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Similar Verses (Mutashabihat)

Similar verses (mutashabihat) are verses that look or sound almost identical — the number one source of "I knew it, but I said the other one."

How the App Marks Them​

  • Verse groups that contain a look-alike verse are tagged automatically, so you can find them all in the Anki Browser.
  • The back of the card lists the similar references (for example 2:23 and 11:45) so you can compare them.
  • For similar-verse groups, extra context verses appear after you reveal everything — that wider window helps you verify exactly which verse you recalled. The front never gives hints before you've tried to recall.

How to Check — In the Anki Browser​

  • All groups with similarities: open Browse and search tag:mutashabihat.
  • Due similar verses first (priority): search tag:mutashabihat is:due.
  • One Surah: search tag:mutashabihat tag:surah::2 to see the confusable groups in that Surah.
  • On the card: the back lists the similar references. To open the other group, search for its verse number in the Browser.

How to Deal With Them — Logic, Not Tricks​

  1. When it happens (you got it wrong): you pressed Again because you said the other verse. Immediately flag the card red (or add a similar-error tag). Do not just postpone it — flag it so you can find it later.

  2. Fix the map (separate them visually):

    • Open Anki Deck, pick that Surah, and edit the mindmap.
    • Place the two similar verses on different main branches, far apart. Add a thematic cue that distinguishes them — for example, one belongs to a story about a challenge, the other to the story of Nuh's son. Draw that difference.
    • Save, export, and re-import. Your review progress on that card is kept until you reset it.

  3. Weekly habit (before it happens): pick one Surah with similar verses, explain its groups out loud using the map, and for each similar reference, recite both verses and say the thematic difference out loud.

Why This Matters​

Letter tricks fade. Thematic flow plus spatial separation on the mindmap gives you a retrieval cue that survives spaced repetition. The extra context verses on the card are your verification tool after recall — not a hint before.

Searches to keep: tag:mutashabihat, tag:leech, red flags, deck:QuranLife is:due