Daf Iham al-Idtirab an Ayat al-Kitab
- Author died
- 1393 AH
- Editions
- Ta Ataat al-Ilm · T Maktabat Ibn Taymiyyah
Daf‘ Iham al-Idtirab ‘an Ayat al-Kitab (Repelling the Illusion of Inconsistency from the Verses of the Book) is a specialized treatise in Quranic sciences by the Mauritanian scholar Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti (1325–1393 AH / 1907–1973 CE), devoted to resolving and harmonizing verses of the Quran that appear superficially contradictory .
Purpose and Scope
The work belongs to the traditional Quranic science known as mushkil al-Qur'an (apparent difficulties in the Quran) or muwhim al-ikhtilaf wa-l-ta'arud (apparent conflict and discrepancy) . Al-Shinqiti authored the book to clarify how ostensibly conflicting passages align in perfect harmony, premised on the principle that the divine text contains no genuine contradictions, as stated in the Quran: أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِنْدِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا ("Do they not then reflect upon the Quran? If it had been from other than Allah, they would surely have found within it much contradiction" [Al-Nisa: 82]) .
Structure and Method
The book is structured sequentially according to the standard order of the chapters (surahs) of the Quran rather than chronological order of revelation . In treating a passage, the author typically addresses the reconciliation between two verses under the chapter where the first verse appears, though he occasionally discusses it under the latter verse or refers back to the earlier discussion if a given surah contains only that instance .
Al-Shinqiti reconciles apparent discrepancies by analyzing linguistic context, Arabic syntax, rhetoric, and interpretive distinctions . These methods include differentiating between varied stages and stations of the Day of Judgment to reconcile differing descriptions of questioning the sinful, or distinguishing between divine guidance as grant of inner success (tawfiq)—which belongs to God alone—and guidance as clarifying the truth (irshad), which is affirmed of the Prophet ﷺ .
Reception and Scholarly Debate
The work is widely regarded by later scholars and commentators as one of the most comprehensive monographs dedicated to resolving apparent conflicts in the Quran, and it is frequently published alongside or appended to al-Shinqiti's major exegesis, Adwa' al-Bayan .
The book was also subject to public scholarly debate. In 1394 AH, eight months after al-Shinqiti's death, the writer Ahmad Muhammad Jamal published articles in Majallat al-Tadamun al-Islami critiquing both Daf‘ Iham al-Idtirab and Izz al-Din ibn 'Abd al-Salam's al-Mufid fi Mushkil al-Qur'an, arguing that framing these verses as problematic creates artificial dilemmas and subjects the supreme eloquence of the Quran to later linguistic and grammatical conventions . Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Shinqiti responded in Jaridat al-Madinah, defending the necessity of such works to guide students and clarify ambiguities, followed by a rejoinder by Jamal in Jaridat al-Nadwah .
Publication History
Portions of the work were serialized in the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah) . Early standalone editions were printed by Matabi' al-Riyad (1375 AH) and Maktabat Ibn Taymiyyah in Cairo (1417 AH), followed by a fifth edition issued jointly by Dar 'Ata'at al-'Ilm and Dar Ibn Hazm (1441 AH / 2019 CE) .
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