Ulum al Qur'an CONTENTS ONLINE LIBRARY 'Literal' and
'Understood' Meanings The meaning of certain ayat is derived
from the literal wording (mantdq) while that of others is
derived from what is understood (mafhum) by them: Of the literal
understanding there are several kinds. The first concerns a
clear text, i.e. a text clear and without ambiguity. 'But if he
cannot afford it, he should fast three days during the Hajj and
seven days on his return, making ten days in all' (Al-Qur'an 2:
196). In other cases the text may be somewhat ambiguous in its
expression but obvious as far as the meaning is concerned. 'And
do not approach them until they are clean' (Al-Qur'an 2: 222).
The Arabic word tatahharna may refer to the end of the woman's
menstrual period, or the completion of the bath after the
period; the second being more obvious. [Qattan, M.: mabahith It
'ulum al-qur'an, Riyadh. 1971.] Still other verses imply a
meaning through the context, although the wording itself is not
clear. 'And out of kindness reward to