TABERÎ’NİN MUHKEM-MÜTEŞÂBİH ANLAYIŞINDA GELENEKSEL ÇİZGİDEN AYRILAN ÖZGÜN KONUMU
TABARĪ’S DISTINCT POSITION DEPARTING FROM THE TRADITIONAL LINE IN THE CONCEPT OF MUHKAM AND MUTASHĀBIH

Summary/Abstract: The distinction between muhkam and mutashābih, inherent in the linguistic and semantic structure of the Qur’an, constitutes one of the most fundamental and controversial issues in the methodology of ta’wīl within the history of Islamic thought. Divergent views among different schools regarding the nature, meaning, quantity, classification, and interpretability of muhkam and mutashābih verses have led to profound scholarly disagreements, thereby increasing the significance of this subject. This study aimed to examine how these debates are reflected in Jāmi ‘al-Bayān ‘an Ta’wīl Āy al-Qur’ān by Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (b. 224-225/839- d. 310/923), one of the most prominent figures in the Islamic exegetical tradition. The study analyzed Ṭabarī’s distinctive approach to the muhkam–mutashābih classification and his methodology of ta’wīl. It employed a qualitative research design using document analysis. Within this framework, the concepts of muhkam, mutashābih, and ta’wīl were examined semantically, and a conceptual foundation was established through comparison with the views of other scholars. Ṭabarī’s preferences regarding the occasion of revelation, key concepts, and the position of waqf lāzim in Āl ‘Imrān 3:7 were discussed in detail. The findings revealed that Ṭabarī interpreted muhkam verses as those providing legal and moral guidance. He restricted mutashābih verses to matters such as the timing of the Day of Judgment and the descent of Jesus, which the Qur’an presents as future events whose exact time remains unknown. The study also concluded that he did not classify the khabarī (anthropomorphic) attributes among the mutashābih.

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