Layers of Meaning and Deeper Interpretations: Exploring Wujūh, the Mutashābihāt, and Taʾwīl of the Qurʾān

Muḥammad Muḥsin Al-Fayḍ Al-Kāshānī, the prolific Imāmī Shīʿī scholar and mystic-philosopher, opens his renowned tafsīr (Quranic exegesis) with twelve introductory sections that address foundational themes concerning the nature and interpretation of the Qurʾān. In the fourth section, he draws upon narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa) to examine some of the more profound and complex dimensions of the Qurʾān: the multilayered nature of verses (wujūh al-āyāt), how its messages may contain profound ambiguity (mutashābihat), and the concept of deeper, esoteric interpretation (taʾwīl).

Al-Kāshānī explains that the divine speech found in the Qurʾān is not superficial. Each verse contains layers of meaning (wujūh) discovered only when the reader dives deeper into its study. Some layers of meaning may be directly accessible to one’s immediate understanding, where multiple meanings may emerge from the apparent sense of the divine text. Scholars have noted that this multi-dimensionality of revelation serves several purposes: it encourages deep contemplation, fosters humility in the reader, offers varying degrees of understanding to people based on their capacities, and reserves the most profound insights for those who are spiritually refined.^[1]Ibn Shahr Āshūb, Mutashābih al-Qur’ān wa Mukhtalafuh ^[2]ʿAllāmah Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, commentary on Qurʾān (3):7.  However, some higher, more profound layers of meaning remain hidden to the laity or the unworthy, and can only be uncovered by those with access to special sources of knowledge.

This discussion relates closely to the concept of taʾwīl. It is a difficult word to translate, and Muslims have disagreed vociferously as to its nature. Al-Kāshānī appears to believe it refers to a type of Quranic interpretation that is not immediately discerned from the apparent meaning of the text, but is actually the ultimate realization of a verse’s meaning and the fulfillment of Allah’s (swt) original intent. Afterall, the root of the word taʾwīl means to refer back to the origin. For this reason, the taʾwīl goes beyond the apparent meaning of the text, yet remains in harmony with it. To give an example from the author himself, after citing a number of narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt about the verse “Guide us to the Straight Path”^[3]Qurʾān, al-Fātiḥah (1):6 , Al-Kāshānī says, “It has become clear that the Imam is the Straight Path.” While Allah does not explicitly name the Ahl al-Bayt in the verse, the narrations clarify Allah’s intent: this verse refers primarily to them and they are its clearest embodiment. 

Who has access to this deeper type of interpretation, which clarifies the ultimate fulfillment of a verse’s meaning? Of course, Allah Himself, and He may explain and extend meanings found in one verse by means of other verses, alluded to in verses^[4]Such as Āl ʿImrān (3):7 or Al-Qīyāmah (75):18-19 and narrations such as “One part speaks for another part, and one part testifies to the other.”^[5]Nahj al-Balāghah, Sermon 133 The Qurʾān also suggests Allah gives this authority to some deserving: “And no one knows its taʾwīl except Allah and those steeped in knowledge (al-rāsikhūna fī al-ʿilm)…”^[6]Qurʾān, Āl ʿImrān (3):7. Shīʿī scholars argue from the Qurʾān and the narrations that the Ahl al-Bayt are those vested with this authority by Allah. Thus, only they may unlock the taʾwīl latent within Allah’s book. 

Finally, the author explains the mutashābihāt—the ambiguous or allegorical aspects of the Qurʾān—whose meanings are veiled from those lacking spiritual authority. The Qurʾān adds this type of ambiguity because it was revealed by Allah to address a diversity of intellects and spiritual capacities. The Qur’an, the author explains, speaks to both the elite and the masses, and thus employs language that resonates differently based on the readiness of the audience. Mutashābihāt contain symbols that cannot be fully grasped through surface-level interpretation (tafsīr) alone but require taʾwīl—a return to the verse’s inner, metaphysical reality with Allah. As mentioned before, only Allah and those firmly rooted in knowledge (al-rāsikhūn fī al-ʿilm), namely the Ahl al-Bayt, can truly comprehend these deeper meanings. The author warns against imposing speculative interpretations on such verses, urging instead to preserve the apparent wording, believe in its truth even if one cannot understand them, and entrust the correct knowledge to Allah while awaiting guidance from His authorities on the true meaning of the symbols, parables, and ambiguous statements. Using the parable of the blind men and the elephant, the author illustrates that many perceive only fragments of truth and mistake them for the whole, leading to confusion and contradiction. Thus, the mutashābihāt are not to be acted upon unless clarified by clear (muḥkam) verses or the Ahl al-Bayt. Including mutashābihāt in the Qurʾān provides those who are spiritually ready a pathway to deeper understanding of metaphysical and spiritual realities otherwise beyond reach. Using symbolic language and allegories, mutashābihāt elevates the reader, so long as they remain humble; careful to act only on clear knowledge provided by the Qurʾān, the Prophet, or the Imams. These are the only legitimate gateways to access the taʾwīl which unlocks the deeper meanings of the Qurʾān. 

Below, the respected reader will find the translation to Al-Kāshānī’s fourth introduction. Use these links to find the previous parts of this introduction: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. 

This excerpt was translated by Azhar Sheraze of the Ahl al-Bayt Islamic Seminary. 

Forth Introduction: On the Meaning of the Wujūh of Qurʾānic Verses, along with a Study of the Mutashābih Verses and their Taʾwīl 

Jābir b. Yazīd al-Juʿfī, a companion of Imam al-Bāqir (ʿa), asked him about the tafsīr of the Qurʾān, and the Imam responded. He asked him about it a second time, and he responded differently. Jābir said, “May I be your ransom! You answered this issue differently just yesterday.” The Imam responded, “O Jābir! The Qurʾān has an inner aspect (baṭn) and this inner aspect itself has another inner aspect. The Qurʾān also has an outer aspect (ẓahr) and this outer aspect itself has another outer aspect. O Jābir, nothing is farther from the understanding of men than the Qurʾān’s tafsīr. A verse may open with one issue and end with another, yet all the while it is an integrated discourse with multiple aspects.”^[7]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:12

Ḥumrān b. Aʿyan, another companion, reports from Imam Al-Bāqir: “The apparent meaning of the Qurʾān refers to the people it was immediately revealed about, and its inner meaning refers to those who act like them.”^[8]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:11. Translator’s Note: Maʿānī al-ʾAkhbār adds at the end: “That which was revealed about those people flows towards these people.” This alludes to the exegetical concept of jarī (literally, to flow), frequently invoked by scholars of tafsīr, whereby certain Qurʾānic verses—though revealed about specific historical events—are applied by the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa) to analogous situations across time. Such verses thus retain ongoing relevance and can be extended to future or contemporary contexts, “flowing” from the text towards instances and persons in the world.

Another companion by the name of al-Fuḍayl bin Yasār asked Imam al-Bāqir: “There is a narration: ‘There is not a verse in the Qurʾān except that it has an outer aspect and inner aspect, and there is no letter in it except that it has a limit (ḥadd), and for every limit there is a point of ascension (muṭṭalaʿ/maṭlaʿ).’ What does he mean by saying it has an outer aspect and an inner aspect?’” The Imam said, “The outer aspect of the Qurʾān is its revealed aspect (tanzīl) and its inner aspect is its deeper interpretation (taʾwīl). Some of these deeper interpretations have already come to be while others have yet to unfold. These meanings flow just as the sun and the moon flow. The more something from the deeper interpretation comes to be, the more the meanings come to be. Allah says, ‘None knows its deeper interpretation (taʾwīl) except God and those firmly rooted in knowledge.’^[9]Qurʾān, Āl ʿImrān (3):7. — We are the ones who know it.”^[10]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:11 The author al-Kāshānī clarifies: “The point of ascension (muaṭṭalaʿ/maṭlaʿ), refers to the place of revealing something from a lofty station, or it can also mean any height a person climbs to in order to attain knowledge. The overall meaning of point of ascension is close to the meaning of taʾwīl and bāṭin, just as the meaning of ḥadd is close to the meaning of tanzīl and ẓahr.”

In a narration, the companion Masʿadah b. Ṣadaqah asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (ʿa) about the terms nāsikh, mansūkh, muḥkam, and mutashābih.^[11]Translator’s Note: Nāsikh refers to an abrogating message, which supersedes a previous message in the Qurʾān. Mansūkh refers to the previous ruling now superseded by the nāsikh. Muḥkam refers to a message in the Qurʾān that is clear and unambiguous, and serves as the basis for interpreting the mutashābih, those messages in the Qurʾān that contain degrees of ambiguity for most people and layers of symbolic meaning. The Imam responded: “The nāsikh is established and acted upon. The mansūkh used to be acted upon but is abrogated by the nāsikh. The mutashābih is whatever is obscure (ishtabaha) to the ignorant.”^[12]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:11 In another narration, Imam al-Ṣādiq said, “The nāsikh is established, the mansūkh used to be established, the muḥkam is [immediately] actionable, and the mutashābih is that which it’s different parts appear like each other [leading to confusion]/resemble each other [leading to confusion]/are confused for one another.”^[13]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:10

Imam al-Ṣādiq’s companion,ʿAbd Allāh b. Sinān, narrates that he asked the Imam about the Qurʾān and the furqān.^[14]Translator’s Note: Furqān is a criterion used to distinguish between right and wrong. The Imam said, “The Qurʾān is the entirety of the Book and news about what is and will be, while a furqān (criterion) is muḥkam (an established principle) which is [immediately] acted upon. Everything muḥkam is a furqān.^[15]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:16  

Abū Baṣīr, the renowned companion of Imams al-Bāqir and al-Ṣādiq, reports, “I heard from Imam al-Ṣādiq who said, ‘The Qurʾān contains that which is muḥkam and that which is mutashābih. As for the muḥkam, we believe in it, [immediately] act on it, and are subjected to it. As for the mutashābih, we believe in it but do not [immediately] act on it.’”^[16]Translator’s note: The narration says, “We believe in it and do not act on it.” This does not mean symbolic, ambiguous messages in the Qurʾān are not actionable. However, it means they are actionable only after guidance from other clear (muḥkam) verses and statements of the Ahl al-Bayt. ^[17]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:16

The narrator ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bukayr narrates from Imam al-Ṣādiq: “The Qurʾān was revealed according to the proverb, I address you, but my neighbor should listen too!”^[18]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:10 and Al-Kulayni, al-Kāfī 2:235 The author clarifies what this means: “This Arab proverb is used when the speaker directly addresses one person, but in fact intends someone else–other than his direct addressee–to listen.” And this hadith confirms what we developed in the previous introduction.

The companion Ibn Abi ʿUmayr reports from Imam al-Ṣādiq: “Allah never blames His Prophet (ṣ) [in the Qurʾān]. Rather, whenever it seems like this, Allah actually intends to blame another who was previously mentioned in the Qurʾān. For example, ‘Had We not fortified you, certainly you might have inclined toward them a bit.’^[19]Qurʾān, al-Isrāʾ(17):74. This is intended for someone other than the Prophet.”^[20]al-ʿAyyāshī 1:10, al-Kāfī 2:235 The author adds: “Perhaps the meaning of ‘another mentioned previously in the Qurʾān’ is referring to those who deviated from God’s signs, which the Qur’an previously referenced without Allah explicitly naming them. This will become clearer in the sixth part of this introduction.”

There are relevant reports from Sunni hadith chains, wherein the Prophet reportedly states: “The Qurʾān has an outer aspect, an inner aspect, a limit, and a point of ascension.”^[21]Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn 1:341 And “The Qurʾān was revealed according to seven modes.^[22]Translator’s Note: The word ‘mode’ is a translation of the word ‘harf’, which translates literally to ‘letter’. A footnote in Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī mentions: Some of the people of insight (ahl al-ma’rifah) have said, “The basis for limiting these modes (literally, letters) to seven is as follows. For every inner and outer aspect are two sides: above and below. This would mean the limits (ḥudūd) possible are four at most. Each limit of an outer aspect does not have below a point of ascension, because a point of ascension is not except from above. This makes for four limits and 3 points of ascension, for a total of seven.” Every verse among them has an outer aspect and an inner aspect, and for every limit there is a point of ascension.”^[23]Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī 1:9  

Another report states: “Every mode has a limit and a point of ascension.”^[24]Al-ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1:11 “The Qurʾān has an outer aspect and an inner aspect, and for each inner aspect there is another inner aspect and so on reaching up to seven inner aspects.”^[25]ʿAwālī al-Laʾālī al-ʿAzīziyya fī al-Aḥādīth al-Dīniyya, 4:107

The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (ʿa) states: “There is not a verse except that it has four meanings: an outer aspect, an inner aspect, a limit, and a point of ascension. The outer aspect is the recitation, the inner aspect is comprehension, the limit is a ruling of what is permissible or forbidden, and the point of ascension is what Allah truly means by the verse.”^[26]Mizan al-Hikmah, 3:74

Additionally, Sunni sources mention a number of other relevant narrations: “Imam Ali was asked, ‘Did Allah’s Messenger give you any part of the revelation that is not contained in the Qurʾān?’ He said, ‘I swear by the One who split grain and created the soul, no. He only gives a servant understanding of His book.”^[27]Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, 1:333 Imam al-Ṣādiq said, “The book of Allah is based on four things: expression (ʿibārah), indication (ishārah), subtleties (laṭāʾif), and inner-realities (ḥaqāʾiq). The expression is for the laity, indication is for the elites, subtleties are for Allah’s Awliyāʾ(saints), and the inner-realities are for the Prophets.”^[28]Biḥār al-Anwār, 92:103

Al-Kāshānī then provides an extended explanation for the above-mentioned reports: 

Truly explicating the symbolic meanings (mutashābih) and their deeper interpretation (taʾwīl) would require an extended discussion of a profound nature. It would require us to open a single door of knowledge, which, for the worthy, will open a thousand more. May Allah grant success. 

Every meaning among the many meanings [of the Qurʾān] has a reality (ḥaqīqah) and a spirit (rūḥ), as well as a form (ṣūrah) and a container (qālib). Sometimes a single reality may manifest in many different forms and containers. And words are coined for those realities and spiritual essences. Since those realities and spiritual essences subsist in containers [and are not equal to them], the words are being used literally when referencing those realities and spiritual essences. This is because of a kind of unity between the meanings of the words and the realities themselves. For example, the word pen is only coined for an instrument that inscribes forms onto a slate, whether the pen be made of reed, iron, or something else, and whether the slate be made of paper, wood, or something else. In fact, neither the pen nor the slate needs to be physical at all, nor must they necessarily be perceptible to the senses or the intellect. These two terms—pen and slate—are sufficient for any mode of inscription. These words capture both the reality and spirit of the pen and slate.

Therefore, any being that can inscribe knowledge onto the heart’s tablet, it is more appropriate to be a pen, and this is why Allah says: “He taught by the pen. He taught humanity what it did not know.”^[29]Qurʾān, al-ʿAlaq (96):4–5 Rather, this would be a real pen, whereby the spirit, reality, and definition of “pen” is found within it, without need for anything extraneous.^[30]Translator’s Note: For example, the pen Allah uses would not need material aspects, like ink, plastic, etc, all of which would be extraneous to the essence of the pen. As another example, the same applies to the Quranic term al-mīzān (scale), coined for a standard by which something is measured. This one meaning is the reality and spirit of a scale, though it has many different containers and various forms by which scales can be. Some of its containers and forms are physical, like the balance with two pans or a spring scale which measure physical masses. Others, like the astrolabe, measure time and elevation. Yet others, like the scribe-compass, measure arcs and circles; the plumb-bob, verticality; and the ruler, lines. Arabic poetic meter measures poetry, while logic measures philosophy. Sense and imagination measure the faculties of perception, the scales of the Day of Judgment measure our knowledge and deeds, and the complete intellect (al-‘aql al-kāmil) measures universals. We can go on listing other kinds of scales. 

Generally, the measure and scale of each thing is of the same substance as that thing. The word “scale” can be used for all of these instances because the definition of “scale” corresponds to the reality found in all of them. By analogy, this applies to every word and its corresponding meaning.

If you were guided to the spirits (arwāḥ), you yourself would become spiritual, and the doors of the spiritual dominion (malakūt) would open for you, thus making you worthy of companionship with the highest assembly. And what excellent companions they are! All things in the visible world of sense-perception are simply symbols and forms for a spiritual reality in the spiritual dominion (ʿālam al-malakūt), which is the thing’s purified spirit and utter reality. 

The intellects of the majority of people, in truth, are a lower order symbol for the intellects of prophets and those close to Allah (awliyāʾ). They do not speak to the majority of people except by utilizing parables and symbols, because they have been commanded to speak to people at the level of their intellects.^[31]Translator’s Note: The Prophet has said, “We, the group of prophets, have been commanded to speak to people according to the level of their intellects.” (al-Kāfī 1:23) They are like a person dreaming, in terms of how much they understand the other realm. A person who is sleeping and dreaming normally does not discover anything except through symbols and parables. 

And so, whoever teaches wisdom to one unworthy of it, they may see in their dream that they are hanging pearls on the necks of pigs. Whoever gives the call to prayer in the month of Ramadan before the time of fajr prayer has set it in, may see himself sealing the mouths and private parts of the people, and so on. This is because of the hidden connection between the different realms. Imam Ali says: ‘People are asleep, and awaken only when they die.’^[32]Dustūr Maʿālim al-Ḥikam wa Maʾthūr Makārim al-Shiyam, 97 At the time of death, they come to truly know the realities of what they had previously only heard about [in the world] through symbols, and they come to understand these spiritual realities, and they finally understand that these [linguistic] symbols are only outer shells [used to describe higher realities]. Allah says, ‘He sends down water from the sky where the valleys are flooded to their capacity, and the flood carries along a swelling scum.’^[33]Qurʾān, al-Raʿd (13):17 In this verse, water is a symbol for [the spiritual reality of] knowledge, valleys for hearts, and scum upon the water for misguidance. At the end of this verse, Allah calls attention [to something deeper than the outer shell of the apparent words]: ‘Likewise does Allah draw symbols.’^[34]Qurʾān, al-Raʿd (13):17

Everything that your understanding cannot handle, the Qurʾān presents it to you in a way similar to the way you are during sleep. Your soul during sleep is acquainted with the Preserved Tablet (al-lawḥ al-maḥfūẓ) which presents itself to you with suitable symbols. These symbols need a mode of interpretation to be properly understood, and so taʾwīl operates as a mode of interpreting [these symbols], whereas the tafsīr engages only the outer forms [of the images the soul is seeing].

Since people only speak according to their level of understanding, anything addressed to all people [like the Qurʾān] must include a portion which is accessible to everyone. [This portion includes the allegories, parables, and symbols which almost everyone is acquainted with, but are meant to help the deeper thinkers see more profound meanings.]

The superficial (al-qishriyyah) literalists (al-ẓāhiriyyīn) only perceive superficial meanings. This is like skin and outer covering of the human, which only perceives the outermost shell of those meanings which is on the outer skin and covering [of the book], namely the black ink and visual forms. As for their meanings, their secret, and their reality, no one truly perceives them except for the possessors of insight (ūlū al-albāb) who are steeped in knowledge (al-rāsikhūn fī al-ʿilm). The Prophet alluded to this in his prayer for one of his companions stating: ‘O Allah, grant him deep understanding in religion and teach him the deeper interpretation (taʾwīl).’^[35]Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, 1:343 Each person has their share of this type of deeper understanding—whether that is little or great—and their tasting of it is either incomplete or perfect. They have varying ranks ascending through its  various depths and luminous secrets. As for reaching complete and utmost comprehension —no one can aspire to attain that, even if to explain it, all the sea were made into ink, and all the trees into pens: ‘Say, “If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be spent before the words of my Lord are finished, even if We replenish it with another like it.”’^[36]Qurʾān, al-Kahf (18):109

From what has been mentioned, it becomes clear why the apparent meanings of verses and narrations related to the ‘Fundamentals of Religion’ (uṣūl al-dīn) seem to differ with each other. This is because these verses and narrations are addressed to various groups and differing intellects, since it was necessary to speak to each of them according to their level of understanding and their spiritual station. With this in mind, all of these verses and narrations are valid and do not differ in essence; this is by no means figurative speech.^[37]Translator’s Note: Of course, the various meanings understood from the Qurʾān are only legitimate if they are sourced in valid authorities.  

Consider this through the well-known parable of the blind men and the elephant.^[38]Translator’s Note: In the parables known across cultures and traditions, several blind men each touch a different part of an elephant and describe it differently—one thinks it’s a snake, another a tree, and so on. Their conflicting views reflect their limited experiences. The tale shows how limited perspectives can lead to misunderstanding, and truth is better grasped through deeper, comprehensive awareness. Therefore, there are people who do not understand something among the mutashābihāt, because when they interpret these mutashābihāt according to their apparent meanings they contradict what he believes to be established, correct religious principles and true, certain beliefs. These people should confine themselves to the words without alteration, and leave its true understanding to Allah and those steeped in knowledge. Let this person await the winds of mercy from Allah and turn his attention to the gifts which Allah may have still in store for him for the rest of his days.  May he hope that Allah will provide him with a Divine opening or provide him with a command, and whenever Allah decrees a command, it will be fulfilled.  For indeed, Allah has condemned a people for their baseless taʾwīl of ambiguous verses (mutashābihāt): ‘As for those in whose hearts is deviance, they pursue what is ambiguous it, courting temptation, and seeking its taʾwīl. However, no one knows its taʾwīl except Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge.’” ^[39]Qurʾān, Āl ʿImrān (3):7.