Abd al-Rahman al-Muallimi al-Yamani
Haqiqat al-Tawil - ضمن "Athar al-Muallimi
- Author died
- 1386 AH
- Editions
- Dār ‘Ālam al-Fawā’id lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
Haqiqat al-Tawil (The Reality of Interpretation) is a theological treatise by the Yemeni scholar Abd al-Rahman al-Muallimi al-Yamani (1312–1386 AH / 1894–1966 CE) addressing the concept of scriptural interpretation (taʾwīl) and critiquing invalid forms of allegorical interpretation . It is published as the first of ten treatises in the collection of creedal works (Majmūʿ Rasāʾil al-ʿAqīdah, volume six) within his compiled oeuvre, Āthār al-Muʿallimī .
Background and Title
The title is derived directly from the opening line of the treatise, in which al-Muʿallimī states: "This is a treatise on the reality of interpretation" (fahādhihi risālatun fī ḥaqīqat al-taʾwīl) . The work was written to examine the invalid taʾwīl adopted by later theological figures (al-mutaʾakhkhirūn), which al-Muʿallimī regarded as a fundamental deviation in understanding the texts of the Quran and Sunnah that led to doctrinal and practical errors as well as sectarian divergence .
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into two primary chapters:
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The First Chapter: On the Meaning of Interpretation (al-Bāb al-Awwal: Fī Maʿnā al-Taʾwīl): Al-Muʿallimī begins with the linguistic derivation of taʾwīl from the root awl (denoting returning or becoming, al-rujūʿ and al-ṣayrūrah), contrasting the verb āla with ḥāla and istaḥāla . He then details its three distinct contextual applications :
- Interpretation of dreams (taʾwīl al-ruʾyā), referencing its occurrences in Surah Yusuf .
- Interpretation of actions (taʾwīl al-fiʿl), explaining the underlying rationale and intended outcome of an action, such as the narrative of al-Khiḍr in Surah al-Kahf .
- Interpretation of speech (taʾwīl al-lafẓ), which involves construing words away from their apparent surface meanings, explaining their underlying sense, or identifying the external reality signified by the text . In this context, he analyzes the Prophet's supplication for Ibn Abbas ( اللهم فقهه في الدين وعلمه التأويل , "O Allah, grant him deep understanding of the religion and teach him interpretation") and various Quranic usages .
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The Second Chapter: An Introduction on Truthfulness and Falsehood (al-Bāb al-Thānī: Muqaddimah fī al-Ṣidq wa-l-Kadhib): This chapter serves as a conceptual foundation, establishing that human communication and language are essential divine blessings that rely entirely on veracity . It includes:
- A section on scriptural severity regarding lying (tashdīd al-shāriʿ fī al-kadhib), emphasizing that fabricating claims against God and His Messenger constitutes severe disbelief, and examining prophetic traditions regarding the signs of hypocrisy .
- A discussion of how falsehood strips an individual of trust and harms society .
- An analysis of exceptions and concessions concerning speech termed "lying" (al-tarkhīṣ fī baʿḍ mā yusammā kadhiban), reviewing rulings on reconciliation, wartime deception, and marital discourse, while citing Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's Fatḥ al-Bārī and al-Tabari .
- A discussion of double entendre (al-tawriyah) when needed, concluding with an affirmation of the intrinsic prohibition and harm of lying outside situations of strict necessity .
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