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What are the parameters of scientific inimitability in the Holy Qur’an, and when is it impermissible for it to exceed the views of the Salaf and the sayings of the exegetes?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The scientific inimitability (I'jaz al-Ilmi) in the Quran is a miracle that addresses humanity, and the door to interpretation remains open within the constants of respecting what has been transmitted from the Prophet and the Companions, and the requirements of the Arabic language. Scientific inimitability is an informative inimitability whose means are discovered through contemporary sciences. Scientific inimitability consists of the element of time (the unlettered Prophet) and the element of delayed scientific discovery. Scientific inimitability must be regulated by controls that define its legitimate framework, including:

1. That the meaning of the word in the Quran and Sunnah, which is intended to conform to scientific fact, be interpreted by a prophetic or companionate text, such as "al-ratq" (the fusion), which Ibn Abbas interpreted as adhesion. 2. In the absence of prophetic or companionate interpretation, the interpretation should be based on the requirements of the Arabic language, and the utterance of the word must be a linguistic, customary, or jurisprudential reality. If reality is deviated from to metaphor, there must be an indication. The handling of Quranic allusions must not contradict or deviate from the text. Researchers can study general issues such as the law of duality in the universe.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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