taʾwīl

In Islam, ta'wil refers to the allegorical interpretation of the Qur'an. This practice is used to reconcile seemingly contradictory descriptions of God within Islamic scripture. While the Qur'an emphasizes God's uniqueness, it also uses anthropomorphic language, describing God with human attributes like eyes and hands.

Muslim theologians have debated how to interpret these passages. Some argue for allegorical readings, believing human language is insufficient to describe God. Others, like al-Ash'ari, maintained that such descriptions should be taken literally without questioning their nature. Sufis, or Muslim mystics, also employ ta'wil in their love poetry to God, interpreting it allegorically. The fear of tashbih (anthropomorphism) is that it can lead to idolatry, while its opposite, ta'til (divesting God of attributes), can lead to atheism.1