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The Discourse of The Qur
The Discourse of The Qur
The global Muslim population of some 1.6 billion people revere the words of the
Qur’an as God’s revelation to humankind. When the Prophet Muhammad was alive
and guiding his community, he alone was the interpreter and teacher of the Qur’an,
which did not yet exist as a text. The Qur’an is primarily a recitation (as the
word qur’an means) and it was recited by the Prophet Muhammad to his community
of believers as and when he saw fit in response to specific situations and events. When
the Prophet was alive as the divinely-authorized guide there was no official “text” or
“scripture” of the Qur’an (like today) that people had their own copies of. There was
no special class of ‘ulama’ or clerics who interpreted the Qur’an in vastly divergent
ways based on their own opinions and scholarly learning.
Given the prevalence and popularity of overly literal and outward interpretations of
the Qur’an in today’s climate, the present article offers ten arguments
demonstrating that the Qur’an contains esoteric (batini) meanings and requires
an esoteric interpretation – called ta’wil. This is followed by a discussion about the
legitimate sources of the esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) of the Qur’an and then an
overview of the method and framework of ta’wil in the Shi‘a Ismaili tradition of
Islam.
A. Introduction
B. Ten Arguments for the Necessity of Ta’wil
C. The Legitimate Sources of Ta’wil
D. Shi‘a Ismaili Ta’wil in Practice
E. Shi‘a Ismaili Ta’wil in the Present Day
A. Introduction: The Prophet Muhammad – The
Living Speaking Qur’an
The Prophet Muhammad himself was the “speaking Qur’an” and the ultimate
authority over the meaning and practical application of whatever he recited as qur’an
(recitation) was always in his hands. When the Prophet lived, the Qur’an was not a
“read text”; it was a prophetic “recitation” only directly accessible through
Muhammad. This is why the Qur’an itself (verses 2:151, also 62:2, 3:164), when seen
as a witness to history, declares that Prophet Muhammad “recites to you Our Signs,
purifies you (yuzakkikum), teaches you (yu‘allimukum) the Book (al-kitab) and
Wisdom (al-hikmah), and teaches you that which you do not know.”
Explication of the divine intention of the revelation was among the functions
that the Qur’an assigned to the Prophet. The Prophet functioned as the
projection of the divine message embodied in the Qur’an. He was the living
commentary of the Qur’an, inextricably related to the revelatory text. Without
the Prophet the Qur’an was incomprehensible, just as without the Qur’an the
Prophet was no prophet at all.
There is little evidence that the Prophet intended for the Qur’an to become a
canonized text with multiple copies distributed among his community so they could
interpret the Qur’anic text for themselves. In fact, the Qur’an [17:106] says that the
Prophet recited only portions of the Qur’an to people at specific times with God’s
permission and sanction. This is what Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw, the eleventh century
Ismaili Muslim philosopher, explains below:
If they reply that the Book of God, may He be exalted, guides the people, we
would tell them that the Book cannot speak without a speaker. If they claim that
the Book is sufficient without an expounder, they belie the speech of God, may
He be exalted, Who says: “We have sent down to you [O Muhammad!] the
Remembrance (the Qur’an), so that you may explain clearly to people whatever
We have sent down for them – perhaps they may reflect upon it” (16:44). Thus,
we say that God commanded people to reflect so that they would know that just
as the Prophet, peace be upon him, was the expounder of the Book in his time,
in the same way, there has to be an expounder of the Book today. Further, God,
may He be exalted, commanded the Prophet to recite the Book to the people at
intervals, that is, according to the time, and not to give the Book to them so that
they may read it. He has said: “And a Qur’an, which We have divided (into
parts) in order that you may recite it to people at intervals” (17:106).
The third Caliph, Uthman, published an official copy of the Qur’an based on the
variant versions circulating among some of the companions. However, two prominent
scribes of the Qur’an whom the Prophet Muhammad had trusted – Ibn Ma‘sud and
Ubayy ibn Ka‘b – opposed Uthman’s codification project. Ever since, Muslims have
disagreed over the meaning and interpretation of the Qur’an in numerous respects.
The most popular genre of Qur’an commentary is called tafsir which consists of legal,
ethical, historical, contextual and religious explanations of the outward and literal
meanings of the Qur’an. One area of disagreement for Muslim interpreters and
exegetes of the Qur’an is whether the Qur’an has an esoteric, hidden or spiritual
meaning that goes beyond the literal and surface meaning of the Arabic words. In pre-
modern times, most Qur’anic exegetes from the Mu‘tazilis, Ash‘aris, Twelver Shi‘as,
Sufis, Philosophers and Isma‘ili Shi‘as maintained that the Qur’an does indeed have
hidden (batini) spiritual meanings and esoteric interpretations (ta’wil). Only the
literalists and the Hanbalis disagreed with this. Today, however, many
interpretations of the Qur’an, including those of the fundamentalists, literalists
and even mainstream translations are impoverished because they remain at the
literal and surface meaning of the Qur’an. Such a state of affairs was predicted by
the Prophet Muhammad himself when he said:
There will come a time for my people when there will remain nothing of the
Qur’an except its outward form and nothing of Islam except its name and they
will call themselves by this name even though they are the people furthest from
it. Their mosques will be full of people but they will be empty of right
guidance.
Prophet Muhammad
(Moojan Momen, An Introduction to Shi‘i Islam, 168)
This article offers a series of ten arguments to demonstrate that the Qur’an, by its own
admission, must have hidden, spiritual and inward meanings disclosed by esoteric
interpretation or ta’wil in order to be coherent from a rational and logical point of
view.
It is He who has sent down to you [O’ Muhammad] the Book; in it are clear
(muhkamat) verses – they are the mother of the Book. And others are
ambiguous (mutashabihat). As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they
follow what is ambiguous from it, seeking discord and seeking
its ta’wil (esoteric interpretation). But no one knows its ta’wil except God and
those who are firmly rooted in knowledge (rasikhun fi’l-‘ilm), saying
(yaquluna): ‘We believe in it. All is from our Lord.’ And no one will be
reminded except the possessors of inner understanding (ulu’l-albab).
1) In one reading, the last part reads as: “No one knows its ta’wil except God [full
stop]. And those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say: We believe in it, all is
from our Lord.” The first reading ends the sentence after “except God” and then
begins a new sentence. This reading means that the ta’wil of the Qur’an is known by
God alone and no one else – was historically favoured by a minority of Muslims
known as the literalists but seems to be common in modern English translations.
2) In another equally valid reading, the last part says: “No one knows
it’s ta’wil except God and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge, saying: We
believe in it, all is from our Lord.” The second reading, according to which
the ta’wil of the Qur’an is known both by God and a group of people called “the
firmly rooted in knowledge” (rasikhun fi’l-‘ilm) is followed by numerous groups of
Muslims among the Sunni and the Shi‘a – the theologians (mutakallimun), the
Philosophers (falasifah), the Sufis, the Twelver Shi‘a, and the Ismaili Shi‘a.
This second reading is supported by and consistent with the rules of Arabic grammar
in which the second verb (yaquluna = “they say, they are saying”) describes the state
(hal) of the subject as follows: “No one knows its ta’wil except those firmly rooted
in knowledge (rasikhun fi’l-‘ilm) saying (yaquluna): We believe in it. All is from
our Lord.” This is similar to other Arabic phrases like la ya’tika ‘Abdullahi wa-
zaydun yaqulu: ana masrurun bi-ziyaratika = “Nobody comes except ‘Abdullah and
Zayd saying: I am happy visiting you.”
The first reading, which restricts the knowledge of ta’wil to God alone, contradicts
other parts of the Qur’an and leads to logical absurdities. The second reading, which
implies that the ta’wil of the Qur’an is known by God and those firmly rooted in
knowledge, is logically supported by other verses of the Qur’an that clearly say
certain people know the ta’wil of the Qur’an in addition to God Himself:
The Prophet’s role was to teach, instruct, explain and clarify the Qur’an to the believers and
doing so would require him to know the ta’wil of what the Qur’an says. The term “wisdom”
(hikmah) below also refers to the inward meaning of the Qur’an contained in the ta’wil:
Certainly did God confer a great favour upon the believers when He sent among
them a Messenger from themselves, reciting His Signs, and purifying them,
and teaching them the Book and the Wisdom, although they had been before in
manifest error.
And We have sent down unto you (also) the Reminder; that you may explain
clearly (li-tubayyina) to mankind what was sent down for them, and that they
reflect.
The believers are told to refer any questions and disagreements to God and His Messenger in
order to obtain the ta’wil:
And if you disagree over anything, then refer it to God and the Messenger if you
should believe in God and the Last Day. That is best and most beautiful for ta’wil.
– Holy Qur’an 4:59
On the Day of Judgment, the ta’wil of all of God’s messages revealed through the Prophets
will be shown to the people, including disbelievers, and they will all recognize this ta’wil and
realize the inner truth of God’s revelations:
Do they await anything except for its ta’wil? The Day its ta’wil comes those who
had ignored it before will say: “The Messengers of our Lord had come with the
truth (bi’l-haqq), so are there now any intercessors to intercede for us or could we
be sent back to do other than what we used to do?” They will have lost
themselves, and lost from them is what they used to invent.
God taught Hazrat Yusuf (Joseph) the ta’wil of dreams and visions, experienced by himself
and others:
And thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the ta’wil of narratives and
complete His favour upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He completed it
upon your fathers, Ibrahim and Ishaq. Indeed your Lord is Knowing and Wise.
And thus, We established Yusuf in the land that We might teach him
the ta’wil of events.
Hazrat Khidr performed a number of ambiguous actions before Prophet Moses – actions
which have ta’wil (esoteric meaning) which Khidr explained to Moses before they parted:
[Al-Khidr] said, “This is parting between me and you. I will inform you of
the ta’wil of that about which you could not have patience… And I did it not of
my own accord. That is the ta’wil of that about which you could not have
patience.
– Holy Qur’an 18:78-82
All of the above verses testify that the ta’wil of the Qur’an exists and Prophets and
servants of God in the past were aware of the ta’wil – including the Prophet Yusuf,
Hazrat Khidr, and Prophet Muhammad – and that in the present time, a special group
called rasikhun fi’l-‘ilm are the possessors of the ta’wil of the Qur’an.
God guides to His Light whom He wills and God sets forth parables
(amthal) for mankind.
And those parables (amthal) We strike for humankind so that they may reflect.
Similitudes (amthal) require the things that are represented by them and the
things that are represented are designated by esoteric interpretation ( ta’wil).
Thus, for what the Messenger brought and summoned to in the revelation
and law, there is an esoteric interpretation (ta’wil). Hence, the esoteric
interpretation (ta’wil) is necessary.
The Qur’an clearly says that it originally exists in the heart and soul of the Prophet
Muhammad in the form of the Holy Spirit:
And that We have inspired you [Muhammad] with a Spirit ( ruh) from Our
Command. You did not know what was the Book (kitab) and what was the
Faith. But We have made it a Light (nur) by which We guide such of our
Servants as We will. And verily, you guide to a Straight Path.”
The process of returning to the original spiritual and luminous reality of the Qur’an is
called esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) since the very word “ta’wil” comes from the
word awwal, meaning “first” or “origin.” Thus Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw says:
The Qur’an mentions the verb ‘aqala (to intellect, to reason) nearly 50 times, telling
people to reflect, intellect, and rationally engage with its verses – this means that the
Qur’an’s true meaning must always be consistent with reason and intellect. But
numerous verses have a literal or outward meaning that is contrary to reason. These
include verses that speak of humans existing and swearing oaths in the form of atoms
(7:172); inanimate objects like heaven and earth listening and speaking to God
(41:11); human beings or Adam created from moulded clay (38:71-72); the creation of
the heavens and the earth in six days (7:54, 10:3, 11:7, and 25:59), etc. Such
contradictory statements in the Qur’an can only be resolved if there exists an inner
meaning or ta’wil of these verses. For example, the verse 41:11 states: “Then turned
He to the heaven when it was smoke, and said unto it and unto the earth: Come both
of you, willingly or noth. They said: We come, obedient.” Sayyidna Kirmani
concludes from this that:
God is All-knowing and All-wise, and the heaven and the earth are
inanimate, lacking a mind and having no tool for speech. Hence, in view of
the absurdity of any wise person addressing the inanimate, it is necessary
that there is, to His commanding the heavens and the earth and their
answering Him, a meaning that makes the statement of God true and which
is rationally acceptable as wisdom. That meaning is what we call the esoteric
interpretation. Hence, the esoteric interpretation is necessary.
Sayyidna Kirmani explains that the only way this sort of Qur’an verse makes sense
rationally is when terms like “drowsiness”, “rainwater”, and “stain of Satan” have an
esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) different from the literal surface meaning:
The Qur’an literally says that God has a Face (wajh) which endures forever and is
in every direction one turns (55:27, 2:215, 76:9, 2:272, 30:39); He has Hands (yad;
ayd) that possess the dominion of all things and are the source of mercy and bounty
(48:10, 67:1, 36:83, 4:64); He has Eyes (‘ayn; ‘uyun) under which Noah built the
Ark and Moses was raised (11:37, 20:39, 23:27); He has a Side (janb) which some
souls have neglected (39:56). The Qur’an further states that God comes with His
angels in rows (89:22) and also comes with His angels within a canopy of clouds
(2:210) on the Day of Judgment. Since God is not a physical human being and the
Creator cannot possess the qualities, features or attributes of His creatures, it follows
that all anthropomorphic descriptions of God found in the Qur’an must necessarily
possess a hidden meaning beyond the literal meaning of these words. For example, the
Qur’an says:
And to God belongs the East and the West. So whatever direction you turn
there is the Face of God (wajh Allah). Indeed God is the Encompassing, the
Knowing.
Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw explains how the literal interpretation of the above verse is
utterly incoherent because it implies that God’s face is a physical container of vast
space surrounding the Universe. Those who uphold the literal meaning of this and
similar verses are in violation of the absolute unity of God and guilty of
anthropomorphism:
To take the exoteric (zahir) interpretation of this verse, this world must be
within God’s face, and that is vaster than the heavens, which form the
uppermost sphere, and the entirety of the world is within His vast space; this
must be God’s face, such that whichever way we turn our faces, the face of
God must be there… Like the literalists, they profess adherence to the outer
sense of the Book, for there is no ta’wil of the Book in their
doctrine. Therefore, according to what they do teach, God possesses a right
hand and a left hand, a face, an eye, and a side. And God moves from one
place to another, as He says, ‘And your Lord and the angels come rank on
rank.’ Nevertheless, these are all attributes proper to created beings. But this
verse makes them not proclaimers of God’s oneness but rather,
anthropomorphists.
The Qur’an states clearly that God does not resemble anything at all among His
creatures (42:11, 112:1). But numerous verses in the Qur’an, when interpreted in their
outward meanings, ascribe qualities to God that are shared by His creatures, such as
life, knowledge, power, anger, pleasure, wisdom, vengeance, plotting, etc. When
interpreted conventionally these verses all contradict the absolute oneness of God.
Thus, the only way to avoid this contradiction is if all the verses which describe God
with creaturely qualities have a hidden meaning or ta’wil beyond their literal meaning.
(Those interested can read about the esoteric meaning or ta’wil of the Qur’an’s
discourse about God’s Names and Attributes in this article).
Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw, (Between Reason and Revelation, tr. Eric Ormsby,
64)
If we were to add up such passages which appear to impair the oneness of
God, the book would grow long. Those we have mentioned may serve as
guidance to the intelligent in the quest for esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) so
that their doubts may be removed thereby.
One finds in the outward sense that the Prophet summoned to God and to the
worship of Him by certain acts that, if a man were not to perform them in the
place he was commanded to do, it would be said that he is mad, playing the
jester, or forgetful. The actions of the pilgrimage and its wondrous rites are an
example. The external features of these acts, such as addressing the stone,
running on the tips of the feet, which is to advance in haste, holding off
trimming the nails, cutting the hair of the head and the throwing of pebbles, are
not associated with wisdom. Thus, for the Prophet to be summoning by means
of wisdom, requires that that to which he summons by these actions has an
esoteric meaning (ta’wil) that is consistent with wisdom and by the
understanding.
Sayyidna Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, (Master of the Age, tr. Paul Walker, 64)
There will be bounties which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human
heart has ever perceived.
Prophet Muhammad,
(Sahih Bukhari, Book 20, Hadith 1891)
Therefore, Paradise and Hell must be completely different from the physical world
and these sensual expressions and images found in the Qur’an are allusions to and
representations of spiritual meanings. These spiritual meanings signified by the
sensual descriptions of Paradise and Hell are among the esoteric interpretation (ta’wil)
of the Qur’an.
Are you not aware that God has made subservient to you whatever is in the
heaven and whatever is in the earth, and has bestowed His favours upon you
both in zahir and in batin.
The above ten arguments conclusively prove that the Qur’an has ta’wil – hidden inner
(batin) meanings and esoteric interpretations beyond the surface (zahir) meanings –
knowledge of which is necessary to grasp the Qur’ans true meaning. Once again, this
is agreed to by the Sunni theologians among the Mu’tazilis and Ash’aris, the
Philosophers, the Sufis, the Twelver Shi‘a, and the Ismaili Shi‘a. Yet all these groups
differ over the content of the ta’wil of the Qur’an and the legitimate source of ta’wil.
The core issue is this: who knows the ta’wil of the Qur’an after the Prophet
Muhammad?
It surely cannot be the case that every individual Muslim already knows the ta’wil or
can somehow reach the ta’wil by themselves, since the ta’wil is by definition the
hidden meaning (batin) not available to everyone. Thus, the only source for accessing
the ta’wil of the Qur’an is a legitimate teacher and guide who already possesses
the ta’wil. That teacher and guide was obviously the Prophet Muhammad in his own
lifetime, who was responsible for both the revelation (tanzil) of the Qur’an and
its ta’wil. The function of tanzil was completed over the Prophet’s 23 year mission,
but the function of ta’wil must continue because knowledge of the ta’wil is necessary
for truly understanding the Qur’an. Therefore, the Prophet must have appointed
someone in his place to continue teaching the ta’wil.
In fact, Prophet Muhammad declared Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor and
the Master (Mawla) of the believers (mu’minin) on several occasions, as testified
throughout Sunni and Shi‘a historical and traditional literature. The same Prophet has
also said that: ‘Ali is with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with ‘Ali. They shall never
separate (al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, Al-Mustadrak ‘ala’l-Sahihayn, Beirut 2002, 927,
No. 4685); this means that Imam ‘Ali, like the Prophet in his own lifetime, was the
living and speaking Qur’an. It logically follows that Imam ‘Ali is the teacher of
the ta’wil after the Prophet Muhammad. This is even confirmed by a hadith found in
many Sunni Muslim sources:
The Prophet said: ‘There is one amongst you who will fight for
the ta’wil [esoteric interpretation] of the Qurʾan as I have fought for
its tanzil [literal revelation].’ Abu Bakr asked, ‘Is it I?’. The Prophet said, ‘No’.
‘Umar asked, ‘Is it I?’. The Prophet said, ‘No, it is the one who is mending the
sandal.’ The Prophet had given ʿAli his sandal to mend.
The purely literal interpretation of the Qur’an leads to mass contradiction both in the
Qur’an and with the human intellect. Ta’wil is the only means to resolve all these
outward contradictions in the Qur’an and, in fact, serves as the “confirmation”
(tasdiq) of the Qur’an’s status as divine revelation. The prior verse quoted in the first
argument mentioned that when people see the ta’wil on the Day of Judgment they will
testify that “the Messengers brought the truth from their Lord”, meaning, they are able
to realize and verify directly how the revelations of the Prophets were actually true.
This means that the ta’wil of the Qur’an provides the verification (tasdiq, tahqiq) of
the Qur’an.
The word sadaqah is derived from sidq, which means “to tell the truth”, that is,
to believe in the truthfulness of the lord of ta’wil so that their souls may be
purified from doubt and suspicion. Ta’wil verifies the truth of the shari‘at. Do
you not see that God, may He be exalted, says in the story of Moses and Aaron:
“So send him (Aaron) with me as a helper to verify me” (Qur’an 28:34). That
is, Moses asked God, may He be exalted, to send Aaron with him so that he
may verify his truth, i.e. he may explain the ta’wil of the shari‘at so that people
may know its reality. The Prophet, God’s blessings and peace be upon him and
his progeny, said to the Commander of the true believers, ‘Ali, peace be upon
him: “You are the greatest verifier (musaddiq) of the truth.” That is, it was ‘Ali
who through ta’wil, verified his truth to the wise.
And remember We took from the Prophets their Covenant as (We did) from
thee (Muhammad):from Noah Abraham Moses and Jesus the son of Mary: We
took from them a solemn Covenant.
And remember the time when God took a covenant of the Prophets, saying,
‘Whatever I give you of the Book and Wisdom, then there comes to you a
messenger, verifying (musaddiqun) that which is with you, you shall believe in
him and help him.’ And He said, ‘Do you agree, and do you accept the
responsibility which I lay upon you in this matter?’ They said, ‘We agree.’ He
said, ‘Then bear witness and I am with you among the witnesses.’
The above verse means that each Speaker-Prophet (Natiq) was accompanied by an
Imam who “verified” their revelation by providing its ta’wil. Such a person was called
the Asas (Foundation) and Wasi (Executor), who provided the ta’wil of the exoteric
revelation (tanzil) in his Prophet’s lifetime to show the wise how the exoteric form of
the revelation is true through its esoteric meaning: Seth was the Asas of Adam,
Shem was the Asas of Noah, Isma‘il was the Asas of Abraham; James was
the Asas of Jesus, and ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib was the Asas of Muhammad. The
knowledge of Imam ‘Ali is inherited by all of the designated Imams among his
descendants:
Verily, the knowledge which was sent down with Adam did not return back [to
God]. The knowledge is inherited and ‘Ali was the Knower of this community.
Verily, no Knower among us dies unless someone of his family knows the like
of his knowledge or what God wills of it.
The Qur’an also indicates that there must always be persons in the world,
called rasikhun fi’l-‘ilm (the firmly rooted in knowledge), who always know ta’wil of
the Qur’an. The Shi‘i Imams have given commentaries (tafsir) on these verses as
follows:
And no one knows it’s ta’wil except God and those firmly rooted in knowledge
(rasikhun fi’l-‘ilm), saying: We believe in it, all is from our Lord.
We are the ones who are firmly rooted in knowledge (rasikhun fi’l-‘ilm) and we
know its ta’wil.
Those who are firmly rooted in knowledge (rasikhun fi’l-‘ilm) are the
Commander of the Faithful (‘Ali ibn Abi Talib) and the Imams after him.
Similarly, the Qur’an states that the Knowers (‘alimun; ‘ulama), that is the Imams, are
aware of the deeper meanings of its various symbols and parables (amthal):
And these examples We present to the people, but none will understand them
except the Knowers (‘alimun).
People are of three types: the Knower (‘alim), the seeker of knowledge
(muta‘allim), and the froth carried off the by wave. We are the Knowers
(‘ulama’), our Shi‘a are the seekers of knowledge and the rest are the froth
carried off the wave.
In two other verses, the Qur’an singles out a group of special human beings called the
People of the Remembrance (ahl al-dhikr). The Qur’an specifically tells the believers
to ask their questions to the People of Remembrance. The word dhikr is a title of the
Qur’an and a title of the Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, these Ahl al-Dhikr who must
be asked questions are both the Family (ahl) of Prophet Muhammad and the People of
the Qur’an (ahl al-qur’an): the Imams from the Family of the Prophet (Ahl al-Bayt).
The Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, about the verse “Ask the Ahl al-Dhikr if you
do not know” (Qur’an 16:43, 21:7), said that: ‘The Prophet said: I am the
Remembrance and the Imams are the Ahl al-Dhikr (People of Remembrance).’
About the words of God (43:33), “He is a Remembrance for you and for your
people and you all will be asked questions”, the Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
said: ‘We are his people and we will be questioned.’
The Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq said: ‘The Remembrance (dhikr) is Muhammad and
we are his Family (ahl) who must be questioned.’ About the words of God
(43:33), “He is a Remembrance for you and for your people and you all will be
asked questions”, the Imam said: ‘And we are the People of Remembrance (ahl
al-dhikr) and we are the ones who will be questioned.’
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir recited this verse (29:49): “Nay, rather it [the
Qur’an] is Clear Signs (ayat) in the breasts of those who are given knowledge
(alladhi utu al-‘ilm).” Then he said: ‘Take note…He [God] does not say [the
Qur’an is] “between the two covers of the written text (mushaf)].” He said: “in
the breasts of those who are given knowledge.” Who can they be apart from us?
They are specifically the Imams.’
The Shi‘i Imams therefore possess the spiritual meaning (batin al-Qur’an) and the
esoteric interpretation (ta’wil al-Qur’an) in their hearts in the form of pure knowledge
(al-‘ilm al-mahd) and not in the form of bookish erudition that ordinary people require
to be learned. This is the meaning of the prophetic hadith that says: “‘Ali is with the
Qur’an and the Qur’an is with ‘Ali. They shall never separate until they return to me
in Paradise.” The spiritual reality of the Qur’an, in the form of the Holy Spirit (ruh al-
quds) always exists in the heart of the Imam just as it dwelled in the heart of the
Prophet Muhammad. By virtue of divine inspiration (taʾyīd) through the Holy Spirit,
the hereditary Imam is the pre-eminent Knower (‘alim) and Exegete (mu’awwil) of
the ta’wil of the Qur’an. This type of inspired knowledge is different from scholarly
knowledge as Sijistani explains:
That is the outpouring of [the light of] divine inspiration (taʾyīd) upon the
hearts of God’s chosen ones and His servants. This is the Pure Knowledge
which belongs exclusively to the Prophets, the Legatees and the Imams…This
Knowledge is not contaminated with anything like seeking proofs, which is, of
course, the [ordinary] scientific method; it is not the kind of knowledge arrived
at by the scholars of this world through one [or another] among the proofs.
Throughout the history of the Shi‘a Ismaili Muslims, the mission of providing
the ta’wil of the Qur’an has been undertaken by the Shi‘a Ismaili Imams. Normally,
the Imams assigned and delegated the task of instructing their followers in
the ta’wil to their teaching representatives among the hujjats (deputy-proofs)
and da‘is (missionaries). These dignitaries learned the ta’wil directly from the Imam
himself or though his highest hujjats. The ta’wil of the Qur’an was historically taught
in two forms or mediums – as instruction (ta‘lim) from the Imams, hujjats and da’is or
as direct spiritual inspiration (ta’yid) from the luminous soul of the Imam. For
example, Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw explains that the Speaker-Prophet (natiq),
Foundation (asas), Imam, and Hujjah are all mu’ayyad (divinely-inspired
through ta’yid) where the Hujjah receives ta’yid through the Imam of the time. He
notes that “the Hujjat is the possessor of ta’yīd and the Dā‘ī is the possessor
of ta’wīl” (The Face of Religion, Discourse 32). As Nasir himself was one of
these hujjats, he declares at the end of this book that: “Whatever is good in this book
we have shown by the ta’yīd of the lord of the time. We hope that God, may He
be exalted, may reward us for that through the true lord.”
As for the subjects of ta’wil, every single verse in the Qur’an, every aspect of the
religious law (shari‘ah), and everything in the natural world has a ta’wil or esoteric
meaning. Some examples are listed below:
the ta’wil of objects and themes in the Qur’an like the Pen, the Tablet, the Heavens
and the Earth [read here], the Mountains, the Rivers, the Water, the Six Days of
Creation [read here], the Sun, the Moon and the Stars [read here], the Rivers of Water,
Milk, Honey and Wine, the Resurrection [read here], Paradise and Hellfire, the
disconnected letters (Alif Lam Mim);
the ta’wil of the stories of the Prophets such as the creation of Adam, the Ark of
Noah, the Sacrifice of Isma‘il by Abraham [read here], the Staff of Moses, the Virgin
Birth and Crucifixion of Jesus [read here], the background and mission of Muhammad
[read here];
the ta’wil of religious laws, theological doctrines, and ritual Pillars of worship (from
Islam and pre-Islamic traditions) including the Basmalah, the Shahadah, the Ablution,
the Salah [read here], the Hajj to Makkah [read here], the Fasting of Ramadan [read
here], the Christian Trinity [read here], the Eucharist [watch here], the Sabbath, the
Zoroastrian fire ritual, etc.
One of the principles of ta’wil is that there are numerous levels of batin
and ta’wil [outlined here] appropriate to each person’s spiritual capacity and
knowledge. The supreme ta’wil is called the batin al-batin (the esoteric behind the
esoteric) and is given only by the Imam of the Time to high ranking hujjats by means
of ta’yid. But this supreme ta’wil can be expressed in and through multiple layers of
intermediate ta’wil, called the batin (esoteric), tailored to each person’s intellectual
capacity, spiritual rank (hadd) and cultural context. In this respect, the Imam Ja‘far al-
Sadiq once said: “We can speak about a word in seven ways.” When he was asked
about this, “Seven, O son of the Messenger of God?”, the Imam replied: “Yes, [not
only seven], but seventy.”
The below diagram visually depicts the three hierarchical domains of the meaning
of the Qur’an:
1) the zahir (exoteric) or tanzil (literal words), which informs Qur’anic tafsir (exoteric
commentary) and the Shari‘ah (religious law);
2) the batin (esoteric) or intermediate ta’wil, which constitutes the Tariqah (spiritual
path);
3) the batin al-batin (esoteric of the esoteric) or supreme ta’wil, which is the level of
the Haqiqah (spiritual reality) – also called the eternal Religion of Truth (din al-Haqq,
din al-Qayyum, din Allah), Primordial Tradition or Sophia Perennis.
Each point or arc of points on the Circumference of the Circle represent the zahir (exoteric) and
literal words (tanzil) of the Qur’an. Every radius represents an expression of the esoteric (batin)
and intermediate levels of ta’wil of the Qur’an. The Centre represents the esoteric of the esoteric
(batin al-batin) and the supreme ta’wil of the Qur’an.
This is why Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, the hujjah of Iraq during the time of Imam al-
Hakim explains that:
There are numerous texts and writings by these Ismaili luminaries that provide
the ta’wil of the Qur’an, including:
The special circumstances of the modern period, which is the Cycle of Resurrection
[described here], have allowed the above works of Ismaili ta’wil to be edited,
published, translated and studied through academic scholarship. More than any other
time in the past, Ismaili ta’wil works are available to the public in an unprecedented
way through the efforts of the Institute of Ismaili Studies and other academic
institutions. This is a remarkable opportunity for Ismaili Muslims and others to learn
Ismaili ta’wil directly from primary sources – something the recent Ismaili Imams
have encouraged people to do.
If you want to learn the Qur’an, become students of those who know its real
meaning. In this way you will learn its real meaning. You are unaware of the
many books of our Faith (din). Therefore you have not studied most of them. If
you study such books you will understand and no defect will remain within
you. Your intellect (‘aql) will guarantee you that your Faith (din) is true if you
read such works. This you will come to know.
Another important source of the ta’wil of the Qur’an in the Ismaili tradition is found
within the Ginans composed by the Ismaili Pirs. The Ginans are the devotional
literature of the Ismailis of South Asia and express Ismaili Qur’anic ta’wil in the Indic
languages, often using ideas and terminology from Ismaili, Sufi, Vaishnavite, Sant,
and Tantric traditions. The authorship of the Ginans is attributed to high
ranking hujjats of the Imam, called Pirs, who were sent to India beginning around the
thirteenth century. These Pirs included Pir Satgur Nur, Pir Shams, Pir Nasir al-Din,
Pir Sahib al-Din, Pir Sadr al-Din, Pir Hasan Kabir al-Din, and Pir Taj al-Din. The
Ginans are, in the words of Shafique Virani, a “symphony of Gnosis” and they contain
the inner meaning of the Qur’an. The 48th Ismaili Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga
Khan III has emphasized the interrelationship between the Ginanic literature and the
The Ginans that Pir Sadr al-Din has bestowed upon you are the quintessence of
the Qur’an-i Sharif in the Indian language.
Pir Sadardin composed Ginans from the exegesis of the Qur’an-i Sharif for
you…Were there among you such faithful people who had studied the Qur’an-i
Sharif and who were also familiar with the Ginans, I would have shown them
each verse of the Ginans in the Qur’an, which they could reiterate to you, but
there is no such person!
There are also valuable works of ta’wil in the Sufi traditions of Islam. The various
Sufi mystics and saints (awliya’) have produced works that disclose the ta’wil of the
Qur’an in Sufi metaphysical frameworks and poetry. The Sufis have been responsible
for transmitting some of the esoteric teachings that go back to the Imam Ja‘far al-
Sadiq and while Sufi ta’wil lacks the authoritative weight of Ismaili ta’wil, it can be
very useful in one’s personal intellectual search. In Sufi terminology, the esoteric
interpretation of the Qur’an [what Ismailis call ta’wil] is often called ta’bir (literally:
“to cross over”), isharat (allusions) and rumuz (secrets). Some examples of Sufi
esoteric interpretation of the Qur’an are found in the Tafsir of Sahl al-Tustari, Lata’if
al-Isharat of Abu’l-Qasim al-Qushayri, the Meccan Openings (Futuhat al-Makkiyyah)
and Bezels of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam) of Ibn al-‘Arabi; the Mathnavi of Jalal al-
Din Rumi; and the Divan of Hafiz al-Shirazi. For example, Rumi proclaims that the
Mathnavi contains the esoteric kernel of the Qur’an:
Once again, academic scholarship has made these works available in the public sphere
for all to learn from. The Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah has encouraged his murids to
learn and compare the Ginans of Pir Sadr al-Din with the Mathnavi of Jalal al-Din
Rumi:
Just as there are the teachings of Pir Sadardin, in the same way there are the
meanings of the Mathnawi, but it is in Farsi, therefore you should learn the
meanings.
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III,
(Ahmedabad, October 13, 1903, in Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai, The Holy
Qur’an in the Ginanic Literature)
The Ismaili Imam today teaches the ta’wil of the Qur’an to his murids and to the
entire world in at least six different ways – in his public speeches, in his farmans, in
the Tariqah rituals he prescribes and authorizes, through his institutional activities
including the Institute of Ismaili Studies publications, through Islamic architecture,
and through the spiritual inspiration called ta’yid which reaches certain elevated
souls. Read more about how Mawlana Hazar Imam’s teaches the ta’wil of the Qur’an
here.
Nicholas Tomalin: Am I right that the Ismaili faith is an esoteric one, that’s to
say, only real scholars and experts have read all the crucial texts that enable
them to understand the inner nature of your religion?
Aga Khan: Yes, this is so.
(The Sunday Times Interview, Part I, Nicholas Tomalin, ‘The Ruler Without A
Kingdom’, December 12, 1965)