Asrar al-Tikrar fi al-Quran = al-Burhan fi Tawjih Mutashabih al-Quran
- Author died
- 531 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Fadeelah
Asrar al-Tikrar fi al-Quran (The Secrets of Repetition in the Quran), also titled al-Burhan fi Tawjih Mutashabih al-Quran (The Proof in Explaining the Similar Passages of the Quran), is a classical work on Quranic sciences by the grammarian and exegete Abu al-Qasim al-Kirmani (d. ca. 505 AH / 1111 CE; other sources report d. 500 AH or after 531 AH) . The book is dedicated to analyzing and providing hermeneutical explanations for verbally similar and recurrent verses across the Quran .
Purpose and Scope
In his introduction, al-Kirmani states that he composed the treatise to examine the verses in the Quran that recur with matching vocabulary but feature subtle differences . These variations include additions (ziyadah), omissions (nuqsan), fronting and deferral (taqdim wa-ta'khir), the substitution of one letter or particle for another (ibdal harf makan harf), or other textual factors that produce divergence between seemingly parallel passages .
Structure and Method
The work is organized sequentially according to the traditional order of the Quranic surahs, beginning with Surat al-Fatihah and Surat al-Baqarah and proceeding through the end of the text . Under each surah, al-Kirmani enumerates specific instances of textual similarity, compares the verse to its parallel occurrences elsewhere in the Quran, and offers grammatical, rhetorical, and contextual justifications (tawjih) for the distinctive phrasing employed in each location .
Standing and Editions
Al-Burhan fi Tawjih Mutashabih al-Quran is regarded as one of the primary reference texts in the genre of mutashabih al-lafzi (verbally similar passages of the Quran), alongside other classical works such as Durrat al-Tanzil wa-Ghurrat al-Ta'wil by al-Khatib al-Iskafi (d. 420 AH), Kashf al-Ma'ani fi Mutashabih al-Mathani by Badr al-Din Ibn Jama'ah, and Milak al-Ta'wil by Ibn al-Zubayr al-Gharnati (d. 708 AH) .
The treatise has been preserved in multiple manuscript repositories—including the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus, the Azhar Library and the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts in Cairo, and Princeton University Library . It has been printed under both full and alternate titles, including editions prepared by Abd al-Qadir Ahmad Ata and Sayyid al-Jumayli .
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