Mufhamat al-Aqran fi Mubhamat al-Quran
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Mu’assasat ‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān
Mufhamat al-Aqran fi Mubhamat al-Quran is a treatise on the ambiguous and unnamed references in the Quran (mubhamat al-Quran) composed by the Egyptian scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (849–911 AH / 1445–1505 CE) .
Purpose and Sources
The subdiscipline of mubhamat al-Quran addresses unidentified entities in Quranic verses, such as unnamed individuals, groups, or objects . Prior to al-Suyuti, several scholars authored foundational works in this field, notably:
- al-Ta'rif wa-l-I'lam by Abu al-Qasim al-Suhayli (d. 581 AH)
- al-Takmil wa-l-Itmam, a supplement written by Ibn Askar (d. 636 AH)
- al-Tibyan fi Mubhamat al-Quran (also cited as Ghurar al-Bayan), a synthesis of the two by Badr al-Din Ibn Jama'ah (d. 733 AH)
In the introduction to Mufhamat al-Aqran, al-Suyuti states that his objective was to produce a work that surpassed these three prior texts by offering additional beneficial identifications (fawa'id zawa'id), maintaining concise expression, and tracing interpretations back to source texts with chains of transmission (asnad) .
Method and Structure
Al-Suyuti arranged the material sequentially according to the surahs of the Quran . His primary methodological standard was to derive identifications from Hadith collections and works of traditional Quranic exegesis that transmit chains of narration (al-tafasir al-musnadah), asserting that documented transmission provides greater authority and reliability . When an identification lacked a traceable chain of transmission, he attributed it directly to the exegete or scholar who stated it .
The book continues through the end of the Quranic text, concluding with the final chapters:
- In Surat al-Falaq, it identifies ghasiqin idha waqab through narrations (including the rising moon reported by al-Tirmidhi from Aisha, the setting sun from Ibn Shihab, and the Pleiades from Ibn Zayd) and explains al-naffathat as referring to the daughters of Labid ibn al-A'sam .
- In Surat al-Nas, it identifies al-khannas as Satan based on the narration of Ibn Jarir from Ibn Abbas .
Scope and Publication
Al-Suyuti categorized Mufhamat al-Aqran among his concise treatises consisting of between two and ten quires (kararis) . He also referenced it in his comprehensive encyclopedic work al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran and listed it among his exegetical compositions in Husn al-Muhadarah . The text has been preserved in multiple manuscript collections and was published in a modern critical edition edited by Iyad Khalid al-Tabba' .
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