 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>

One opinion is that the last verse revealed is the [[al-Ikmal Verse]]: 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]]. [[Qur'an 5]] contains rulings which express 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>

The verses of the Qur'an are categorized according to various aspects. Some of them are as follows:

[[Allama Tabataba'i]] says:

: Muhkam verses are the verses which meaning is obvious and their true meaning isn't mistaken. These verses are to be believed and be acted according to. Mutashabih verses are the verses whose literal meaning is not meant and their true [[interpretation]] is known to no one except [[God]]. Of course, in [[Shi'a]] view, the interpretation of mutashabih verses is known to the [[Prophet (s)]] and [[Imams (a)]] by the will of God.<ref>Tabataba'i, ''al-Mizan'', Vol.3, pp.32-43</ref>

The Prophet (s) said the greatest verse is [[al-Kursi verse]].{{enote|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 [[Qur'an 93]].{{enote|[Addressing the Prophet (s)] Soon your Lord will give you [that with which] you will be pleased.}}.<ref>Al-Suyuti, ''al-Itqan'', Vol.2, p.353</ref>

On 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 affected 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 a 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 [[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>

There is disagreement about the count of the verses. One of the reasons for the disagreement is because in time of the [[revelation]], the [[Prophet (s)]] was stopping at the end of each verse, so it became known that where the end of each verse is, then he recited the verse connected to the next verse so the connection of the verses became known; but sometimes some people thought that there isn't a stop and considered the two verses as one. So, the disagreement about the end and beginning of the verses caused the difference in counting them, not that there is any difference in the content. These are the different opinions:

The Kufi school count has special importance and is more reliable according to the scholars of [[Qur'anic sciences]], because it is narrated from [[Imam 'Ali (a)]]. The verses in the existing Qur'an is according to Kufi separation and numbering.

The "coherence of a group of the verses in a [[sura]]", means either the "unity of the context", which is accepted among the [[exegete]]s, 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 on 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 the importance of discovering these points and connections. Among the exegetes, [[Amin al-Islam al-Tabrisi]] (d. 548/1153), had paid special attention to the coherence of the verses. At 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 "Āya" (Arabic: {{ia|آیة}}) there are other general meanings mentioned; divine Āyas are things which show the existence of [[God]] and His power, [[wisdom]], greatness, and his other attributes; so the word "Āya" 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>

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

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 include all of the phenomena of the world, and the extraordinary signs include the [[miracle]]s of the prophets (a).<ref>Misbah Yazdi, ''Qur'an shinasi'', Vol.1. p.34</ref>