Ayat Mutashabihat al-Alfaz fi al-Quran al-Karim wa Kayf al-Tamyiz Baynaha
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Ayat Mutashabihat al-Alfaz fi al-Quran al-Karim wa Kayf al-Tamyiz Baynaha (Verses of Similar Wording in the Holy Quran and How to Distinguish Between Them) is a specialized treatise on verbal similarities (al-mutashabih al-lafzi) in the Quran by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad (Abd al-Muhsin ibn Hamad al-Abbad al-Badr). The work aims to assist memorizers and reciters of the Quran in distinguishing between verses that share similar phraseology.
Background and Methodology
Al-Abbad composed the treatise based on his personal reflection and review while reciting the Quran, recording passages where he paused to consider their placement and distinctions. He noted that he did not aim for an exhaustive collection of all similar verses in the Quran, nor did he exhaust every similar occurrence in a single context. He deliberately named the book with the indefinite form Ayat Mutashabihat al-Alfaz rather than the definite al-Ayat al-Mutashabihat al-Alfaz to reflect this non-exhaustive scope, stating that he compiled it without relying on classical or contemporary treatises, concordance indexes (al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras li-Alfaz al-Quran al-Karim), or computers.
Within each section, the author organized the verses according to the standard order of the Quranic surahs, citing the similar verses at their first occurrence without repeating them under later surahs. In his presentation, he underlined the specific letter or word that serves as the distinguishing marker between the parallel passages.
Structure and Classification
The core text categorizes similar verses into five distinct divisions based on the linguistic and structural mechanisms used to differentiate them:
- First Division: Verses where the similarity occurs between two or more words, and the earlier occurrence in the Quran begins with an alphabetically earlier letter than the later occurrence.
- Second Division: Verses where the similarity occurs between two or more words, and the earlier occurrence in the Quran begins with an alphabetically later letter than the subsequent occurrence.
- Third Division: Verses where the earlier occurrence contains one or more additional letters or words compared to the later occurrence.
- Fourth Division: Verses where the earlier occurrence has fewer letters or words than the later occurrence.
- Fifth Division: Verses that share identical openings but diverge in their concluding phrases. Al-Abbad noted that identifying this category prevents the reciter from inadvertently transitioning from one verse into another during recitation.
The author omitted verses that share identical endings but differ in their beginnings, explaining that the risk of confusion during continuous recitation does not apply to them. He concluded the treatise with a supplementary section listing Quranic verses containing enumerated items—both full clauses and individual words—to aid memorizers in mastering their retention.
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