Ambiguous Verses and Ontological Interpretation

آیاتِ متشابہات — تاویل وجودی

Ambiguous Verses (Āyāt Mutashābihāt) are those Quranic verses which, if taken at their apparent literal meaning, would imply bodily or directional qualities for Allah — such as the verse 'The Merciful One ascended over the Throne' (20:5) or 'Allah's Hand is above their hands' (48:10). The orthodox position is to affirm these verses without asking 'how' (bilā kayf) and without likening the Divine qualities to creaturely qualities (bilā tashbīh).

Ontological Interpretation (Ta'wīl Wujūdī): The masters of Islamic wisdom offer an ontological reading of such verses — not in the sense of distorting the text, but in the sense of understanding each verse at the appropriate level of being. At the level of the Divine Essence, 'Hand' refers to the comprehensive power and attribute of the Divine Self; 'Throne' (Arsh) refers to the station of the comprehensive Divine Will and Knowledge. This interpretation does not negate the external meaning; it deepens it.