The Commentary of the Imams of the Prophet's Family
concerning the explicit and the implicit verses
It is made clear from the different commentaries of the Imams that there
is always a way to discover the real meaning and aim of the implicit verses.
Each verse, even if its meaning is not apparent, can be explained by reference
to other verses.
Thus the real meaning of the implicit verses can be found in relation
to the explicit verses.
for instance, the verse "The Beneficent, One who is established
on the throne," [xx:5] and again the verse, "And your Lord
came," [LXXXIX:22] appear to ascribe bodily characteristics to
god, but when compared with the verse, "nothing is as his likeness,"
[xlii:11] it becomes clear that the "sitting" on the throne
or the "coming" of God has a meaning other than a physical
one. the prophet, describing the qur'an, says: In truth the Qur'an was
not revealed so that one part may contradict the other but rather was revealed
so that one part may verify the other. So that what you understand of it
then act accordingly and that which is unclear for you then simply believe
in it. 1
The Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali, said that one part of the Qur'an
bears witness to another and one part clarifies the other. 2 The sixth Imam
said the explicit verse is that which one acts in accordance with, and
the implicit is that which is unclear only for the man who is ignorant
of its real meaning. 3
From these narrations, we may conclude that the question of explicit
and implicit is relative; it is possible that a verse may seem explicit
to one person and implicit to another. It is said of the eighth Imam that
he considered, "the person who refers to the implicit mutashabih,
verses in the Qur'an to the corresponding clarifiying explicit verses",
as having "found guidance to the right path."
he is also reported to have said that, In truth in our traditions
are recorded implicit verses like the explicit of the Qur'an, so refer
the implicit to its corresponding explicit verse. or tradition, and do
not follow the implicit and go astray. 4
Thus it is clear from the traditions and, in particular, the last tradition,
that the implicit verse is one which does not contain a clear meaning without
reference to the explicit verse, and not that there exists no means to
understand it.
1 al-'amili, al-durr al-manthur, vol. 2, p. 8.
2 Al-Sharif al-Radi, Nahj al-balaghah, Discourse
no. 131.
3 al-'ayyashi, op. cit., vol. 1, p. 162.
4 Ibn Babuyah, 'Uyun akhbar al-Rida, vol.
1, p. 290.