al-Amthal min al-Kitab wa al-Sunna
- Author died
- 320 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn Zaydūn / Dār Usāmah
al-Amthal min al-Kitab wa al-Sunna (Parables from the Book and the Sunna) is a treatise on Quranic and prophetic similitudes authored by the Islamic scholar and mystic al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi (d. c. 320 AH / 932 CE).
Purpose and Theological Premise
The work was composed in response to an inquiry regarding the nature of parables (amthal) and the purpose behind their being struck for humankind. In his introduction, al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi posits that parables are necessary specifically for created beings because unseen realities and subtle truths are hidden from human sensory perception. God, from Whom nothing in the heavens or on earth is concealed, has no need for parables on His own behalf, nor can likenesses be attributed to His transcendent essence; rather, God strikes parables drawn from human experience so that people may grasp what is absent from their immediate sight.
Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi defines parables as "models of wisdom" (namudhajat al-hikma) and describes them as the "mirror of the soul" (mir'at al-nafs), contrasting them with divine lights (anwar al-sifat), which serve as the mirror of the heart. He argues that while the heart attains conviction through faith, the lower soul (nafs) is prone to vacillation and hesitation when confronted with unseen reports; when a parable renders an abstract or absent truth visible through familiar imagery, the soul attains tranquility, settles beneath the heart, and yields to spiritual certainty.
Structure and Content
The text explores parables drawn from both scripture and tradition:
- Quranic Parables: The author examines various Quranic figures and allegories, beginning with the similitudes of the hypocrites—such as the one who kindles a fire in darkness and the traveller caught under a thunderous rainstorm—and interprets their spiritual implications. He addresses parables illustrating disbelief, hardness of the heart, the Prophet's role as a caller, and narratives of prophetic figures such as the man who passed by a ruined town and Abraham's witnessing the revival of birds. In expounding Quranic passages, he incorporates opinions from early authorities such as Muqatil ibn Sulayman, Qatada ibn Di'ama, and Mujahid ibn Jabr.
- Prophetic and Wisdom Parables: The work compiles hadiths presenting prophetic metaphors, such as the parable of man, death, and three companions representing wealth, kin, and deeds; the comparison of the Quran to hobbled camels; the believer's recitation compared to fragrant citrons or unopened flasks of musk; and the incomplete prayer compared to a starving person consuming inadequate morsels. It also includes sayings of the sages regarding scholars and guidance.
Editions and Academic Reception
The work has been published in modern editions, including one edited by Muhammad Ali al-Bijawi (published in Cairo by Dar al-Nahda) and another edited by Mustafa Abd al-Qadir Ata (published in Beirut by Mu'assasat al-Kutub al-Thaqafiyya in 1409 AH / 1989 CE). It has also formed the subject of academic research and specialized study, such as Selahaddin Yilmaz's 1980 study on al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi and the treatise in Erzurum.
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