What does the word “mubin” mean in the Holy Qur’an?

“Mubin” means evident and clear, and at the same time clarifying. It describes something you do not have to search for or examine first, because it lies open before you, and this meaning stays the same wherever the word is used.

The Arabic word mubin appears very often in the Holy Qur’an, in some chapters even several times. One might think it has a different meaning in each place. In fact its core always stays the same.

Mubin is something that is evident. There is nothing hidden about it. It is clear, and at the same time it makes other things clear. Both sides belong together. A book that is mubin is not only easy to understand in itself, it also sheds light on what it speaks about. That is why the clear Book stands next to the light in the second verse above.

The word carries the same meaning when it is linked to an error. A manifest error is one where you do not first have to investigate whether it is wrong. Anyone can see it. In the same way, a path that is mubin is one you do not need to search for. It lies open before you, and you only have to take it.

So the word fits every place where it appears. It gives what it describes the quality of openness and clarity. When the Holy Qur’an calls itself by this word, it is saying that its message is not hidden behind riddles. Whoever looks for it finds it open before him.