![Techniques To Remember The Similar Verses [Mutashābihāt] P7](https://howtomemorisethequran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Techniques-To-Remember-The-Similar-Verses-Mutashabihat-P7.png)
Throughout the previous parts of this comprehensive series, you have acquired valuable insights into various rules, patterns, and formulas that can greatly assist you in memorising and recalling similar verses, known as the Mutashābihāt, within the Qur'ān. We have explored techniques such as reversal patterns, incremental patterns, and grouping methods, using Sūrah Yasīn as a practical example.
In this the final part of the series, I'll share more methods that can further improve your ability to memorise and retain the similar verses. By incorporating these techniques into your memorisation journey, you can cultivate a more efficient and seamless approach, making the entire process smoother and more accessible.
These methods serve as invaluable tools, designed to complement and bolster your existing Qur'ān memorisation efforts. They aim to simplify the task at hand with greater ease and confidence. By employing these strategies, you will find yourself equipped with a versatile set of approaches that suit your individual learning style and facilitate a deeper connection with the Qur'ān.
Using poetry or similar devices to remember similar verses
This is where you remember a similarity by creating a line of poetry alongside it. This is method that can be useful, especially for those that are into poetry, or have grounding in the Arabic language or their own native tongue. It is a method that scholars of the past used extensively.
Example 1
| 6:50 قُل لَّآ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِى خَزَآئِنُ ٱللَّهِ وَلَآ أَعْلَمُ ٱلْغَيْبَ وَلَآ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّى مَلَكٌ ۖ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ ۚ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ وَٱلْبَصِيرُ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَفَكَّرُونَ Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I do not say to you that I possess Allah’s treasuries or know the unseen, nor do I claim to be an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me.” Say, “Are those blind ˹to the truth˺ equal to those who can see? Will you not then reflect?” |
| 11:31 وَلَآ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِى خَزَآئِنُ ٱللَّهِ وَلَآ أَعْلَمُ ٱلْغَيْبَ وَلَآ أَقُولُ إِنِّى مَلَكٌۭ وَلَآ أَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ تَزْدَرِىٓ أَعْيُنُكُمْ لَن يُؤْتِيَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ خَيْرًا ۖ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ إِنِّىٓ إِذًۭا لَّمِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ I do not say to you that I possess Allah’s treasuries or know the unseen, nor do I claim to be an angel, nor do I say that Allah will never grant goodness to those you look down upon. Allah knows best what is ˹hidden˺ within them. ˹If I did,˺ then I would truly be one of the wrongdoers.” |
we observe a distinction between the verses where one includes the word "لَكُمْ" (to you) and the other does not. Imam Sakhāwī beautifully expresses it in poetic form:
ولا أقولُ لكمْ إنّي مَلَك﴾ في سورة الأنعام قدْ بيَّنتُ لكْ﴿
"I do not say to you that I am an angel" in Surah Al-An'ām, I have clarified it for you.
This poetic line serves as a mnemonic device to remember that the word "لَكُمْ" is found specifically in Surah Al-An'am.
Now, the question arises: How can we create a poetic line in English to retain the memory of the similarity and difference between the verses? You don't have to. Just remember that the extra words come first in Surah Al-An'ām that clarifies, crystal clear. (See what i did there?)
Example 2
Jamāl 'Abd al-Rahmān Ismā'īl says (roughly translated):
والباء في ﴿باليوم﴾ يا إخواني - في التوبِ والنساءِ والعوان
"And the letter Bā' in 'bīl-yawm,' O my brothers,
(is) in Repentance, Women, and livelihood."
You will see verses where Allāh says either "wal-yawmil-ākhiri" or "wa bil-yawmil-ākhiri". This can cause confusion when you're trying to recall verses. So Jamāl 'Abd al-Rahmān Ismā'īl wrote in poetic form as above to remember that the letter Bā' is used in three places:
- وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ (al-Baqarah, 8)
- وَالَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ رِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ (an-Nisā', 38)
- قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ (at-Tawbah, 29)
Contemplating the meanings and making a connection with what's similar
This is the most important of all the methods. This is the method that the Qur'ān itself asks of us: reflection. It is why our scholars took great care and wrote many books on contemplation. It is the core of the similar verses.
A lot of the similar verses carry great meaning and rulings, much of which goes under the radar through a simple recitation. The meanings and differences only come to those that contemplate and the perceptive discerning heart.
| Example 1 |
|---|
| 2:60 ۞ وَإِذِ ٱسْتَسْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ فَقُلْنَا ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْحَجَرَ ۖ فَٱنفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ ٱثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًۭا ۖ قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍۢ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ ۖ كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ مِن رِّزْقِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ And ˹remember˺ when Moses prayed for water for his people, We said, “Strike the rock with your staff.” Then twelve springs gushed out, ˹and˺ each tribe knew its drinking place. ˹We then said,˺ “Eat and drink of Allah’s provisions, and do not go about spreading corruption in the land.” |
| 7:160 وَقَطَّعْنَـٰهُمُ ٱثْنَتَىْ عَشْرَةَ أَسْبَاطًا أُمَمًۭا ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱسْتَسْقَىٰهُ قَوْمُهُۥٓ أَنِ ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْحَجَرَ ۖ فَٱنۢبَجَسَتْ مِنْهُ ٱثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًۭا ۖ قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍۢ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ ۚ وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْغَمَـٰمَ وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَنَّ وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ ۖ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ We divided them into twelve tribes—each as a community. And We revealed to Moses, when his people asked for water, “Strike the rock with your staff.” Then twelve springs gushed out. Each tribe knew its drinking place. We shaded them with clouds and sent down to them manna and quails, ˹saying˺, “Eat from the good things We have provided for you.” They ˹certainly˺ did not wrong Us, but wronged themselves. |
So what's the reflection here that can help to remember the similarities?
So the verb "ٱنفَجَرَتْ" (to burst forth) is paired with "ٱنۢبَجَسَتْ" (to gush forth), and the combination of eating and drinking is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, while only eating alone in Al-A'rāf. Why is this?
Upon contemplation of these two verses, you find that in the first verse, there are stronger words used compared to the second. In the first verse, the Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) struck the rock for water when he prayed for his people, and in the second verse, it emphasises that his people asked for the water. In al-Baqarah, the verse says "We said" (faqulnā) and in al-A'rāf it says We revealed (awhaynā). But what's interesting is that in the first verse the word "ٱنفَجَرَتْ" is used which represents a stronger and more powerful gushing of water, while "ٱنۢبَجَسَتْ" (gush forth) appears in Al-A'rāf, signifying a push or flow, which is generally a weaker flow. Furthermore, the combination of eating and drinking is Surah Al-Baqarah with the stronger word, while the focus is solely on eating in the second verse when weaker word is used, as seen in Al-A'rāf.
| Example 2 |
|---|
| 40:56 فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ So seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing. |
| 41:36 فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ then seek refuge with Allah. Indeed, He ˹alone˺ is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing. |
One verse ends with (ٱلْبَصِيرُ) and the other with (ٱلْعَلِيمُ) and one might confuse the two. How can you contemplate over the difference and remember these similar verses? You will come to realise when contemplating over them that in the first verse, Allāh is talking about people that dispute the signs of Allāh (اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ يُجَادِلُوۡنَ فِىۡۤ اٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ). Whereas the second verse is about shaytān and his temptation. When it comes to the first verse, Allāh mentions both hearing and seeing because these are two things that are required for the recognition of the signs of Allāh. Whereas the second verse mentions, hearing and knowing. To equip ourselves with protection from the temptations we must attain listen to Allāh and acquire knowledge.
Another contemplation is that in the first verse, humans are the focus and as humans we can hear and see. But the focus is shaytān in the second verse, we can't hear and see them and so both of them are in paired here. We can only acquire knowledge about shaytān.
Like this, we can create a link from contemplation in a way that it can help us remember the ending words. These are two examples of many. Why don't you contemplate and think over the following similar verses:
- The end of al-Ghāfir, verse 87 vs the end of al-Ghāfir, verse 85.
- The end of verse 27 of surah al-Qasas vs the end of verse 102 of as-Sāffāt.
- The end of verse 71 vs verse 72 of al-Qasas.
- The extra words of verse 5 after musāfiheen of al-Mā'idah vs verse 24 of an-Nisā'.
- The end of verse 11 of surah Ibrāhīm vs verse 12 of surah Ibrāhīm.
Contemplating over the placement and order of words
One of the other methods to remember the Mutashābihāt is that you can often find a certain order and consistency in the way that words are used. The positions and placements of the words begin to make sense when you take a closer look.
| Example 1 |
|---|
| 2:34 وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ And ˹remember˺ when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam,” so they all did—but not Iblīs, who refused and acted arrogantly, becoming unfaithful. |
| 15:31 إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ but not Iblīs, who refused to prostrate with the others. |
| 38:74 إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ ٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ but not Iblīs, who acted arrogantly, becoming unfaithful. |
You can see here the verses as they come in order of the surah (from al-Baqarah, to al-Hijr, to Saad). In al-Baqarah the words (أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ) are mentioned together and then the words come separately but again in the same order with (أَبَىٰ) coming first and then (ٱسْتَكْبَرَ) last. See the consistency in placement?
| Example 2 |
|---|
| 5:12 ۞ وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَبَعَثْنَا مِنْهُمُ ٱثْنَىْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًۭا ۖ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ ۖ لَئِنْ أَقَمْتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَيْتُمُ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَءَامَنتُم بِرُسُلِى وَعَزَّرْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَقْرَضْتُمُ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًۭا لَّأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۚ فَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ١٢ Allah made a covenant with the Children of Israel and appointed twelve leaders from among them and ˹then˺ said, “I am truly with you. If you establish prayer, pay alms-tax, believe in My messengers, support them, and lend to Allah a good loan, I will certainly forgive your sins and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow. And whoever among you disbelieves afterwards has truly strayed from the Right Way.” |
| 5:85 فَأَثَـٰبَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا قَالُوا۟ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ So Allah will reward them for what they said with Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever. And that is the reward of the good-doers. |
| 5:119 قَالَ ٱللَّهُ هَـٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنفَعُ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ ۚ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٌۭ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًۭا ۚ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ Allah will declare, “This is the Day when ˹only˺ the faithful will benefit from their faithfulness. Theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there for ever and ever. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. That is the ultimate triumph.” |
You can see here the verses as they come in order in Surah al-Mā'idah. As the verses come, the words are in the same order but each time something extra is being added. As the verse number increases, the words increase. In this way, you can remember the differences.
Pay attention to what distinguishes the Surah
This is again, a method that uses a lot of contemplation of the Qur'ān. Many verses of the Qur'ān are characterised by their length or shortness, the amount of similarities, the way words are used and rotated and knowing all of these things will help you master the similar verses.
For this method, we look at four techniques:
- How verses can use less words (similar to the increments)
- How verses can make frequent rotation of words, phrases or sentences in a surah
- How verses can use the same words or phrases frequently in a surah
- How there are certain patterns and rules specific to a surah (distinguishing features)
How verses can use less words
This is evident in Surah Āli 'Imrān and al-A'rāf, as the verbal structure in these two verses are less than that of other surah. Let's take a look.
| Surah Āli 'Imrān (less words) | Rest of the Qur'an (more words) |
|---|---|
| 3:60 ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْمُمْتَرِينَ This is the truth from your Lord, so do not be one of those who doubt. | 6:114 فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُمْتَرِينَ So do not be one of those who doubt. (also in Surah al-Baqarah and Yunus) |
| 3:52 وَٱشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ "so bear witness that we have submitted.” | 5:111 وَٱشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ "and bear witness that we fully submit ˹to Allah˺.” |
| 3:84 قُلْ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَٱلْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَٱلنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُۥ مُسْلِمُونَ Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants; and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets from their Lord—we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we ˹fully˺ submit.” | 2:136 قُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَٱلْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ ٱلنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُۥ مُسْلِمُونَ Say, ˹O believers,˺ “We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us; and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants; and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them. And to Allah we all submit.” |
| 3:151 مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ سُلْطَـٰنًۭا a practice He has never authorised | 6:81 مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَـٰنًۭا a practice He has never authorised |
This is the majority difference between Surah Āli 'Imrān and other similar verses. You will see the wording is shorter in this surah compared to others. This is the same for Surah al-A'rāf:
| Surah al-A'rāf (less words) | Rest of the Qur'an (more words) |
|---|---|
| 7:14 قَالَ أَنظِرْنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ He appealed, “Then delay my end until the Day of their resurrection.” | 15:36 قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرْنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ Satan appealed, “My Lord! Then delay my end until the Day of their resurrection.” |
| 7:16 قَالَ فَبِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى He said, “For leaving me to stray" | 15:39 قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى Satan responded, “My Lord! For allowing me to stray" |
| 7:19 فَكُلَا مِنْ حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا "eat from wherever you please" | 2:35 وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا "and eat as freely as you please” |
| 7:45 وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ كَـٰفِرُونَ and disbelieved in the Hereafter. | 11:19 وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ and disbelieve in the Hereafter |
You will many examples like this from Surah al-A'rāf.
How verses can make frequent rotation of words, phrases or sentences in a surah
There are many examples of this:
- If you look at Surah al-A'rāf, you will see the word (arsala / أرسل) being used a lot in different forms (minal-mursaleen, fa-arsalna, an arsil, yursil). What does knowing this help with? It helps with the mutashābihāt in surah al-A'rāf vs other surah. For example, if you look at verse 111 (أَرْجِهْ وَأَخَاهُ وَأَرْسِلْ فِى ٱلْمَدَآئِنِ حَـٰشِرِينَ) and compare it with verse 36 of surah ash-Shu'arā' (قَالُوٓا۟ أَرْجِهْ وَأَخَاهُ وَٱبْعَثْ فِى ٱلْمَدَآئِنِ حَـٰشِرِينَ) - you can remember what surah uses the words (arsil) because surah al-A'rāf rotates and frequently uses this word.
Likewise, you can see the same thing happening with other surah:
- Surah al-An'ām uses the word (dhulm - dhālimūn, adhlam, bi-dhulmin, dhalamū) whereas other surah like Yunus use the word (ajram - mujrimūn or mujrimīn).
- Surah al-Jāthiyah uses the word ('amal - 'amilū) but surah az-Zumar uses the word (kasab - kasabū)
- Surah al-Qasas frequently uses the word (Zeenah, like verse 60) whereas in Surah ash-Shūra, you don't find the word (like verse 36).
- You find the word (Qist) used in surah Yunus (like verses 4, 47, 54) but the word Qist is not used elsewhere (like bil-Haqq).
- Surah al-Baqarah uses the word (lan - verses 80, 95, 111, 120, ) but surah al-Jumu'ah does not (verse 7).
- Surah az-Zukhruf uses the word (ja'ala) a lot but other surah like Tā Hā uses the word (salaka).
- Surah al-Ambiyā' uses the word (Rabb - like verse 2 or 4) but ash-Shu'arā' uses the word (Rahmah - like verse 5 and 9).
There are many examples like this but one can only come to know these if you pay attention and you contemplate. This is what I mean when I say to study the differences between the similar verses.
How verses can use the same words or phrases frequently in a surah
You can benefit greatly as well by contemplating over the repetitive use of phrases in a surah. Like in al-Qasas we see (la'allahum yatadhakkaroon) appear three times but this is (la'allahum yattaqoon) in the rest of the Qur'ān. Other examples include:
- The repetition of (as-samaawaati wal-ardi) in Surah an-Noor without a "fee" on the word "ard" like it is in the rest of the Qur'ān.
- In Surah ash-Shu'arā', you find three times ('adhāba/'adhābu yawmin 'adheem) whereas this is (aleem or muheen) elsewhere in the Qur'ān.
How there are certain distinguishing features specific to a surah
Sometimes a surah will have something that no other surah has. Nothing this can also help you rememeber the similar verses. For example in Surah an-Nahl, you will see the words (āyah) and (āyāt) like (inna fi dhālika la-āyah) or (inna fi dhālika la-āyāt).
Other examples include:
- In Surah Hūd, you see the words (wa lammā jā'a amrunā) or (fa lammā jā'a amrunā) appear. The difference between the use of wa and fa is to do with the amount of time it took for the punishments to arrive.
- In Surah an-Nahl, we see the frequent use of (wa lam yaku) or (wa la taku).
In this way, we find many solutions to help us remember the Mutashābihāt.
May Allāh grant us blessing and ease in our memorisation!
Here are the links to all the Mutashābihāt posts
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