The Qur'an says of itself that it contains two kinds of ayat, both of which are fundamental components of the book, and both of which must be accepted:

'He it is who has sent down to thee the Book: in it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the book: others are allegorical, that is those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except God and those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the book; the whole of it is from our Lord;" and none will grasp the message except men of understanding' (Al-Qur'an 3: 7).

Here muhkamat and mutashabihat are described as follows:

muhkama:

• Something of which knowledge was desired.
• Something with only one dimension.
• Something sufflcient in meaning, requiring no further explanation.

mutashabihat:

• Something known to Allah only.
• Something with more than one dimension.
• Something requiring further explanation.