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Metaphorical Expressions in Prophet Muhammad's Hadith

Series A: General & Theoretical Papers

ISSN 1435-6473
Essen: LAUD 1997 (2nd ed. with divergent page numbering 2007)
Paper No. 409

Universität Duisburg-Essen
Recai Doğan

Metaphorical Expressions in Prophet Muhammad's Hadith

Copyright by the author Reproduced by LAUD

1997 (2nd ed. with divergent page numbering 2007) Linguistic Agency
Series A University of Duisburg-Essen
General and Theoretical FB Geisteswissenschaften
Paper No. 409 Universitätsstr. 12
D- 45117 Essen

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Metaphorical Expressions in Prophet Muhammad's Hadith

A-Language - Metaphor - Education Relation

Realising his own existence in the universe, man tries to interpret all what he sees and hears
including himself. As every man brings solutions of his own, he also tries to find what they
expressed in terms of validity. Every individual also wants to learn what his solution meant
for others. While the values that's seen, heard or expressed are increasing the necessity for
sharing all of them naturally appears It is language which supplies the necessity for sharing
which aims to share and agree and which is a way of transfer. Language has a role of
sharing personal possessions and thoughts. The way going through the conscious of being
passes through the thought. And it is obstruction which gets thought into action.
The existence shows himself in the universe with mind and language. 1 Language gains
existence with man. Besides it gives meaning to the being, its being a lively being in itself
makes language more important and meaningful.
While the language reflects what happens out of mind in a direct way, by reflecting
indirectly what happens in the mind, in it is constitutes forms a being.
Language is practically a definition and expression and at the same time is a way of
protection and concealment. Thus we encounter the multiplicity of language. Language
realises this concealment and protection sometimes in a silent way and sometimes by
manifestation. In other words its being is a factor and it can either make manifest this factor
or control the silence. 2
If we examine the explanation about language, we see that the multiplicity of its
structure reflects to these explanations, too. It is possible to encounter not only proper and
very common explanations but also explanations in between. Before we discuss these
explanations, we will try to point out a "language" concept as a bridge to the concept of
"metaphor".
Language is a system of signs, diagrams and mathematical forms which supports
communication between people and has usage's in many respects. 3 We can compare
language with a tree deeply rooted. But the branches and knots of this tree submit too many
variations. On one side there's a rose branch, on the other prickle; in other words, a system
that's basically unique is convenient in different appearances and usage's. Particularly,
language is a lively being which support the communication in a particular nation.4

1 The existence of human being presenting himself in the earth, mind and in the language. See Parkinson,
the Theory of Meaning, p.130-135; Grünnberg, Anlam Kavramı Üzerine Bir Deneme, p.200-209.
2 Gadamer, Philosophical Hermeneutics, p.3.
3 Hermann, Tarih, İnsan ve Dil Felsefesi Üzerine Altı Konferans, p.34.
4 Uygur, Felsefenin Çağrısı, p.30.

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 We implied that language is basically a system. This uniqueness in essence changes
into different usage areas. From the point of usage, education is the area in which the
language attains the peak. If we want to determine the function of education in using
language; besides it expresses an information about subjects that are out of language,
education tries to give declarations and request about the way of language usage's. 5 Form
this respect language can be seen as a production activity. While education offers ideas
about points like existence, knowledge, value, it continually tries to declare and request.
We emphasised that language makes sometimes manifest itself. We also emphasised
that language submits variations according to the areas in which it is used in science and
system. We have determined the two fundamental endeavours in this multiplicity of
variations because of its being a lively element:
1. To help science in systematising and transferring itself,
2. To be comprehensible in this systemazing and transferring.6 In this endeavour of
being comprehensible, language appears as metaphor idiom, simile, and allusion.
From this point we see that language is multiplicity. It attains different areas with
this multiplicity. The general aim is to systematise and transfer (convey) the
information. While it conveys the information, the intelligence and understanding
of the man is important.
To be clear and comprehensible is the point that all systems and science give importance,
too. It is also known that everybody's level of perception is different from each other. It is
not true that people are for methods, and that processes are used for people.
Aristoteles determines that while some people are listening to a person that's using a
mathematical language, others emphasises that they only want examples. 7 It is certain that
the manner we assume while we are listening to a kind of language which we are familiar
to, is always positive. Because of his temper nature man assimilates the information
according to the quantity he knows this language. One of the conditions that an information
could be information is that the information must be conveyed. No information can be
understood unless it will be conveyed. As a matter of that, the aims of conveying
information are;
- To produce something for the first time,
- To support the former information,
- To refute the former information,
- To make a relation of the former information. 8 The multiplicity of the language
usage appear.

5 Cf. Saruhan, İslam Düşüncesinde İsti'arc, p.7.

6 See for the purpose of language usage's. Grünnberg, p.209
7 Aristoteles, Metaphysic, p.156.
8 See for a more detailed knowledge about this subject. Parkinson, 1968, p.130.

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Especially in established i.e. instituted education, it is important to add this multiplicity into
this process.
After examining the importance of language in producing information and in
communication it will be useful to make a short research about metaphor in order to
understand the importance of metaphor-education relationship. The equivalent of metaphor
in Arabic is parable İsti'are is derived from "Ariyet". It means to borrow, to use something
temporarily use for a certain time. 9 The meaning of (Isti'are) in Western languages is
Metaphor, that is Meta means after, with other; and "Phore" means to convey. 10
As a term metaphor means to use an expression instead of another expression.11
Metaphor, which means to use another word usually of something else instead of original
expression name of the world 12 ; to eliminate a word's original meaning and to borrow
another word with very similar qualities 13 ; to use similarities in order to conceal a word's
original meaning 14 , to use the expression of word that belongs to another 15 , is not only
cliché, but also the use of language freely. To give an inappropriate expression it is a way of
point of view. 16 Metaphor is a bridge from the known to unknown. If s usually to assimilate
a new knowledge into the old one.
The glimmer point about the meaning of metaphor is that it is like borrowing. If we
describe a person who is known as very cunning as "fox", and a person who is known as
very brave as "lion", our endeavour is to borrow, or to convey the thoughts arise from our
observations.
Although there's giving an inappropriate expression, it does not mean to giving a
wrong expression. It is conveying an expression and information. 17
We can classify metaphor in two ways;
a) The metaphors begin with expression like just as, so much/so that are known as
definite or clear metaphor. These metaphor's only based on the forged. In lions are
passing, only the forged is seen, not the resemblance.
b) The expressions which do not include any metaphorical expressions are known as
vague metaphor. It only has the resemblance. "He's got a big head" is such a kind
of metaphor. 18

9 İbn Manzur, Lisanü'l Arap, v.II, p.448.

10 The Oxford English Dictionary, v.VI, p.384; The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, v.V, p.284.
11 Tahir-ül Mevlevi, Edebiyat Lügati, p.71-73.
12 Karaalioğlu, Ansiklopedik Edebiyal Terimlcri Sözlüğü, p.371.
13 Akalm, Modern Linguistiğe Giriş, p. 1 50.
14 Cuddon, A Dictionary of literary Terms, p.543.
15 Cuddon, p.543.
16 Pudgett, Handbook of Poetic Forms, p.310. See again. Saruhan, p.10-1 1.
17 Aksan, Anlam Bilim ve Türk Anlam Bilimi, p. 123-1 26.
18 Keklik, Felsefe ve Metafor, p.6.

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The aim to use metaphors is to fill a semantic vacancy. In metaphor which means to borrow, to
convey, to transfer, one of the ways to fill this semantic vacancy is to make a comparison.19
While comparing we need two expressions. No expression or concept can be compared to itself.
As follows "Like a lion" can not express a meaning alone. But in as follows. "Ahmet
jumped like a lion", there is a comparison between "The jumping of Ahmet,". 20 We can say
depending on this that metaphor is using two expressions at the same time. 21 Then we can
say that to connect the resemblance and the forged with a common word in order to express
a particular aim is in fact a result of a pre-acceptance. The aim of this pre-acceptance is to
make a definition clear.
Metaphor is also known as "Rational Metaphor". To express lion as Ahmet is mental
deduction. Although it is first seen as a lexical activity, it has a mental base.
It is understood that expressing thoughts, there's a going through a mental result in
metaphor, and this is the most important element in educational process. Metaphor is used
in education process. Metaphor is used in education so that the student can understand some
subjects, can compare and convey his/her observations, and at the end he can gain
knowledge. To understand the effect of metaphor in educational process, it can be useful to
talk about the kinds of metaphor, that;
1. Parable(Simile) 22 ,
2. Figure of speech 23 ,
3. Idioms 24 ,
4. Comparison 25 ,
5. Allusion 26 ,
6. Personalised 27 .
All these expressions are known as in a common title, "Metaphor". In spite of the
differences between them, the common point between all of these expressions is that
"borrow an expression or to convey an thought.
The point that metaphor is to borrow and to convey information combine all the
scientists. But what's the essence in this borrowing? Where does it arise from?
Let's try to examine this subject. We can examine the ways of conveying expressions
in five groups;

19 See a more detailed knowledge. Ricoeur, The Rule of Metaphor, p. 16-1 8.

20 Ricoeuor, p. 17; Cuddon, p.543-544.
21 Way, Knowledge, Representation and Metaphor, p. 1-14.
22 See. Kazvini, Telhisü'l-Miftah, p.38; Tahirü'l-Mevlevi, p.90; Pudgett, p.310.
23 See. Tahirü'l -Mevlevi, p.90.
24 See. Way Cornell, p. 1-14.
25 Way Cornell, p. 10.
26 Way Cornell, p. 10.
27 Way Cornell, p.11.

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 1. To convey the expressions about part of the body to the nature. "Mouth" is
particular to human beings but it can be conveyed to the nature such as "Mouth of
the river".
2. Application of words that are particular to the nature to the human beings. "Man
like a mountain", (Strong as stone...etc.)
3. To concretize.
Abstract expressions can not be understood by every individual in the same way.
Because of the differences between individual's intelligent capacity, many
expressions need to be concretised in order to be understood. Metaphor borrows
the expressions in to its structure, gives them a new form, and by concretising
them, it makes the subject more understandable.
By using expressions like "as, like, just as, so much/so that", the subject is made more
understandable.
4. To convey the expressions about senses among each other. There can also be
transfers among the expressions of the five senses.
5. Conveying nouns
Some nouns take the meaning of other nouns in some cases. Day has it is own usage's
within itself but it is also gain meaning with the usage's the name of the sun.28
We see that there's a close relationship between the usages of the kinds of metaphor and the
methods which are used to make students understand in the process of education. In other
words metaphor has an important role in making the educational methods more effective
even it i.e. alone used as an educational method.

B. The Style of Mohammed and Metaphor in his Explanation Style

We know from the history that from the existence of the first man in the world, prophecy
has been a divine educational method for societies. 29 Prophet is a person who is chosen,
inspired and given by God.
Prophecy shows such properties on educating people.
1. During the historical periods, societies have showed differences. Language, race
and region are some of the characteristics which cause these differences. Prophets
had been sent to the societies according to these characteristics. 30

28 Aksan, p. 123-127. See again Saruhan, p.10-17.

29 el-Haşimi, er-Rasulü'l-Arabi el-Murabbi, p.52.
30 Qur'an, 35/24. 'Verily, We have sent thee with the truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner: for
there never was any community but a warner has [lived and] passed away in its midst.'

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 2. Every prophet has used the language of the society he has been sent in order to
educate them. 31
3. Although these have been such characteristic differences, all the prophets have
basically combine. From the point there's no difference between them. 32
For instance Jesus Christ who had announced people about honesty, brotherhood, love and
self-sacrifice, had been against the priest which were so far from understanding the religion
and so formalist and he had tried to prepare people for the Kingdom of God. 33 Bible, in
which we can read about that has the expressions like metaphor, simile, comparison and
meaning convey. The symbolic language used in holly books is accepted to be a method in
using to tell and announce some particular properties. 34
Jesus explains the usage purpose of the symbolic language that:
"Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, 'Why do you use parables when you
talk to the people?' Jesus answered, The knowledge about the secrets of Kingdom of heaven
has been given to you, but not to them. For the person who has something will be given
more, so that he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing will have
taken away from him even the little he has. The reason I use parables in talking to them is
that they look, but do not see, and they listen, but do not hear or understand." 35
These statements show that Jesus Christ had taken the perception of people into
consideration which he was announcing his messages and had used a language according to them.
And it is also mentioned in Bible why Jesus Christ used metaphors is that "Jesus used
parables to tell all these things to the crowds; he would not say a thing to them without using a
parable. He did this to make what the prophet had said come true, 'I will use parables when I
speak to them; I will tell them things unknown since the creation of the world.' "36
It is also mentioned in Qur'an that the basic duty of Mohammed is education. 37 , and he
had also emphasised his vast property . He mentioned this as in "I have been really sent as a
master". 38 For that reason it is worth to insist on the feet that Mohammed introduced himself

31 Qur'an, 14/4. 'And never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own
people's tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them...' Since every divine writ was meant
to be understood by man, it is obvious that each had to be formulated in the language of the people
whom the particular prophet was addressing in the first instance; and the Qur'an -notwithstanding its
universal import- is no exception in this respect.
32 Qur'an, 3/84.
33 Tümer- Küçük, Dinler Tarihi, p. 136.
34 Watt, Günümüzde İslam ve Hristiyanık, p.53.
35 Matthew, XIII, 10-13.
36 Matthew XIII, 34/35.
37 Qur'an, 96/1-5; 3/164. 'Indeed, God bestowed a favour upon the believers when he raised up in their
midst an apostle from among themselves, to convey His messages unto them, and to cause them to grow
in purity, and to impart unto them the divine writ as well as wisdom whereas before that they were
indeed, most obviously, lost in error.
38 İbn Mace, Mukaddime, 17.

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as master and his followers also respect him as a master. 39 For this reason, this introduction
points out the relation between prophecy and education.40 With this property Mohammed
had been announcing Islam and educating people for twenty-three years. 41
Mohammed knew all the aspect of the society in which he was living. That is he was
aware of the properties of the society in which he had been carrying out his education. He
also know that he was sent to such a society that did not know reading and writing (They
were all illitered people) and he had to teach them Qur'an. 42
A significant study which must be done to cleanse the metaphorical usages in the hadiths
of the prophets both for narrator and narrated is to fix his style and way of expression.43
Because there is close relationship between the language and the man, the man and the style of
speech and the expression. Language is not only a shape of matter that reflects the mentality of
the society, but also is like a mirror of man because of its way of explanation.44 Thus teaching
the man how to define and express had begun with the first creation of man.45
Most of Mohammed's duties such as invitation, announcement, education depends on
explanations. That's why he had referred to all expression techniques of the language in
order to do the best. Mohammed an important study that1 s done to make the metaphors
that's in Mohammed's deeds which introduce Mohammed and in his deeds which
Mohammed announced and showed the style and the way of Mohammed' explanations. He
sometimes tried to make people memorise with living descriptions and sometimes told
moral and representative stories like all languages and nations. 46 It is also true that
concretised is made to convey information in all languages. Concritize, as we know, is an
idiom convey to strength the way of expression. This is to express the abstract expressions
with the help of concretize expressions. Mohammed used this way in order to tell the
abstract truths, not imaginary conceptions. 47 He sometimes used metaphor such as simile,
idiom, allusion, which are frequently used in Arabic, as a way of expression and telling.48
It is not possible to determine the forms and the way of expression of Mohammed
from his deeds one by one. If it is possible, it can not divide the form and the way of
expression of Mohammed according to those deeds. 49

39 Hamidullah, v.II, p.754.

40 See a more detailed knowledge. Özbek, Bir Eğitimci Olarak Hz. Muhammed (S.A.V.), p.43-44.
41 Muhammed Şedid, Menhecu'l-Kur'an Fi't-Terbiye, p. 9.
42 Ahmed b. Hanbel, Müsned, v.V, p. 132.
43 Görmez, Sünnet ve Hadisin Anlaşılması ve Yorumlanmasında Metodoloji Sorunu, p.299.
44 Görmez, p.299.
45 Qur'an, 55/2-3.
46 Avdin, Teemmulatun fi'l- Beyani'n - Nebevi, p. 10-36.
47 Porzig, Her Yönüyle Dil, v.III, p. 187. See again. Görmez, p.299.
48 Avdin, p. 18.
49 Görmez, p.299-300.

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1. Direct Expression
The aim of direct expression is to express what we want to say not in an indirect way but in
a clear and simple way. Direct expression is frequently seen in Mohammed's clear advises,
his information about the past, future and present situations in his prayers 50 , so
correspondences and requests. 51 Declarations are usually expressed in this way. 52 And it is
also seen that norms about faith, workshops and social structures are frequently expressed
by this way. 53 But we can not say that Mohammed did not use the ways such as metaphor
except those mentioned above. As you will see below Mohammed also used metaphor in
indirect expressions like in prayers. 54

2. Indirect Expression
It is the form of indirect expression that is used to make the expression more
comprehensible or to make people to understand more instead of clear and simple sentences
and declarations. Literary descriptions, metaphor and moral anecdotes are such kind of
expressions.
As we suppose metaphor as an indirect expression, we try to examine as an indirect
expression, we try to examine the parts of Mohammed's deed in which metaphor is used.
There are some reasons why Mohammed used metaphor in his hadıths:
a) The way of the educational methods of Mohammed and individual differences.
Method is the shortest way which helps shows differences connecting to the subject matter
and the characteristics of the individual. 55 Because of this, it is natural conditions.
Mohammed used metaphor as an educational tool in point of this fact.
a) It constructs a model in the world of senses to make the meanings born in mind,
b) It makes the distance nearby,
c) It makes the implicit meaning clear,
d) It concretized the abstract expressions.
The reasons why metaphor is used in Islam in Mohammed's declarations beside the
advantages above are:
a) To make his speech more understandable,
b) It is because the things that people see, can not imagine easily,

50 See for a more detailed knowledge. İbrahim, el-Canibu'l- İ'lami fi Hutabi'r- Rasul, p. 1-4.
51 See. İbn Kayyim el-Cavziyye, Vasaya er-Rasul, p.16-21.
52 Sabbağ, et-Tasviru'l- Fenni fi'l- Hadisi'n-Nebevi, p.60-86.
53 Görmez, p.300.
54 For a more detailed knowledge about Mohammad's expression style. İzz, el-İmam fi Beyani Edilleti'l-
Ahkam, p.80-92.
55 Öymen- Erman, Umumi Öğretim Usulleri, p. 1.

8
 c) To give examples is more effective 56 , so he used that it supports the individual
differences to be taken into consideration. The individual differences are to be
taken into consideration. The individuals have different capacities and every nation
is composed of different individuals. If people did not have different characteristic,
psychologist's job would be easier, and so would the analysis about an individual.
People's needs and interests have also showed differences throughout the time.
That1 s why while expressing something, declarations show differences according
to the situations. 57
Individual difference is the subject that modem psychology mostly insist on. 58 If individual
differences are not given any attention, there will be big injustice for the people. This can
show itself in every area. For instance it could not be possible to canalize people, to identify
and solve their problems, and to impel them into suitable behaviours.
To accept the differences of individuals constrains the education involving some
principals. 59 Some method in education must at least be flexible.
In Qur'an it was commanded to Mohammed to counsel with his followers. 60 Counsel is
to ask someone's opinions about a subject. This shows the necessity of asking other's
opinions in order to discover the truths. Different opinions can be revealed by the people
who find the differences. It is also announced in Qur'an that everybody is responsible as
much as his capacity. 61
Mohammed had also mentioned that individuals have different capacities and
intelligence:
"People who are learning science are different individuals even they hear the
same. From this respect, individual, who is learning science, can convey about
this science to an individual who has more capacity than himself." 62
Mohammed addressed people in such a way that they could have understood him. Because
information that can not be understood by every individual, result in false perceptions. 63
The statements and orders of Mohammed about this subject are rather interesting.
"Tell people what you know. Or you desire God and His apostle be proved as
liars?" 64

56 Ulvan, Terbiyetü'l-Evlad Fi'l-İslam, v.II, p.716.

57 el-Acluni, p.238.
58 Binbaşığlu, Ölçme ve Değerlendirme, p.9.
59 Mart, Eğitim Psikolojisi, p.141-158.
60 Qur'an, 3/159. '...And take counsel with them in all matters of public concern...'
61 Qur'an, 2/286; 6/152.
62 Tirmizi, İlim, 7; İbn Mace, Mukaddime, 19.
63 el-Hatib, es-Sünnetu Kable't-Tedvin, p.49-56.
64 Buhari, İlim, 49.

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 "It is ordered to talk with people according to the level of their capacity." 65
"Threat people according to their stages." 66
Knowing the levels facilities to solve the problems leadership does not pay unless there is
interest on levels. It is not enough to tell the people about the truths. It is necessary to
address according to their wisdom. By this way learning information give the individual
competence.
In one day a white man come to Mohammed and said that he had a suspicious about
his wife, and that was because she gave a birth to black child. It was obvious that he is
asking Mohammed about his opinion. Then a conversation had taken place between them as
follows:
- O Messenger of God; My wife gave birth to a black child. I did not accept this.
- Have you got camel ?
- Yes, I have.
- What about thek colours ?
- They are red.
- Are there any grey ones.
- Yes, there is one.
- Well!
- What about its colour?
- Maybe genetic inheritance!.
- This also may be genetic inheritance. 67
Mohammed paid attention to the level of the knowledge of the man in this conversation.
Giving examples about camels in which he is occupied everyday facilitates the solution.
b) The Use of Metaphor in Arabic Language:
Before the religion of Islam in Arabic society, Arabs were very good at using thek language.
Such as, they arrange a poem competition every year and they write the best poems on the
wall of Kaaba with golden letters. The effect of poet leaders on the society is because they
use the metaphor in the best way in their poems. Even that the poem that is written but that
poets has got the power to start a war and to end it up in Arab society.
Mohammed lived in this society until he become 40 and he learned and used this
language rhetorically. There as a member of society which was using metaphor, he
continued as a tradition the use of metaphor in his speeches (prays)
c) The Use of Metaphor in Qur'an and Mohammed uses the metaphor to explain Qur'an.

65 el-Acluni, Keşfu'l-Hafa ve Müzılu'l-İlbas Amma İştehere Mine'l-Ehadisi Ala Elsineti'n-Nas, v. I, p.196.

66 Ebu Davud, Edeb, 23.
67 Buhari, Talak, 26; Müslim, Lian, 18; Ebu Davud, Talak, 28; Tirmizi, Vela 4; İbm Mace, Nikah, 58;
Ahmed b. Hanbel, v. II, 233.

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Qur'an is a systematic divine inspiration to the prophet Mohammed which was brought
down in 610. At the beginning of this divine inspiration systematic it is seen that while
presenting they used language, meaning and statement as a whole.
The divine inspiration means; to give orders 68 , to have inspiration, to show, to whisper are
the highest dimension of perception. Intelligence grasp the matter but while perceiving the
life and discovering the reality of life it expresses insufficiency.
At that point to enter practical intelligent level and to become together only with God.
This sublime exalted existence always speaks with us. This speech is not always directly but
mostly with the way of natural existence. This existence consisting some symbols and signs.
Absolute existence speaks with us through these things.
We explained language as a symbolic system that belongs to nation while we are
explaining the relationship between language and existence. Qur'an starts as it comprehend
this reality and it admit that each nation has its own language. There is revelation for being
understood. "And never have We sent fourth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in
his own people's tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them." 69
It shouldn't be forgotten that while Qur'an serving the divine messages it uses this
explanation ways with perfect style. To hold the attention of the addressee it uses the
language within the external and esoteric style and it combine to give speech both logical
and sentimental.
Qur'an explains with a view human natural view that can be concerted in the mind
intellectual abstract concepts, seen with eyes, man types. Later on he acquired a concrete-
animated life or a movements that is renewed continuously. Thus intellectual concepts and
events turn in to the figures and movements. Psychological situations turn to the views or
scenes. Man types turn in to animate-concrete figures, human natural view turn in to object
that can be seen with eyes. While Qur'an giving events, scenes and views it presents them
with animate and abstract concepts that can be seen and it gives life to them. It gives
movement to them. When speech or dialogues added to them all elements that can be
vitalised in the imagination are completed. 70 While Qur'an does all these things especially
with form and with metaphor.
In Qur'an there are literary explanation types such as proverb, comparison, metaphor
and allusion. As it explained before to realise all these arts of explanation, the matter in
question is to convey the meaning and borrow words from another places. We want to use
the word metaphor above all these meaning as one top category mowing from this establish.
Qur'an generally used metaphor in these subjects:
- Qur'an uses metaphor when explaining itself. 71

68 İbn Manzur, v. V, p. 3 75-389.

69 Qur'an, XIV/4.
70 Kutup, Kur'ari'da Edebi Tasvir, p.95-96.
71 Qur'an, 14/1; 18/190; 14/24-25-26.

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 - There are metaphors about God in the Qur'an. 72
- There are metaphors which explain believers and non-believers. 73
- There are metaphors which explain the life in the world. 74
- There are metaphors which picture the nature. 75
- There are metaphors which picture Resurrection (the end of the world). 76
- There are metaphors which picture the Heaven. 77
- There are metaphors which pictures the Hell. 78
It benefits from various dimension all these metaphors which are used in Qur'an. To reach
the moral result it follows the directions such as feelings and examples and it stimulate and
compare the human beings. 79 The aim of mentioning the metaphors in Qur'an is obviously
clear and can be explained: And [all] such parables We propound unto men, so that they
might [learn to] think.80

We should, at least, briefly, talk about symbolism and allegory in the Qur'an to
understand the delicacy of metaphors which are used by Mohammed. When studying the
Qur'an, one frequently encounters what may be described as "key-phrases" -that is to say,
statements which provide a clear, concise indication of the idea underlying a particular
passage or passages: for instance, the many references to the creation of man "out of dust"
and "out of a drop of sperm", pointing to the lowly biological origin of the human species;
or the statement in the ninety-ninth surah (az-Zalzalah) that on Resurrection Day "he who
shall have done an atom's weight of good, shall behold it, and he shall have done an atom's
weight of evil, shall behold it" -indicating the ineluctable afterlife consequences of, and the
responsibility for, all that man consciously does in this world; or the divine declaration, "We
have not created heaven and earth and all that is between them without meaning and
purpose (batilan), as is the surmise of those who are bent on denying the truth." 81
Instances of such Qur'anic key-phrases can be quoted almost ad infinitum, and in many
varying formulations. But there is one fundamental statement in the Qur'an which occurs
only once, and which may be qualified as "the key-phrases of all its key-phrases": the
statement in verse 7 of Al-İmran to the effect that the Qur'an "contains messages that are
clear in and by themselves (ayat muhkamat) as well as others that are allegorical

72 Qur'an, 24/26; 50/16.

73 Qur'an, 34/63; 24/39; 62/5.
74 Qur'an, 6/32; 29/3; 57/20; 2/161; 2/274; 15/88.
75 Qur'an, 28/90; 2/44; 82/17-18; 80/45.
76 Qur'an, 70/8-9; 17/13-14; 21/47.
77 Qur'an, 47/15; 55/68; 56/28-28; 56/21; 18/31; 37/49.
78 Qur'an, 15/19; 17/8; 7/40-41; 18/29; 14/50; 23/104; 70/16; 70/13.
79 Cerrahoglu, Tefsir Usulu, p.174-175.
80 Qur'an, 59/21. See again Qur'an, 39/27; 29/43.
81 Qur'an, 38/27.

12
(mutashabihat)". 82 It is this verse which represents, in an absolute sense, a key to the
understanding of the Qur'anic message and makes the whole of it accessible to "people who
think" (li qawmin yatafakkarun).

Without a proper grasp of what is termed by "allegorical" or "symbolic" (mutashabih)

term, much of the Qur'an is liable to be -and, in feet, has often been-grossly misunderstood
both by believers and by such as refuse to believe in its divinely-inspired origin. However,
an appreciation of what is meant by "allegory" or "symbolism" in the context of the Qur'an
is, by itself, not enough to make one fully understand its world-view: in order to achieve this
we must relate the Qur'anic use of these terms to a concept touched upon almost at the very
beginning of the divine writ -namely, the existence of "a realm which is beyond the reach of
human perception" (al-ghayb). It is this concept that constitutes the basic premise for an
understanding of the call of the Qur'an, and, indeed, of the principle of religion -every
religion- as such: for all truly religious cognition arises from and is based on the fact that
only a small segment of reality is open man's perception and imagination, and that by far the
larger part of it escapes his comprehension altogether.
However, side by side with this clear-cut metaphysical concept we have a not less
clear-cut finding of a psychological nature: namely, the finding that the human mind (in
which term we comprise conscious thinking, imagination, dream-life, intuition, memory,
etc.) can operate only on the basis of perceptions previously experienced by that very mind
either in their entirety or in some of their constituent elements: that is to say, it cannot
visualize, or form an idea of, something that lies entirely outside the realm of previously
realized experiences. Hence, whenever we arrive at a seemingly "new" mental image or
idea, we find, on closer examination, that even if it is new as a composite entity, it is not
really new as regards its component elements, for these are invariably derived from previous
-and sometimes quite disparate- mental experiences which are now but brought together in a
view combination or series of new combinations.
Now as soon as we realize that the human mind cannot operate otherwise than on the
basis of previous experiences -that is to say, on the basis of apperceptions and cognitions

82 "He it is who has bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, containing messages that are clear
in and by themselves -and these are the essence of the divine writ- as well as others that are allegorical.
'Qur'an, 3/7. (This passage may be regarded as a key to the understanding of the Qur'an.. It would be too
dogmatic to regard any passage of the Qur'an which does not conform to to the above definition as
mutashabih (allegorical): for there are many statements in the Qur'an which are liable to more than one
interpretation but are, nevertheless, not allegorical- just as there are many expressions and passages
which, despite their allegorical formulation, reveal to the searching intellect only one possible meaning.
For this reason, the ayat mutashabihat may be defined as those passages of the Qur'an which are
expressed in a figurative manner, with a meaning that is metaphorically implied but not directly, in so
many words, stated. The ayat muhkamat are described as the "essence of the divine writ" (umm al-kitab)
because they comprise the fundamental principles underlying its message and, in particular, its ethical
and social teachings: ahd it is only on the basis of these clearly enunciated principles that the allegorical
passages can be correctly interpreted. Muhammad Asad, P-66) small segment of reality is open to man's
perception and imagination, and that by far the larger part of it escapes his comprehension altogether.

13
already recorded in that mind- we are faced by a weighty questions: Since the metaphysical
ideas of religion relate, by virtue of their nature, to a realm beyond the reach of human
perception or experience -how can they be successfully conveyed to us? How can be
expected to grasp ideas which have no counterpart, not even a fractional one, in any of the
apperceptions which we have arrived at empirically?
The answer is self-evident: By means of loan-images derived from our actual -physical
or mental- experiences; or, through a parabolic illustrations, by means of something which
we know from our experience, of something that is beyond the reach of our perception. And
this is the innermost purport of the term and concept of al-mutashabihat as used in the
Qur'an.
Thus, the Qur'an tells us clearly that many of its passages and expressions must be
understood in an allegorical sense for the simple reason that, being intended for human
understanding, they could not have been conveyed to us in any other way. It follows,
therefore, that if we to take every Qur'anic passages, statement or expression in its outward,
literal sense and disregard the possibility of its being an allegory, a metaphor or a parable,
we would be offending against the very spirit of the divine writ.
Consider, for instance, some of the Qur'anic references to God's Being -a Being
indefinable, infinite in time and space, and utterly beyond any creature's comprehension. Far
from being able to imagine Him, we can only realize what He is not: namely, not limited in
either time or space, not definable in terms of comparison, and not to be comprised within
any category of human thought. Hence, only very generalized metaphors can convey to us,
though most inadequately, the idea of His existence and activity.
And so, when the Qur'an speaks of Him as being "in the heavens" or "established on
His throne (al-arsh)", we cannot possibly take these phrases in their literal senses, since then
they would imply, however vaguely, that God is limited in spaces: and since such a
limitation would contradict the concept of an Infinite Being, we know immediately, without
the least doubt, that the "heavens" and the "throne" and God's being "established" on it are
but linguistic vehicles meant to convey an idea which is outside all human experience,
namely, the idea of God's almightiness and absolute sway over all that exists. Similarly,
whenever He is described as "all-seeing", "all-hearing" or "all-aware", we know that these
descriptions have nothing to do with the phenomena of physical seeing or hearing but
simply circumscribe, in terms understandable to man, the fact of God's eternal Presence in
all that is or happens. And since "no human vision can encompass Him" 83 , man is not
expected to realize His existence otherwise than through observing the effects of His
unceasing activity within and upon the universe created by Him.
It is not enough for man to be told, "If you behave righteously in this world, you will
attain to happiness in the life to come", or, alternatively, "If you do wrong in this world, you
will suffer for it in the hereafter". Such statements would be far too general and abstract to

83 Qur'an, 6/103.

14
appeal to man's imagination, and, thus, to influence his behaviour. What is needed is a more
direct appeal to the intellect, resulting in a kind of "visualization" of the consequences of the
one's conscious acts and omissions: and such an appeal can be effectively produced by
means of metaphors, allegories and parables, each of them stressing, on the one hand, the
absolute dissimilarity of all that man will experience after resurrection from whatever he did
or could experience in this world; and, on the other hand, establishing means of comparison
between these two categories of experience.
Thus, explaining the reference to the bliss of paradise in 32/17, the Prophet indicated
the essential difference between man's life in this world and in the hereafter in these words:
"God says, "I have readied for My righteous servants what no eye has ever seen, and no ear
has ever heard, and no heart of man has ever conceived". On the other hand, in 2/25 the
Qur'an speaks thus of the blessed in paradise: "Whenever they are granted fruits therefrom
as their appointed sustenance, they will say, "It is this that in days of yore was granted to us
as our sustenance" -for they shall be given something which will recall that [past]": and so
we have the image of gardens through which running waters flow, blissful shade, spouses of
indescribable beauty, and many other delights infinitely varied and unending, and yet
somehow comparable to what may be conceived of as most delightful in this world.
However, this possibility of an intellectual comparison between the two stages of
human existence is to large extent limited by the fact that all our thinking and imagining is
indissolubly connected with the concepts of finite time and finite space: in other words, we
cannot imagine infinity in either time or space -and therefore cannot imagine a state of
existence independent of time and space- or, as the Qur'an phrases it with reference to a
state of happiness in afterlife, "a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth" 84 : Which
expression is the Qur'anic synonym for the entire created universe. On the other hand, we
know that every Qur'anic statement is directed to man's reason and must, therefore, be
comprehensible either in its literal sense (as in the case of the ayat muhkamat) or
allegorically (as in the ayat mutashabihat); and since, owing to the constitution of the human
mind, neither infinity nor eternity are comprehensible to us, it follows that the reference to
the infinite "vastness" of paradise cannot relate to anything but the intensity of sensation
which it will offer to the blest.
By obvious analogy, the principle of a "comparison through allegory" applied in the
Qur'an to all references to paradise -i.e., a state of unimaginable happiness in afterlife- must
be extended to all descriptions of otherworldly suffering- i.e., hell -in respect of its utter
dissimilarity from all earthly experiences as well as its immeasurable intensity. In both cases
the descriptive method of the Qur'an is the same. We are told, as it were: "Imagine the most
joyous sensations, bodily as well as emotional, accessible to man: indescribable beauty, love
physical and spiritual, consciousness of fulfilment, perfect peace and harmony; and imagine
these sensations intensified beyond anything imaginable in this world -and at the same time

84 Qur'an, 3/133.

15
entirely different from anything imaginable: and you have an inkling, however vague, of
what is meant by "paradise". And, on the other hand: "Imagine the greatest suffering, bodily
as well as spiritual, which man may experience: burning by fire, utter loneliness and bitter
desolation, the torment of unceasing frustration, a condition of neither living nor dying; and
imagine this pain, this darkness and this despair intensified beyond anything imaginable in
this world -and at the same time entirely different from anything imaginable: and you will
know, however vaguely, what is meant by "hell". Side by side with this allegoriesrelating to
man's life after death we find in the Qur'an many symbolical expressions referring to the
evidence of God's activity. 85
Qur'an orders Mohammad: "And upon thee [too] have We bestowed from on high this
reminder, so that thou might make clear unto mankind all that has ever been thus bestowed
upon them, and that they might take thought". 86 In meeting it can be individual or in groups
Mohammed read the Verses of the Qur'an and later explained to the listener. 87 According to
the explanation to Mohammed, Qur'an consist of the explanation of concise verse of the
Qur'an, allocation of special commands, the explanation of obstacle, the explanation of
vague, declaration of curious words, personified by description and ensure the
understanding of the Verses of Qur'an which consist of literary delicate. 88 Thus Mohammed
is responsible for the explanation of the Qur'an used metaphor especially fulfil his
responsibility by following Qur'an's style not only the explanation of the Verses of Qur'an
that are related with metaphor but also the Verse of the Qur'an that are not related with
metaphors. The examples that are related with this subject are like that:
One of the closest friend of Mohammed called Navvas b. Semon asked a question.
"What is goodness and badness?". 89 Mohammed explained goodness as a beauty of moral
and badness as a thing that make you restless and annoy your conscious and badness is a
thing that people do not want to be known by other people. Here Mohammed used metaphor
for their level to explain two concept and to make them understand these two concept.
When Mohammed is again asked the meaning of expression "like hidden pearls0ike
unto pearls [still] hidden in their shells)" 90 from a verse of Qur'an about houris, he explained
this expressing by using simile, and said that "their ingenuousness is like the pearl that's
untouched." 91
Another examples is: Mohammed said that "When a man commits a sin, a black letter
is put into his heart. His heart will be cleaned only if he forswears. But if he again starts to

85 See Asad, "Symbolism and Allegory in the Qur'an", p. 989-991.

86 Qur'an, 16/44. See again Qur'an, 4/105; 16/64; 5/67.
87 Hamidullah, v. I, p.99.
88 Yıldırım, Peygamberimizin Kur'an Tefsiri, p. 31.
89 Qur'an, 5/2.
90 Qur'an, 56/23.
91 et-Taberi, Cami'u'l-Beyan an Te'vili'l-Kur'an, v. XXVII, p. 178.

16
commit sins, these black letters will be increased. And at last they overspreads his heart.
And this is what God explains in this verse "rust". 92 Nay, but their hearts are corroded by all
[the evil] that they were wont to do! 93 Mohammed again explained the meaning of rust by
using metaphor.
One of the metaphors that is used in explaining this subject is: "Cabir. b. Abdullah
tells: One day the Messenger of God came and said: "In my dream, I saw Archangel Gabriel
at my bedside, and Michail (Mikhail) at my footside talking, one of them says to the other
say something about this human being. The other says Your ears hear and your heart
understands that, you and your believers (ümmet) situation is like this: One king builds a
habitation, and here he has a dwelling and then he prepares a housewarming here. Then he
sends messengers to his people and invites them. Some of them accept the messengers'
invitations, some of them do not. That is God: He is the king Habitation! Islam Dwelling!
Heaven and you, Mohammed is the Messenger..." 94
By this metaphors the verse of Qur'an "And [know that] God invites [man] unto the
abode of peace, and guides him that wills [to be guided] onto a straight way." 95 is explained.
While explaining Qur'an, Mohammed had talked in such a manner that his followers
could understand him. He had took the listeners' mood in consideration, and he had used the
most appropriate manner. He had made abstract expressions concrete, he had tried to
explain about phenomenon (gaybi) and pertaining to the other world like happiness and the
torments of hell, depending upon the listeners' manners. Because the aim is to invite people
from every level to the path of righteousness. It is not only to invite people from a particular
and high standard of culture. Because of this we always have to point out this characteristic
of Mohammed. Another example about His using metaphor is:
A Bedouin who wanted to take information about heaven came to Mohammed and
there was conversation between them as told: The Bedouin:
- Are there fruits in Heaven ?
- Yes, there are. There is a tree named Tuba.
- To which the tree from our world it resemble?
- It does not resemble to any trees from your world. Then Mohammed said:
- Have you ever been Damascus?
- No. Mohammed
- There is a tree in Damascus called Cavza (a kind of walnut or grape) to which it
resembles. It is a tree that rises high and its top spreads to the almost.

92 et-Taberi, v. XXX, s. 98.

93 Qur'an, 83/14.
94 Tirmizi, Kitabü'l-Emsal, 1. chapter.
95 Qur'an, 10/25. It is obvious that the term dar as-salam (abode of peace) denotes not only the condition of
ultimate happiness in the hereafter -alluded to in the allegory of paradise- but also the spiritual condition
of a true believer in this world: namely, a state of inner security, of peace with God, with one's natural
environment, and within oneself.

17
 - What is the wideness of its root?
- Even your new-born camel sets out and takes such a long journey that he grows
too old, it is still can not surrounds its root.
- Has it got any grapes?
- Yes.
- How big is the bunch?
- It takes as a month distance as the restless crow goes.
- How big its seed?
- Has your father ever cut animal's throut a big male goat from his flock?
- Yes, Then the Bedouin said:
- Then this heaven can feed both me and my family.
Mohammed:
- Yes, it also can feed your tribe, too. 96
This conversation shows how the verses of Qur'an, "And fruit abounding, never-failing and
never out of reach." 97 are explained to an Arabic Bedouin by Mohammed by using
metaphors depending on the things that this Bedouin was familiar to.
Another last example about this subject is: Mohammed replied one of the Bedouins
who asked about trumpet as "the trumpet is an horn which is blown up." 98 But in order to
abolish the belief that it is just a simple thorn that is in fact it has just a powerful noise that it
can make all people expired?, he said at another time that:
-"They can not carry this trumpet even all Mina community lift it." 99 Here the aim is to
tell about trumpet's dimension. Not to tell about its facts and realities. Unless there are such
metaphors, people can not imagine how this trumpet, as in verses of Qur'an, can manage all
these explained. 100 This kind of metaphors is criterion of thought about other world/life after
death.

96 Ahmed b. Hanbel, v. IV, p. 183-184.

97 Qur'an, 56/32-33.
98 et-Taberi, v. XVT, p.29.
99 et-Taberi,v. XVI,s.29.
100 Qur'an, 39/68.

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C- Metaphor and its Usages in the Sayings (Hadiths) of the Prophet
Mohammed
Metaphorical statements in the sayings of the Holy Prophet are in many kinds. One of the
ways of description the Prophet used is literary depictions. And these depictions may be
divided into two kinds.
a- Material and moral depictions about the unknown world. In such matters as God,
the doomsday, Heaven, Hell, Angel, Devil, etc., the Prophet used this kind of depiction. 101
Examples of this are.
1- According to what Aişa said, once the wives of the Prophet wanted to know 'who
will follow him just after his passing away? and the Holy Prophet replied: 'It is who has the
longest hand.' Upon that the wives began to measure their hands and found out that Savda
has the longest one. However, when they saw that one who died just after the Prophet was
Zaynab, they conceived what the Holy Prophet was trying to explain, To have a long hand',
in Arabic, means to be generous and not to be hand fisted. And it's known that the most
generous one among the wives of the Prophet was Zaynab. 102
2- Abu Said al-Hudri, one of the Prophet's companions, got his new clothings and put
on and when asked he replied: For the Holy Prophet has said: 'One who dies will resurrect
within the clothes he dies in'. 103 Yet the word used there (siyab, clothing) was used to
replace deed not real clothing. According to that, everybody will be resurrected with his
wordly deeds.
3- As narrated from Abu Hurayra the Holy Prophet said: 'God descends in after all
midnights and calls out: Whoever prays I'll accept his prayers, whoever wants me to give
something, I'll give and whoever wishes to be forgiven I'll forgive him." 104
On this hadiths many discussions took place between theologians and the people of
Hadiths. However, what the Prophet really meant in these sayings is neither His ascend to
nor his descend from heaven. What the Prophet really wants to emphasise is that His door of
mercy is always open and He always very close to the creatures.
4- The Holy Prophet said: "Whoever believes in God and the day to come, when he
comes across a situation either speak well or keep silent. Treat your wives well. Because
women were created from a rib. The upper side of a rib is bent (and sensitive). If you try to
make it smooth, you break it, if you completely leave her it remains bent, behave your wives
well.' 105

101 Sabbag,p.491.
102 Buhari,Zekat,1354.
103 Ebu Davud, Cenaiz, 3114.
104 Buhari, Teheccüd, 1094.
105 Buhari, Enbtya, 3153.

19
 Taking this hadith literally, we see that the material woman created from is not clay
but rib. But if we take it metaphorically we see that it has another meaning. This hadith
wants to emphasise that women are very sensitive. We have to keep their rights and we
should not torture them. 106
b- Material or moral depictions about phenomenal word. In such matters as Ablution,
Prayer, Calling to Prayer, Alms, Holy war, etc. The Prophet used this kind of depictions.107
Some examples of this kind are:
1- 'Fasting is like a shield.'108 Here the Prophet likens fasting to a shield. For the main
reason in prescription fasting as a duty for Muslims is to protect them from every sins, big
or small. 109 The Prophet likened it metaphorically to the shield, because like fasting shield,
also, protect the combatant from every sword blow.
2- 'Five times prayer are like a flowing stream in front of your home. Has he had any
dirt left if he take bath five times in it?" 110
Prophet Muhammad likened prayer to the flowing river. Because just as river cleanse
the dirties, prayers prevent faithful from committing sin and from bad behaviours.
3- The position of prayer within the religion resembles that of head on body" 111
The Holy Prophet uses this metaphor when he wants to do a description or to do a
comparison, hi accordance with the Islamic teaching, the relationship between material and
spiritual, phenomenon and noumenon, world and the world to come, abstract and concrete
has been dealt with in these kinds of comparison. 112 Two examples of this are:
1- 'Superiority of Qur'an to other words is like that of God to creatures.' 113
2- 'Heaven is closer you than your shoe tie, so is Hell. ' 114
And, also, the most important way of indirect expression is to use stories, symbolic stories
and parables. Prophet Muhammad sometimes, in order to express what he wants to, applies
to stories, symbolic stories and parables as in every languages and cultures.
It's possible to divide stories into three in content. Some of these are the experiences of
the Prophet experienced in his dream or when he was awake, like the stories on the
beginning of revelation and ascention.115 The number of this stories is around 15. Some of
106 Görmez, p.307.
107 Sabbağ, p.510.
108 Malik, Buhari, Müslim, Nesai, Tirmizi, (thk. Kudai, 1/63).
109 Qur'an, 2/183.
110 Ahmed, Müslim, Beyhaki, EbuNuaym, (thk. Deylemi, 2/142).
111 Ahmed, Müslim, Ebu Davud, Tirmizi, İbn Mace, Taberani, Beğavi, (Kudai, 1/182).
112 Sabbağ, p.491-510.
113 Beyhaki, Ebu Ya'la, Tirmizi, İbn Adiyy, (Deylemi, III/126).
114 Buhari, Ahmed, İbn Asakir, (Deylemi, 2/116).
115 Sabbağ, p.492.

20
these stories belong to the unknown. And we can, also, divide these stories into two.
Historical stories of the past, and the events will take place in the future. Historical stories
were mentioned in two ways: Some of these about ex-prophets and communities, some of
which were mentioned without relating to any community. These, mainly, were mentioned
to give a message. They were not told in detail. And stories about future mostly relate to
Doomsday, the world to come, Anti-Christ, Ya'cuc-Ma'cuc, the descend of Jesus, The
scenes of Doomsday and depictions of Heaven and Hell. 116
Some stories told by the Holy Prophet are symbolical ones. These stories are related to
unreal events. This is a way of indirect expression of an event to give a message to the
community. 117
Another way of indirect expression of the Holy Prophet is parables. As these parables
are different from symbolic stories they are also different from proverbs in the Arabic
literature. Proverbs consisting of short statements are really historical proverbs. They relate
to a historical event. But parables of hadiths are ways of expressing a reality. 118 These are
the ways and modes of an oral culture rather than a written one. Both in the Holy Qur'an and
Hadiths, this way of expression is chosen to make abstract knowledge tangible and
understandable. 119 Examples of these are:
1- That who sits and listens to the wise sayings, but later tells only the bad ones looks
like that following man: A man says to a shepherd: O shepherd! Choose a ram for me from
your sheep. And the shepherd replies: Go and choose the best. The man goes and chooses
the dog.' 120
2- 'My example and yours resemble that: A man sets a fire. When the fire enlightens
its around the butterfly and other small living on the ground throw themselves to the fire
without doubt. You also want to throw yourself into the fire, but I try to keep you away
from fire.' 121
3- The example of the world and me is like that: A passenger remained in the shadow
of a tree for a while and left there...' 122
4- 'God gets very pleased from faithful's repentance more than who finds his lost, than
who gets water after being thirsty and than who gets a child after years.' 123
Here the Prophet Muhammad uses parable to emphasise on the repentance in the
presence of God.

116 Zir, el-Kasas fi'1-Hadisi'n-Nebevi, p.333.

117 Zir, p.194.
118 Ramehurmuzi, Emsalu'l-Hadis, p.8.
119 Ramehunnuzi, p.5.
120 Ahmed, İbn Mace, İbn Meni', Tayalisi, Askeri, (Deylemi, 4/135-136).
121 Ahmed, Buhari, Müslim, Tirmizi, Taberani, (Kudai, 2/176; Deylemi, 4/129).
122 Ahmed, Tirmizi, İbn Mace, Ebu Ya'la, Hakim, Ebu Nuaym, Ebu'ş-Şeyh, Ziya, (Kudai, 2/290).
123 İbn Mace, İbn Ebi Şeybe, (Deylemi, I/164).

21
 5- The example of those who keep the rules of God and those who don't looks like
this: There are some people who want to share the upper and down part of a ship. Some held
the upper and some others down part as shares. Those who are on the down part go up and
take water and cause to leap others. Upon that the upper ones say: We can't let you come up
and torture us. Others say: Then we will make a hole underneath the ship and take our
water. Now if they prevent them they all escape, if they leave them on their own all get
drown.' 124
In this parable individual liberties and social responsibilities are emphasised on. They
are ones within others. This situation is likened to a ship that has many kind of passengers
and that sails in a sea covered with waves. There are the captain, crew, workers and many
passengers. Each of which has the responsibility of carrying out his task. There is a good co-
ordination in the ship. Safety of the ship depends on this co-ordination and carrying out their
responsibilities.
6- 'A time will come upon humankinds, in which faithful's heart will melt like salt
melts in water, because he will feel that he can't do anything against bad behaviours.' 125
Another way of expression of the Holy Prophet in indirect explanation is conceptualisation.
As we have mentioned earlier very discipline has its own language system. Many concepts
of this language system, belong partially to daily language and partially to what out of it.
Besides, every language system on its own provides a conceptual framework which shapes
its own language. 126 The Holy Prophet, sometimes, gave a meaning to what his community
use in daily life and sometimes widened its conceptual framework. And sometimes gave
counter sense to the words. 127 Some examples of determining and emphasising a reality by
conceptualising it are:
1- As Abdullah b. Mas'ud narrates, once upon a day the Prophet asks his companions:
To your opinion who is the real wrestler? They reply: It is who nobody overcome him.
Upon that he says: No, the real wrestler is who keeps himself when he gets into rage.' 128
2- In the same narration the Prophet, again, asks: 'In your opinion who is the Rakub?
we replied: It is who had no children. 'No' he said, the real Rakub is one whose children
never die.'
Normally in Arabic language "Rakub" is said to have no children. The Prophet
Muhammad was also a Rakub by his sons. But, most likely for consolation, the Prophet
Muhammad gave it a counter sense and said Rakub is one whose children never die. 129 For,

124 Buhari, Şirket, 6.

125 Deylemi, 5/440.
126 Grünberg, p.l9.
127 Görmez, p.313.
128 Müslim, Birr, 106.
129 Müslim, Birr, 106.

22
according to him, after suffering from a disaster like losing a child, if a person is still patient
one, he takes his reward. 130
3- As narrated from Abu Huraira, the Holy Prophet had said: 'Do you know whom we
call bankrupt? The people around said: To us bankrupt is who has used up his all money. He
(said 'you are wrong and) went on: The bankrupt is who prayed, gave alms, fasted: but at the
same time blashemed and swore on, ate properties of others injustically, shed blood of
people and beat them. And with these he comes to the presence of God in the life to come.
First his good deeds will be taken out of him and be given to whom it was indebted. If not
enough, their bad deeds will be taken out of them and be given to that man (He is the real
Bankrupt).' 131
4- Abdullah b. Mas'ud narrates that the Holy Prophet said: 'Shame of God. We said,
praise to God, we shame of God. Then he replies: Not as you understand. Whoever shames
of God protect his eye, ear, tongue from every evil. Recall death and examination after
death. Whoever does this three things he is the real one who shames of God.' 132
Here the Prophet widened the conceptual framework of 'shame' and included in it the
shame between God and man.
Another way of indirect expression is stimulating targib and threaten (tarhib) whether
written or oral to express and proclaim something may be in four kinds:
1- Logical arguments: As we call it demonstration. This argument applies to the
human intellect. This is the highest level of expression and proclamation.
2- Dialectic: Although it applies to the intellect, it uses syllogism and some deductions
to persuade the rivals.
3- Rhetoric: More than intellect, here, people try to persuade their rivals sensitively
and effectively.
4- Preaching: Although it comprises the three methods we mentioned above, it has its
own ways. It's possible to divide it into two:
a- Stimulation and encouragement: To encourage people to do something by telling
them parables and stories and to make them get accustomed to doing something with softness.
b- Threat: By threating a person to cause him to keep away from something.
All these ways of expression vary according to the attitude of the addressee. To encourage the
ordinary people we use a different mode and to encourage the leaders another one. Similarly
to threaten the sinners we use a mode, and to threat a wise men we use another mode. 133
130 Görmez, p. 315.
131 Müslim, Birr, 59.
132 Nisaburi, Mustedrek, v. IV, 324.
133 Yemani, el-Avasım ve'l-Kasım fi'z-Zebbi an Surmeti Ebi Kasım, v. I, p. 228-234. See again. Görmez, p. 317.

23
 God, in the Qur'an, instructed the Prophet to invite people to his religion in three ways:
'Call thou [all mankind] unto thy Sustained path with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and
argue with them in the most kindly manner...'134 : Wisdom, goodly advice (exhortation),
good discussion. Some scholars explained wisdom as logical explanations, and good advise
as encouragement and threat. Among the duties the Holy Qur'an enforced Muhammad the
Prophet are to frighten and to bring good news. In accordance with that when warning
people he used the method of threat and encouragement. This method which has direct
relation with Mohammed's task may include all kinds of indirect explanation. So when
threating or giving a good news he used metaphors to be understood well. If we claim that
Muhammad did not use metaphor in his hadiths and try to understand the hadiths in their
literal meaning this will prevent the faithfuls from understanding hadiths in their real
meaning. 135 For instance there are hadiths with regard the superiority of verses or surahs of
Qur'an each other. 'Fatiha (the opening chapter) is superior to all surahs', 'Ayat el-Kursi is
the head of the Qur'an', 'Ya-sin is the heart of the Qur'an.' In these hadiths no literal meaning
was given. But this kind of hadiths encourage people to read them constantly. In fact it's
possible to thematize the metaphors the Prophet used in threating or in encouraging people.
But in so far as it would be to go extremes we only give examples:
1- 'All of you are shepherds and responsible for whom you have under your control.' 136
2- 'Knowledge is the friend of faithful. Mildness is his minister. Reason is his guide.
Practise is his arranger. Kindness is his brother. Mercy (and delicacy) are his father.
Patience is commander of his soldiers.' 137
This hadith comprises as metaphor from point of transmission (tablig). In such a manner
that faithful if left alone takes his knowledge as a friend. Just as a person talks his friend
when they are alone, the faithful and his knowledge are like this.
Thank to the mildness the faithful may easily overcome difficulties.
In the darkness problems the faithful using his intellect to solve his problems, may
prevent himself from every danger.
Faithful with his kindness gains his friends confidence and love. Their friendship gets
better and better. So kindness is also brother of him. For thus their friendship ties last.
As kindship is the brother of faithful, mercy becomes his father. For kindship always
tends to mercy.

134 Qur'an, 16/125. Cf. 'And do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in the most
kindly manner.' (29/46). This stress on kindness and tact and, hence, on the use of reason alone in all
religious discussions with adherents of other creeds is fully in tune with basic, categorical injunction,
There shall be no coercion in matters of faith' (Qur'an, 2/256).
135 Görmez, p. 319.
136 Ahmed, Buhari, Müslim, Ebu Davud, Tirmizi, Taberani, (Kudai I/152).
137 Beyhaki, Ebu Nuaym, Ebu'ş-Şeyh, (Deylemi, III/69).

24
 To be patient keeps faithful always in co-ordination with others. Thank to his patience
he protects himself from enemies, gains his aims, that"s patience is the commander that
leads all of these soldiers. 138
3- 'Faithful is the mirror of faithful." 139
This hadith includes metaphor in two ways:
a- That's faithful sees his echos, good or bad, in his faithful brother. In such a manner
that when a faithful does him a bad deed he warns him, gives him good advice and if does
favour he congratulates and encourages him. In brief listens his own evaluation from the
tongue of his brother, the faithful.
b- Or: faithful sees the favours of his brother and tries to do same things or sees his
bad deeds and tries to keep himself away from these. 140
4- 'One among you sees the sticks and strows in his brother's eye, but doesn't see the
tree-stump in his eye!' 141
5- Those who learn knowledge in their youth resemble those who carve (a shape) on a
tree, and those who learn in their old age resemble those who write on water.' 142
6- 'My community looks like rain, it is not clear whether its beginning or end is
good.' 143
Particularly from the point of understanding Islam there are signs that there may be better
ones among antecedents than those who went earlier.
7- Those who eat thankfully resemble those who fast patiently.' 144

8- 'Faithfuls are like a unique body in co-operation and in showing mercy each other.
When an organ gets ill, other parts of body, also, accompany it (in insomnia and in
fever).' 145
9- If you like something (with excessive addiction) that makes you blind and deaf.' 146
That means, if somebody likes something excessively, almost likely, he can't be aware of

138 Şerif Rıday, Mecazat, p.196.

139 Buhari (el- Edebu'l- Mutred'de), Ebu Davud, Taberani, Bezzar, Ebu'ş-Şeyh, (Kudai, I/105-106)
140 Şerif Rıday, p.79.
141 Ahmed, Buhari (el- edebu'l- Mutred'de), Ebu Nuaym, İbn Hıbban, İbn Said (Zevaidu'z-zuhd libni
Mubarek'de), K. Emsal-E şeyh, 258.
142 Taberani, Askeri, (Deylemi, II/135).
143 Ahmed, Tirmizi, tayalisi, Ebu'ş-Şeyh, Ebu Ya'la, İbn Adiyy, İbn Asakir, Darekutni, Hatib, Bezzar, İbn
Hıbban, Taberani, Ebu Nuaym, Ebu Davud, Ramehurmuzi, Deylemi, (Kudai, II/276; Tezkira, 217).
144 Ahmed, Begavi, Beyhaki, Abdurrezzak, Ebu Nuaym, Taberani, Darimi, (Deylemi, II/464).
145 Ahmed, Buhari, Müslim, Beyhaki, Ebu'ş-Şeyh, Ebu Nuaym, Tayalisi, Taberani, Beğavi, (Kudai, II/283-284).
146 Ahmed, Ebu Davud, Haraiti, İbn Asakir, Buhari (et-Tarih'de), (Kenz, 16/115).

25
the defects it has. And he behaves as if nothing bad was about it.
10- Even though a faithful tears his clothing, he mends it by patching.'" 147
That means if a faithful makes a mistake, just after it he does a favour or regrets. As if he
tore his religion by falling into sin, but mended it by repentance. 148
11- Those who teach mankinds what is good but forget it themselves look like a candle
which enlightens its around but uses itself up.' 149
12- 'Keep away from praising people to themselves. For to do that resembles cutting
his throat." 150
13- If you come across those who praise you to yourself throw a piece of clay to their
151
face.'
This praise doesn't mean an evaluation for a good deed. But a praise to get an interest as the
people call it 'unctuous'. Besides, To throw clay to the face of someone', in Arabic', means
depriving someone by not giving him anything. In the hadiths it means, metaphorically, to
make someone ashamed of. 152
14- To be jealous of other's properties and to desire to pass out of their possession eats
one's good deeds, just a fire eats wood.' 153
15- The remedy of not knowing how to do is asking question." 154
16- 'Sleep is the brother of death." 155
17- Nobody is worse than stingy one.' 156
18- 'Prayer is the pistol of the faithful." 157
19- 'Alms kills our mistakes, just as water puts out a fire.' 158
20- 'Heaven is under the feet of mothers." 159
That means to obtain their consent leads us to the Heaven.

147 Bezzar, (Kenz I/143).

148 Şerif Rıday,p.173.
149 Taberani, Bezzar, K. Emsal, E. Şeyh, 325; Taberani, (Deylemi, III/73).
150 Ahmed, İbn Ebi şeybe, İbn Mace, Taberani, (Kudai, II/94; Deylemi, I/384).
151 Ebu Davud, Edeb, 9.
152 Görmez, p.305.
153 İbn Mace, Ebu Davud, Beyhaki, Hatib, (Kudai, II/136).
154 Ahmed, Ebu Davud, İbn Mace, Darekutni, Hakim, Beyhaki, Beğavi, Darimi, İbni'l-Carud, İbn
Huzeyme, İbn Hıbban, Taberani, Ebu Nuaym, (Kudai, II/190; Deylemi, II/358).
155 Beyhaki, Bezzar, Taberani, (Deylemi, 4/309).
156 Buhari (el-Edebu'1-mutred), Ebu'ş-Şeyh, Ebu Nuaym, Hatib, Ahmed, Taberani, Hakim, Abdurrezzak,
(Kudai, I/192).
157 Ebu Ya'la, Hakim, İbn Adiyy, (Kudai, I/116).
158 Ahmed, Abdurrezzak, Tirmizi, İbn Mace, Nesai, Taberani, (Kudai, I/95; Deylemi, II/412).
159 Ahmed, Nesai, İbn Mace, Hakim, Taberani, Dulabi, Sa'lebi, Ebu'ş-Şeyh, Hatib, (Kudai, I/102-103).

26
 21- 'Seek goodness (good deeds) near beautiful faces." 160
22- 'Just as vinegar spoils honey, bad morality spoils good deeds.' 161
Although man performs his prayers and does favours, if he is not a moral man, his goodness
goes away.
23- The faithful resembles a bee.
- He eats only what is clean.
- He eats merely clear products.
- When settles a thin plant it doesn't break it.
And, again, the faithful resemble a piece of golden:
- When blowing out heat it gets red and than comes out with purity.
- When put into scale it doesn't loose its weight.' 162
The Holy Prophet correlates the characteristics of bee to those of faithful and leads faithfuls
to think about that. For instance:
a- Many birds strive only for themselves not for others. But bees strive for their
owners. Likewise a faithful strives in this world for God, arranges his life according to what
God ordered. Consequently his real aim is to realize God's orders and gain His sake, not his
own ambitions.
b- When settled on a plant, bee takes merely what is useful for it and never harm it. So
does a faithful one in this world. He harms neither his home nor the nature and he is never a
wasteful man.
c- Bee always keeps itself away from dirt. So does faithful. He keeps limbs away from
every badness and bad things.
d- Bee eats clear things and gives clear outputs. Likewise faithful eats lawful things
and realizes good deeds.
e- Bee itself gains its profit and offers it to others. It has no particular desire for others'.
So does the faithful.
f- Although there may be some sick bees among the piles of bees, every thing is
allright in the beehive as long as the queen-bee is allright Likewise so long as the rulers of
Muslim community are good ones, the sick ones never do harm to the structure of
community. 163
23- The example of faithful reading Qur'an resembles an orange. Its smell good, and

160 Buhari (et-Tarihu'1-Kebir'de), İbn Ebi'd-Dünya, Ebu Ya'la, Beyhaki, Taberani, Hatib, Temmam, İbn
Adiyy, İbn Hamid, İbn Asakir, Bezzar, (Kitabu'l- Emsal, Ebu'ş-Şeyh, 106-112).
161 İbn Hıbban, Ebu Nuaym, Hakim, Deylemi, Taberani, Beyhaki,( K. Emsal, E. şeyh, 334).
162 Kudai, II/277-278; Kenz, I/158.
163 Ebu Talib el-Mekki, İlmu'l-Kulub, p.258-269.

27
its taste also pleasant. The example of faithful not reading Qur'an resembles a date. It has no
smell, but its taste pleasant. The example of hypocrites reading Qur'an resemble sweet-basil.
It smells well, but its taste is bitter. The example of hypocrites not reading Qur'an resemble
a wild melon. It has no smell and its taste is bitter." 164
In this hadith the position of those who read Qur'an and those who don't is depicted.
These are four groups:

- The faithful reading the Qur'an, his heart and word are clear.
- The faithful not reading the Qur'an, his heart is clear.
- Those hypocrites whose words and behaviours look well because of their
hypocrisy.
- Those who show their hypocrisy with their behaviours.
The Holy Prophet presents these ideas in four depictions:
The first metaphor. Those faithfuls who read Qur'an, thinking about its meaning, and
echo their knowledge to their behaviours resemble an orange tree, which has an excellent
taste and smell.
The second metaphor. Those faithfuls whose hearts are clear resemble date. It's good
for health but its use lesser than that of orange.
The third metaphor. Those who read Qur'an but inwardly hypocrites resemble sweet-
basil. Its appearance good but its taste very bad.
The fourth metaphor. Those hypocrites who are internally and externally bad ones
resemble a wild melon. Both its smell and taste are bad. 165
The aspect of likening in these metaphors comprises of two senses: namely smell and taste,
the Holy Prophet gives his examples from what grows up from ground and from a tree.
Because there is a correlation between man's deeds and these objects. Deeds are the fruits of
the soul. The Prophet particularised orange and date, which come out of tree, and left wild
melon and sweet-basil to the hypocrite, which come out of ground. Thus highlighted
Muslim's value, and paid attention to the simplicity and uselessness of hypocrite personality.
We conceive that the Holy Prophet used every kind of metaphors to express the religion
to its addressee truly. The reason why he used metaphors traces from the fact that the Holy
Qur'an used metaphors and Arabic language was a convenient language to use them.
Or rather the most suitable method in expressing the content of religion was using
metaphors. So the Prophet may have used them.

164 Buhari Etime, 30; Müslim, Salatü'l-Müsafirin, 243; Davud, Edeb, 16; Tirmizi Edeb, 79; Nesai, İman 32.
165 el-Haşimi, p.215-216.

28
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