Masabih al-Durar fi Tanasub Ayat al-Quran al-Karim wa al-Suwar
- Author died
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- Editions
- Islamic University of Madinah
Masabih al-Durar fi Tanasub Ayat al-Quran al-Karim wa al-Suwar (Lamps of Pearls on the Correlation of the Verses and Surahs of the Noble Quran) is a treatise on Quranic studies by the contemporary scholar Adil bin Muhammad Abu al-Ala, focusing on the discipline of textual and structural correlation (ilm al-munasabah) in the Quran.
Purpose and Scope
The work is designed as a foundational study and introductory gateway intended to encourage engagement with ilm al-munasabah across both theoretical principles and practical applications. Abu al-Ala premises the treatise on the unique textual coherence, harmony, and structural unity of the Quran, arguing that understanding these interrelations demonstrates that the revelation forms an interconnected whole with no discordance or detachment across its diverse legislative, creedal, and narrative topics.
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into six principal chapters (mabahith):
- Foundational Preliminaries (Muqaddimat Asasiyyah): Outlines the ten classical introductory principles (al-mabadi al-asharah) of the science, covering its nomenclature, linguistic and technical definitions, subject matter, the communal obligation (fard kifayah) of studying it, its relationship to other disciplines, its sources of derivation, its core inquiries, and early historical references up to Abu Bakr al-Naysaburi.
- The Position of Ilm al-Munasabah within the Quranic Sciences (Mawqi Ilm al-Munasabah min Ulum al-Quran): Defines the discipline as the culmination and fruit of auxiliary Quranic sciences, positioning it as an essential dimension of Quranic inimitability (i'jaz).
- General History of the Science (al-Tarikh al-Mujmal lahu): Traces the historical progression of correlation studies from early exegetical remarks, through extensive discussions in Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's Mafatih al-Ghayb, to independent compositions such as Abu Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr al-Gharnati's al-Burhan fi Munasabat Tartib Suwar al-Quran and Burhan al-Din al-Biqa'i's Nazm al-Durar.
- Prominent Figures of the Science (al-Ard li-Ahamm wa-Abraz A'lamihi): Examines classical and modern contributors, highlighting theoretical systematizations such as Abd al-Hamid al-Farahi's Dala'il al-Nizam.
- Types of Correlations (Anwa al-Munasabat): Analyzes the three main divisions of correlation: between adjacent verses, within a single surah, and between sequential surahs.
- Applied Case Studies (Namadhij Tatbiqiyyah): Offers selected practical textual examples illustrating each of the three primary categories of textual correlation.
Methodology and Publication
The author follows a documented methodology based on precise attribution of scholarly opinions, citing bibliographic details fully at first mention, marking omissions with ellipses, indicating slight adaptations with explicit notes, and placing personal analytical annotations and critiques in footnotes. The work was published by the Islamic University of Madinah in 1425 AH (2004–2005 CE).
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