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وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ
"And these examples We present to the people, but none grasp them except those of knowledge."
— Al-Ankabut 29:43
Two parables that translate the same way often do not mean the same thing; each image carries its own wisdom within its context.
ʿILM AL-AMTHĀL · THE QUR'AN'S LANGUAGE OF PARABLE
Atlas of Quranic Parables
Water, light, plant, animal: every motif carries a wisdom
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Motif Domains
The 8 motif domains Quranic parables draw from, 50 motifs. Tap a domain to jump to the filtered catalogue.
Classical Sources
el-Mâverdî
Amthāl al-Qurʾān
974–1058 (Basra)
One of the early standalone compilations on Quranic parables; analyzes each parable's structure, wisdom, and rhetorical purpose.
ez-Zemahşerî
al-Kashshāf
1075–1144 (Harezm)
Classical peak of tafsir on the rhetorical architecture of parables (simile, analogy, metaphor).
es-Süyûtî
al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān
1445–1505 (Kahire)
Chapter on amthāl (§66); positions parables within Quranic rhetoric.
er-Râzî
Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb
1149–1209 (Rey)
Tafsir combining parables with theological wisdom; unpacks metaphors like the mosquito and spider.