The Meaning of “tashābuh” (similarity)

The kind of tashābuh that pervades the Qur’an is the very opposite of the discrepancy that Allah negates when He says, “Had it been from anyone other than Allah, they would surely have found much inconsistency in it” (4:82). It is likewise the opposite of the inconsistency mentioned in His words, “You are indeed immersed in conflicting speech; only those who are perverse are turned away from it” (51:8–9).

Here, tashābuh means that the discourse is harmonious and proportionate, each part confirming the other. Thus, when the Qur’an commands something, it never elsewhere commands its opposite; rather, it reiterates the same command, or one like it, or what that command entails. When it forbids something, it does not elsewhere enjoin it; instead, it forbids it again, or forbids something comparable, or the corollaries that follow from it—unless a ruling has been abrogated.

Likewise, when it affirms a matter, it never affirms its negation; it either re-affirms that matter or affirms what it entails. And when it negates a matter, it does not go on to affirm it elsewhere; instead, it negates it again, or negates what necessarily follows from it. This stands in stark contrast to contradictory discourse, in which one statement undermines another: at one time it affirms something and at another denies it, or it simultaneously commands and forbids the same act, or it treats identical cases differently—praising one and censuring the other. In such contradictory speech the statements are opposed, whereas in tashābuh they are mutually consistent.

This similarity pertains to meanings even when the wording differs; so long as the meanings concur and reinforce one another,