Is the Qur’an Clear?

The Qur’an calls itself a clear Book, explained in detail, and a clarification for all things. The same Qur’an, in 3:7, says some verses are precise and others unspecific, and that no one knows the true interpretation of the unspecific verses except Allah.

Key Points

• Qur’an 12:1Qur’an 12:1 · Saheeh InternationalAlif, Lām, Rā. These are the verses of the clear Book.Qur’an 12:1 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (1) calls its lines “the verses of the clear Book.” Qur’an 11:1Qur’an 11:1 · Saheeh InternationalAlif, Lām, Rā. [This is] a Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from [one who is] Wise and AwareQur’an 11:1 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says the verses are perfected and then presented in detail.
• Qur’an 16:89Qur’an 16:89 · Saheeh InternationalAnd [mention] the Day when We will resurrect among every nation a witness over them from themselves [i.e., their prophet]. And We will bring you, [O Muḥammad], as a witness over these [i.e., your nation]. And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.Qur’an 16:89 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says the Book was sent down “as clarification for all things.” Qur’an 6:114Qur’an 6:114 · Saheeh International[Say], "Then is it other than Allāh I should seek as judge while it is He who has revealed to you the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] explained in detail?" And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture know that it is sent down from your Lord in truth, so never be among the doubters.Qur’an 6:114 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source asks whether anyone but Allah should be sought as judge, “while it is He who has revealed to you the Book explained in detail.”
• Qur’an 12:111Qur’an 12:111 · Saheeh InternationalThere was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was it [i.e., the Qur’ān] a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe.Qur’an 12:111 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source calls it “a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy.” Qur’an 2:2Qur’an 2:2 · Saheeh InternationalThis is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allāh -Qur’an 2:2 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says this is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah.
• Qur’an 39:23Qur’an 39:23 · Saheeh InternationalAllāh has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance [i.e., mention] of Allāh. That is the guidance of Allāh by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allāh sends astray - for him there is no guide.Qur’an 39:23 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source calls it “the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration.”
• Qur’an 3:7Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh InternationalIt is He who has sent down to you, [O Muḥammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allāh. But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source divides the Book: precise verses are “the foundation of the Book,” and others are unspecific. “No one knows its [true] interpretation except Allāh.”
• Tafsir Ibn Kathir (2) on 3:7 says the muhkam verses are entirely clear and plain, and the mutashabih verses are not entirely clear for many, or for some people.
• The English on this page is Saheeh International, the wording Quran.com publishes for these verses. That names the translation. It is not a ranking of English Qur’ans.

Precise Verses and Unspecific Verses

Qur’an 3:7Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh InternationalIt is He who has sent down to you, [O Muḥammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allāh. But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source, Saheeh International:

It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muḥammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allāh. But those firm in knowledge say, “We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord.” And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.

Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh International

Qur’an · accepted by Muslims

The verse itself draws the line. Precise verses are the foundation. Unspecific verses are also in the Book. People whose hearts deviate follow the unspecific ones, looking for discord and for an interpretation that suits them. The sentence that follows is absolute on one point: no one knows that true interpretation except Allah. Those firm in knowledge answer by believing that all of it is from their Lord. They are not described as the ones who unlock the unspecific lines.

Square brackets in Saheeh International mark words the translators supply. “O Muḥammad,” “that are,” “from truth,” “suitable to them,” and “true” sit in those brackets. The contrast between precise and unspecific, and the claim that no one knows the interpretation except Allah, are in the wording outside the brackets.

A reading that says the whole Qur’an is equally plain, so that 3:7 leaves nothing unknown, has to flatten this verse. The verse is the Qur’an’s own account of its verses. How Was the Qur’an Compiled? and Has the Qur’an Been Changed? stay with the collection and the promise to guard the text. Clarity is a different question from whether the consonants were preserved.

A Book Explained in Detail

The same book also speaks of clarity, and those verses should be read in their own words.

Qur’an 12:1Qur’an 12:1 · Saheeh InternationalAlif, Lām, Rā. These are the verses of the clear Book.Qur’an 12:1 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source: “Alif, Lām, Rā. These are the verses of the clear Book.” The opening letters are left as letters. The next clause calls the verses clear.

Qur’an 11:1Qur’an 11:1 · Saheeh InternationalAlif, Lām, Rā. [This is] a Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from [one who is] Wise and AwareQur’an 11:1 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source: “Alif, Lām, Rā. [This is] a Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from [one who is] Wise and Aware.” Perfection and detail are both predicated of the verses.

Qur’an 6:114Qur’an 6:114 · Saheeh International[Say], "Then is it other than Allāh I should seek as judge while it is He who has revealed to you the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] explained in detail?" And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture know that it is sent down from your Lord in truth, so never be among the doubters.Qur’an 6:114 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source puts the detail in a challenge: the Book is “explained in detail,” and those who were given the Scripture before know it is sent down from the Lord in truth. Qur’an 16:89Qur’an 16:89 · Saheeh InternationalAnd [mention] the Day when We will resurrect among every nation a witness over them from themselves [i.e., their prophet]. And We will bring you, [O Muḥammad], as a witness over these [i.e., your nation]. And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.Qur’an 16:89 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says the Book is “clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.” Qur’an 12:111Qur’an 12:111 · Saheeh InternationalThere was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was it [i.e., the Qur’ān] a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe.Qur’an 12:111 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says it was never an invented narration, “but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things.”

Qur’an 2:2Qur’an 2:2 · Saheeh InternationalThis is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allāh -Qur’an 2:2 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source: “This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allāh.” Qur’an 39:23Qur’an 39:23 · Saheeh InternationalAllāh has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance [i.e., mention] of Allāh. That is the guidance of Allāh by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allāh sends astray - for him there is no guide.Qur’an 39:23 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source calls it “a consistent Book wherein is reiteration.” Consistency and repetition are the claim there. They are not a claim that every line is equally specific.

“Clarification for all things” and “a detailed explanation of all things” are broad. They sit in the same Qur’an as 3:7’s unspecific verses. A fair reading holds both. The book presents itself as guidance, detailed where it is precise, and not fully interpreted, even by those firm in knowledge, where it is unspecific. How Many Versions of the Qur’an Are There? is about readings of the text. This page is about what the text says concerning its own clarity.

How Ibn Kathir Read Qur’an 3:7

The abridged English of Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Qur’an 3:7 states the division in classical terms:

Allah states that in the Qur’an, there are Ayat that are Muhkamat, entirely clear and plain, and these are the foundations of the Book which are plain for everyone. And there are Ayat in the Qur’an that are Mutashabihat not entirely clear for many, or some people.

Qur’an 3:7

Qur’an · accepted by Muslims

Muhkam, in that comment, are the foundations, plain for everyone. Mutashabih are not entirely clear for many, or for some. Ibn Kathir goes on to include among the mutashabih the abrogated verses, the parables, the oaths, and what should be believed and not implemented. The precise verses are the basis. The unspecific ones are still from Allah, and they are not treated as a second book. They are treated as lines whose full sense is not open in the same way.

That is a commentator’s reading, named as his. It matches the verse’s own split rather than a later claim that every ayah is a plain scientific or legal sentence. Which Muslims Accept Which Hadith? is the label for reports. Ibn Kathir is tafsir, a commentary Muslims have read beside the text, not a verse of the Qur’an.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Translation of the Qur’an Is Quoted Here?

Saheeh International, as Quran.com publishes it. Brackets in that English are the translators’ supplied words. The page quotes that English because it is a widely printed Muslim translation, not because a survey ranked it first. Another translation can be opened from the same verse on Quran.com.

Are the Clear Verses the Whole Book?

Qur’an 12:1Qur’an 12:1 · Saheeh InternationalAlif, Lām, Rā. These are the verses of the clear Book.Qur’an 12:1 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source, Qur’an 11:1Qur’an 11:1 · Saheeh InternationalAlif, Lām, Rā. [This is] a Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from [one who is] Wise and AwareQur’an 11:1 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source, Qur’an 6:114Qur’an 6:114 · Saheeh International[Say], "Then is it other than Allāh I should seek as judge while it is He who has revealed to you the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] explained in detail?" And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture know that it is sent down from your Lord in truth, so never be among the doubters.Qur’an 6:114 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source, and Qur’an 16:89Qur’an 16:89 · Saheeh InternationalAnd [mention] the Day when We will resurrect among every nation a witness over them from themselves [i.e., their prophet]. And We will bring you, [O Muḥammad], as a witness over these [i.e., your nation]. And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.Qur’an 16:89 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source speak of a clear, detailed, clarifying book. Qur’an 3:7Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh InternationalIt is He who has sent down to you, [O Muḥammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allāh. But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says the precise verses are the foundation and that others are unspecific, whose true interpretation no one knows except Allah. Both sets of sentences are in the Qur’an.

Who Knows the Unspecific Verses?

Qur’an 3:7Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh InternationalIt is He who has sent down to you, [O Muḥammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allāh. But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.Qur’an 3:7 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says no one knows their true interpretation except Allah. Those firm in knowledge are quoted as believing that all of it is from their Lord. Ibn Kathir calls the mutashabih verses not entirely clear for many, or for some people. The Christian confession does not rest on decoding those lines. It rests on the Gospel’s account of who Jesus is, which Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels sets beside these titles.

Keep Reading

• How Was the Qur’an Compiled?
• Has the Qur’an Been Changed?
• How Many Versions of the Qur’an Are There?
• Does the Qur’an Confirm the Bible?
• The Islamic Dilemma
• Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels