Two Named Fuqaha: Musa and Muhammad
The Quran gives the name “Furqan” not only to Muhammad’s revelation but to what was given to Musa and Harun (21:48). This was noted by early tafsir scholars as significant: if Furqan means the Quran specifically, the verse makes no sense. The classical solution: Furqan is a quality — criterion, distinguishing principle — not a specific text.
Ismaili ta’wil takes this further: the Furqan is the living function of the Natiq-Asas pair in each prophetic cycle. Moses (Musa) as Natiq and Aaron (Harun) as Asas together constituted the Furqan of their era. Muhammad as Natiq and Ali as Asas constituted the Furqan of the Islamic cycle. The Imam inherits this function.
The Imam as Living Criterion
In practice, this means:
Epistemic function: Disputes about interpretation are referred to the Imam. No amount of textual argument settles a disputed question without the Imam’s guidance — because the text requires an authoritative interpreter, and the Imam is the authorized criterion.
Social function: The community around the Imam is the distinguishing sign: those who accept the Imam’s walayah are on the side of haqq; those who reject it, regardless of their other piety, are in batil. This is a strong claim, but it follows from 25:1 if the Imam is the Furqan.
Eschatological function: “The Day of Furqan” in 8:41 refers to Badr — the battle that separated the community of Islam from the community of shirk. The Imam continues this separation in every age.
See also: Ismaili Tawil Of Al Quran Al Karim, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Kitab Al Mubeen, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Iman, Bayah And Walayah, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation