Verse

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Āya (Arabic: "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 suras of the Qur'an.

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.[1]

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 miracles 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).[2]

Meaning

"Āya" (Arabic: آية) literally means sign,[3] symbol, or something clear and obvious,[4] but in the technical usage in the Qur'an, means, "a part of the Qur'an which is placed in a sura and contains one or more sentences".[5] In other words, Āya 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.[6]

In the Qur'an

The word "Āya" is used 382 times in single and plural forms (Arabic: آیات, Āyat).[7] The main meaning is sign and symbol and is used sometimes as "lesson" [8], "miracle" [9], "wonder" [10], and "reason and argument" [11], which all return to the literal meaning.[12]

The separation and count of the Qur'an verses is tawqifi (specified by God)[13] so no one is allowed to change it.

First and Last Verses

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 Qur'an 96; but about the last verses, there is a disagreement.

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.[14]

Shortest and Longest Verses

Regardless of al-Muqatta'at verses (disjoined letters), the shortest verse in the number of words is the verse 64 of Qur'an 55 (Arabic: مُدهامَّتان, transliteration: "mudhāmmatān")[15] which means, "dark green". This verse contains only one word. And the shortest in the number of the letters is the first verses of Qur'an 89 (Arabic: والفجر, transliteration: "wa l-fajr") meaning, "by the dawn"; and the first verse of Qur'an 103 (Arabic: والعصر, transliteration: "wa l-'asr", translation: "by the time") and some others (with six letters and two words).[16]

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

Categories

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

Muhkam and Mutashabih

Main article: Muhkam and Mutashabih

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

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.[17]

According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, by taking the above verse into consideration, the mutashabih verses are understood referring to the muhkam verses; so there isn't any incomprehensible verse in the Qur'an.[18]

Most of the mutashabih verses are about the attributes and acts of God and, by referring them to the muhkam verses they also become muhkam. The count of mutashabih verses doesn't exceed 200.[19]

Other Categorizations

The scholars of the Qur'anic sciences have mentioned other categorizations for verses like, verses of rulings, nasikh and mansukh verses, etc.[20]

Famous Verses

Some verses of the Qur'an are famous with special names, the count of these verses are more than 100 verses and there are hadiths about reciting, memorizing, and having some of them.

Some of them are as follows:

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 is Qur'an 16:90 [21] or the most frightening verse: Qur'an 99:7-8 [22].

The Prophet (s) said the greatest verse is al-Kursi verse.[23]. 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.[24].[25]

Order

There are two opinions about the order of the verses; most of Shi'a and Sunni scholars believe that the place of verses in suras, is tawqifi (specified by God), so the existing order is fixed and it's forbidden to change it.[26]

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.[27]

Count

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:

  • Kufi school: 6236
  • Madani school: 6000 or 6214
  • Basri school: 6204
  • Shami school: 6225

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.

Coherence

The "coherence of a group of the verses in a sura", means either the "unity of the context", which is accepted among the exegetes, 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.[28]

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. 548/1153-4), 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.

Other exegetes who had attended the subject are, al-Zamakhshari in al-Kashshaf, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi in al-Tafsir al-kabir, al-Alusi in Ruh al-ma'ani, Muhammad Rashid Rida in Tafsir al-minar, and al-Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut in Tafsir al-Qur'an al-karim.

Some other exegetes, although believing in the coherence of the verses, say that the Qur'an is not a technical or educational book that have a specific segmentation and compiling order. It's good to understand the coherence of the verses, but only in the parts that have a connection. So there shouldn't be any false connection attributed to the word of God.[29] According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, even sometimes a verse interject two other coherent verses, so there is no need to take the trouble for finding a connection between the verses, except for the verses which are revealed together or the verses which connection is obvious.[30]

Other Meanings

For the word "Āya" (Arabic: 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)".[31]

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

The Qur'an verses are miracles, as no one can bring something like it; and in the same time are the sign of the truth of its conveyor, and a lesson, proof and reason for its content, which is the guidance and knowledge for the mankind, and the indication of the knowledge, power, wisdom, and other divine attributes.[32]

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).[33]

Tashri'i and Takwini

The Āyas (signs) of God could be divided into the two categories of "tashri'i" (legislative) and "takwini" (generative).[34] 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.[35] 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.[36] 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 miracles of the prophets (a).[37]

Afaqi and Anfusi

There are two ways to know God:

  • Studying his signs in man's own soul and the body of human, which are the "anfusi" Āyas (signs in one's self).
  • Studying the signs that exist outside of the human, in nature and creatures, which are the "afaqi" Āyas (literally: signs in the horizons).[38]

In the Qur'an and hadith studying and thinking about both "anfusi" and "afaqi" Āyas 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".[39]

Imam 'Ali (a) says about the afaqi signs: "so think about the sun and the moon, and the tree and the plants, and the water and the stone, and the alternation of the day and night, and the flow of the seas, and the large number of the mountains, and the height of the peaks, and the diversity of languages, and the differences of tongues, -which are the clear signs of God- so, woe be to one who does not accept the Designer and rejects the Manager. They thought that they are like the plants and don't have any farmer, and there's no maker for the differences of their shapes. They don't have any reason for their claim, could there be any building without a builder?..."[40]

The afaqi and anfusi signs are also discussed in Islamic philosophy and mysticism.[41]

Notes

  1. ↑ 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
  2. ↑ 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
  3. ↑ Al-Zarkashi, Al-Burhan fi 'ulum al-Qur'an, Vol.1, p.363.
  4. ↑ Al-Raghib al-Isfahani, Mu'jam mufradat alfaz al-Qur'an, p.34.
  5. ↑ Al-Suyuti, al-Itqan, Vol.1, p.145.
  6. ↑ Tabataba'i, al-Mizan, Vol.18, p.159.
  7. ↑ 'Abd al-Baqi, al-Mu'jam al-mufahras, pp. 103-108.
  8. ↑ 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
  9. ↑ Ask the Children of Israel how many a manifest sign We had given them Qur'an 2:211
  10. ↑ and We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign Qur'an 23:50
  11. ↑ Of His signs is that He created you from dust, then, behold, you are humans scattering [all over]! Qur'an 30:20
  12. ↑ 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
  13. ↑ Ghara'ib al-Qur'an wa ragha'ib al-furqan, Vol.1, p.66
  14. ↑ Ramyar, Tarikh-i Qur'an, p.46
  15. ↑ Al-Tahrir wa al-tanwir, Vol.1, p.77
  16. ↑ Al-Suyuti, al-Itqan, Vol.2, p.357
  17. ↑ Tabataba'i, al-Mizan, Vol.3, pp.32-43
  18. ↑ al-Tabtaba'i, Qur'an dar Islam, p.37
  19. ↑ Ma'rifat, al-Tamhid fi 'ulum al-Qur'an, Vol.3, p.14
  20. ↑ Al-Suyuti, al-Itqan, Vol.1, p.10
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ 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)
  24. ↑ [Addressing the Prophet (s)] Soon your Lord will give you [that with which] you will be pleased.
  25. ↑ Al-Suyuti, al-Itqan, Vol.2, p.353
  26. ↑ Al-Suyuti, al-Itqan, Vol.1, p.132
  27. ↑ Tabataba'i, al-Mizan, Vol.12, pp.127-129
  28. ↑ Al-Tamhid, Vol.5, p.239
  29. ↑ Al-Shaykh 'Izz al-Din citing from Al-Itqan, Vol.2, p.234
  30. ↑ Tabataba'i, al-Mizan, Vol.4, p.359
  31. ↑ Misbah Yazdi, Qur'an shinasi, Vol.1, p.33
  32. ↑ Manahil al-'irfan fi 'ulum al-Qur'an, Vol.1, p.339
  33. ↑ Misbah Yazdi, Qur'an shinasi, Vol.1. p.33
  34. ↑ Misbah Yazdi, Qur'an shinasi, Vol.1. p.33
  35. ↑ Tabataba'i, al-Mizan, Vol.18, p.159
  36. ↑ Tabataba'i, al-Mizan, Vol.18, p.158
  37. ↑ Misbah Yazdi, Qur'an shinasi, Vol.1. p.34
  38. ↑ Makarim Shirazi, Tafsir-i nimuna, Vol.18. p.328
  39. ↑ Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, Vol.2, p.32; Ghurar al-hikam, p.232
  40. ↑ Al-Sharif al-Radi, Nahj al-balagha, sermon 185
  41. ↑ Sadr al-Muta'allihin, Al-Asfar al-arba'a, Vol.7, p.14

See also

References

  • The material for writing this article is mainly taken from {{ia|آیه]} in Farsi Wikishia.
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External Links

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