recite—because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to seek refuge when he intended to recite, not after he had finished.
If no sound proof indicates such a shift, the move is invalid and blameworthy, and deserves to be called distortion rather than taʾwīl.
A case in point is Allah’s statement: “The Most Merciful rose over (istawā ʿalā) the Throne” (20:5). Its apparent sense is that Allah exalted Himself above the Throne in a manner befitting His majesty, and that is exactly what is meant. To reinterpret it as “He conquered” or “took possession” is a false and censurable taʾwīl, a distortion of the words from their contexts, because there is no sound evidence to support it.
Section
Know that Allah has described the Quran as muhkam (precise), as mutashābih (similar), and as partly muhkam and partly mutashābih.

1. The first description appears in His words: “These are the verses of the Wise Book” (31:2).
2. The second appears in His words: “Allah has sent down the best discourse, a Book consistent in its likeness” (39:23).
3. The third appears in His words: “It is He who has sent down to you the Book; in it are verses that are muhkam—they are the foundation of the Book—and others that are mutashābih” (3:7).
   – The ihkām (precision) attributed to the entire Quran means its flawless perfection in wording and meaning: every expression of the Quran is at the pinnacle of clarity, eloquence, and rhetoric, and every meaning it conveys is of the highest rank, the most sublime, and the most beneficial to creation, containing complete truthfulness in its reports and perfect guidance and justice in its rulings, as Allah says: “The Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice” (6:115).
   – The tashābuh (similarity) attributed to the whole Quran refers to its uniform excellence