al-Tibyan fi Ayman al-Quran
- Author died
- 751 AH
- Editions
- t al-Faqi · T Ataaat al-Ilm
al-Tibyan fi Ayman al-Quran (The Clarification Regarding the Oaths of the Quran), also referred to as al-Tibyan fi Aqsam al-Quran, is a specialized Quranic sciences treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH / 1350 CE) analyzing the oaths and swearings sworn by God throughout the Quran .
Purpose and Scope
Ibn al-Qayyim composed the work to examine all oaths and sworn statements occurring in the Quran, identifying what constitutes a valid oath, demonstrating the semantic connection and harmony between the oath (al-qasam) and the sworn-upon assertion (al-muqsam 'alayh), detailing both explicitly stated and implied oath responses (ajwibat al-qasam), and uncovering the underlying wisdoms and divine secrets (asrar) behind them . Ibn al-Qayyim himself referenced this work and cited its discussions in other writings, such as al-Da' wa-l-Dawa' .
Structure and Method
The work is organized into foundational principles followed by detailed exegetical application :
- Theoretical Principles: The author lays down foundational rules governing Quranic oaths, explaining that God swears either by His own sacred essence and divine attributes or by His created signs that point directly to His essence and attributes, indicating that such creations are among His greatest signs . He details that conspicuous, witnessed phenomena (such as the sun, moon, day, and night) are used as objects sworn by (muqsam bihi), whereas unseen and hidden matters are sworn upon (muqsam 'alayh) for affirmation and confirmation .
- Thematic Focus and Exegetical Analysis: Ibn al-Qayyim classifies the central themes sworn upon in the Quran into the fundamental tenets of faith that humanity is required to know: the divine oneness of God (tawhid), the truth of the Quran, the truth of the Prophet's messengership, the Day of Resurrection and recompense, and the states and moral conduct of human beings . He also analyzes grammatical and rhetorical conventions, such as the omission of the response when the sworn object itself clearly implies the sworn proposition, rendering the omission more eloquent and concise .
Reception and Influence
Scholars of Quranic exegesis and sciences relied heavily on the treatise:
- Al-Suyuti cited the work in al-Itqan fi 'Ulum al-Quran, noting that Ibn al-Qayyim dedicated a single volume to the discipline under the title al-Tibyan when discussing the sixty-seventh category of Quranic sciences (Aqsam al-Quran) .
- The Damascene scholar Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Tulun (d. 953 AH) abridged and refined the work under the title Khulasat al-Tibyan fi Ayman al-Quran, preserving the author's exact phrasing while pruning secondary digressions .
- Al-Qastallani (d. 923 AH) summarized the sections concerning the prophethood and messengership of the Prophet ﷺ in the fifth chapter of his al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, explicitly attributing most of that material to Ibn al-Qayyim's book on the oaths of the Quran .
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