• It has also been described as wholly muḥkam (precise and unambiguous), wholly mutashābih in its beauty, while certain passages, viewed from one angle, are mutashābih and, from another, muḥkam.
• As for the verses that declare the entire Qur’an to be muḥkam, this is because of its matchless eloquence and perfect clarity, its supreme wisdom in assigning every matter its proper rank and place, and its complete internal harmony—utterly free of discrepancy or contradiction in any respect.
• Its beauty, moreover, stems from the fact that it sets forth every reality with flawless exposition and presents the finest, most beneficial truths concerning creed, character, etiquette, and deeds. These truths are of the highest beauty in wording and in meaning, and their effects are the noblest of effects. All of these themes, reiterated throughout the Qur’an, bear mutual witness to one another in beauty and perfection, each confirming the other.
• Concerning the verse, “Among it are verses that are muḥkam—they are the foundation of the Book—while others are mutashābih” (Āl ʿImrān 7): the mutashābih verses are those whose indication is problematic for one linguistic reason or another, or because of their composite phrasing. Allah has commanded that they be referred back to the clear, unmistakable muḥkam verses whose meanings are explicit; when the mutashābih verses are thus referred back to the muḥkam, they all become muḥkam, doubt and ambiguity disappear, and guidance is clearly distinguished from error.
• He has further described it as pure rectitude from beginning to end, guiding to rectification and to the most upright, most rightly guided, and most beneficial course in every matter without exception. Nothing falls outside this comprehensive quality: it reforms beliefs and hearts, morals and actions, and it directs to every religious and worldly good. Through it affairs are set aright, conditions attain balance, and every type of perfection is realized from every angle, by pointing to every useful means that leads to the desired objectives and goals.