al-Amthal al-Quraniyya al-Qiyasiyya al-Madruba lil-Iman billah
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al-Amthal al-Quraniyya al-Qiyasiyya al-Madruba lil-Iman billah (The Analogical Quranic Parables Struck for Faith in God) is a multi-volume theological and Quranic study by Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Jarbu examining the analogical parables presented in the Quran concerning faith in God .
Composition and Purpose
The work was originally written as a doctoral dissertation in the Department of Aqidah within the Faculty of Da'wah and Usul al-Din at the Islamic University of Madinah . The author was admitted to the doctoral program on 7 Rajab 1414 AH and completed the treatise in Jumada al-Ula 1419 AH under the academic supervision of Ahmad ibn Atiyyah al-Ghamdi .
The author conceived the research after observing that classical and contemporary treatises on Quranic parables rarely devoted dedicated studies to doctrinal and creedal issues . The central inspiration came from the discussions of analogical parables in the Quran by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya in his I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in (and its standalone extract Amthal al-Quran), where Ibn al-Qayyim highlighted that Quranic parables direct human intellect to valid analogies .
Scope and Methodology
The work specifically delimits its scope to analogical Quranic parables (al-amthal al-qiyasiyya) related to the first pillar of Islamic faith—faith in God—distinguishing them from other genres of proverbial expressions and parables :
- Analogical forms: It covers parables formulated through representational analogy (qiyas al-tamthil), universal/subsumptive analogy (qiyas al-shumul), and a fortiori analogy (qiyas al-awla), excluding non-analogical adages and general proverbs .
- Textual and rhetorical indicators: It includes parables established by explicit lexical markers (such as the word mathal or its derivatives, whether conjoined with verbs like daraba or not) or by implicit rhetorical similes (tashbih), setting aside Quranic narratives and arguments lacking these comparative structures .
- Theological focus: The study is restricted to the inner faith of the heart concerning God, as the foundational root of all other branches and pillars of belief .
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into an introduction, several foundational sections, and analytical case studies:
- Introduction (al-Muqaddima): Discusses the rationale and significance of the study, clarifies the technical terminology of the title, reviews previous literature, and outlines research challenges .
- Part One (al-Bab al-Awwal): Contains preliminary discussions divided into two chapters. The first examines the lexical and technical meanings of mathal (circulating adages, descriptions, counterparts, and examples), the components of analogical parables, and their overarching objectives. The second chapter defines faith (iman) linguistically and legally, distinguishing its baseline core, internal heart-centered reality, and complete form .
- Part Two (al-Bab al-Thani): Explores parables describing spiritual illumination and darkness in Surat al-Nur, including detailed analytical breakdowns of the Parable of Light (Mathal al-Nur) regarding the hearts of believers, followed by the parables of the mirage (al-sarab) and the layered depths of darkness (al-zulumat) depicting the deeds and hearts of disbelievers .
- Part Three (al-Bab al-Thalith): Investigates parables pertaining to the divine essence of God, opening with an analysis of the contextual significance of the scriptural prohibition against striking human likenesses or similitudes for God .
In its concluding findings, the work identifies the primary objectives of Quranic parables as clarifying abstract truths through tangible imagery, establishing definitive logical proofs, persuading the audience of the goodness of truth or the repugnance of falsehood, instilling moral and spiritual cultivation, and providing interpretive keys for dream symbolism .
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