al-Iklil fi al-Mutashabih wa al-Tawil
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Iman lil-Tab' wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
al-Iklil fi al-Mutashabih wa al-Tawil (The Diadem on the Ambiguous and Interpretation) is a theological treatise written by Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) addressing the concepts of the unequivocal (muhkam) and ambiguous (mutashabih) texts of the Quran, as well as the meaning and theological classifications of scriptural interpretation (ta'wil).
Content and Arguments
The central focus of the work is the exegetical analysis of the ambiguous verse in Surah Al 'Imran: وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ ("And none knows its interpretation except Allah. And those firmly grounded in knowledge...") [Al 'Imran: 7]. In it, Ibn Taymiyya outlines three distinct senses in which the term ta'wil is employed:
- Exegesis and explanation (tafsir): In early scholarly usage ('urf al-salaf), ta'wil is largely synonymous with tafsir—the clarification and exposition of a text's meaning, whether conforming to or departing from its apparent sense. This usage is illustrated by the commentary of Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari and the statements of Mujahid indicating that scholars know the interpretation of the Quran.
- The objective reality of discourse (nafs al-murad bi-l-kalam): The actual reality or future occurrence to which discourse refers. If the text is a command, its ta'wil is the performance of the required act; if it is an informative report, its ta'wil is the occurrence and reality of the thing reported (such as the unseen realities of the afterlife and the true nature of God's attributes), whose intrinsic reality is known only to God.
- Diverting words from their apparent meaning: In the convention of later scholars ('urf al-muta'akhkhirin) among jurists, speculative theologians (mutakallimun), Sufis, and hadith scholars, ta'wil denotes diverting a term from its preponderant (rajih) meaning to a subordinate (marjuh) one on the strength of contextual evidence. Ibn Taymiyya notes that an interpreter adopting this approach carries two obligations: demonstrating that the wording accommodates the claimed meaning, and providing evidence necessitating the departure from the apparent meaning.
Ibn Taymiyya argues that the Divine names and attributes do not belong to the category of unintelligible ambiguous expressions whose meanings cannot be understood by humans. He rejects the claim that early scholars such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal practiced absolute semantic delegation (tafwid), stating instead that they affirmed the apparent textual meanings while negating the figurative reinterpretations of the Jahmiyya and leaving the intrinsic modality (kayfiyya) to God.
Regarding the recitation pause (waqf) in Surah Al 'Imran: 7, Ibn Taymiyya explains that both reading traditions—pausing after the name of God ( إِلَّا اللَّهُ ) or continuing through those firmly grounded in knowledge ( وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ )—are coherent depending on which definition of ta'wil is intended: if taken as the ultimate reality of things, knowledge of it is exclusive to God, whereas if taken as explanation and commentary, scholars also possess knowledge of it.
Publication
The treatise has been published as an independent monograph, including an edition issued by al-Maktab al-Islami. It is also incorporated in modern collections of Ibn Taymiyya's writings, appearing in Majmu' al-Fatawa (vol. 13, pp. 270–313), compiled by Ibn Qasim, as well as in Majmu'at al-Rasa'il al-Kubra (vol. 2, pp. 5–36).
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