Approaches in Classical Tafsirs to Verse 82 of Surah Nisa, Which Rejects Contradiction in the Qur'an

Abstract

This article examines the approaches found in the tafsīrs of Muqātil b. Sulaymān, Hūd b. Muḥakkam al-Huwwārī, Ṭabarī, Zajjāj, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Māturīdī, Abū’l-Layth al-Samarqandī, Tha‘labī, Māwardī, Baghawī, Zamakhsharī, Ibn ‘Aṭiyya, Ṭabarsī, and Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī regarding Qur’ān 4:82. This verse rejects the claim of contradiction in the Qur’ān and presents its coherence as evidence of its divine origin. Muslims have offered different interpretations of what “consistency” in the Qur’ān means and how it should be understood. Studies on mushkil al-Qur’ān, which addresses perceived contradictions and the exegetical effort to resolve them, have usually focused on the views of only one or two exegetes. In contrast, this article centers on 4:82 and brings together multiple perspectives. The mufassirūn often relate this verse to the preceding one, emphasizing that the hypocrites should reflect on the Qur’ān and recognize it as the word of Allah. The term tadabbur in the verse is understood as “careful reflection, reasoning, and consideration of both background and consequence.” Māwardī, Zamakhsharī, and Ṭabarsī highlight that the Qur’ān is consistent both in meaning and in linguistic form. According to the exegetes, any impression of contradiction arises from the reader’s deficiency, not from the Qur’ān itself. Drawing on theses and articles on mushkil al-Qur’ān, the study identifies exegetical strategies used to resolve apparent contradictions.