Allah addressed Moses—together with other matters that the Quran leaves deliberately ambiguous, matters whose precise identification brings no benefit to those morally responsible, neither for their worldly life nor for their religion. Reporting the variant opinions transmitted about them is, however, permissible, as Allah the Exalted says:
“They will say, ‘Three—their dog is the fourth of them.’ And they will say, ‘Five—their dog is the sixth,’ guessing at the unseen. And they will say, ‘Seven—and their dog is the eighth.’ Say, ‘My Lord knows best their number; none knows them but a few.’ So do not argue about them except with clear argumentation, and do not seek a ruling from any of them concerning them.” ⦗al-Kahf 18:22⦘
This noble verse embodies the proper etiquette in such situations and teaches the conduct that is required. Allah relates three opinions about their number, weakens the first two, and remains silent about the third, which indicates its correctness—had it been false He would have rejected it as He rejected the others. He then directs us to recognize that learning their precise number is of no consequence, and to say in such a case: “My Lord knows best their number,” for only a few whom Allah informs truly know it. Hence His words: “So do not argue about them except with clear argumentation,” meaning: do not expend your effort on what yields no benefit, and do not ask them about it, for they have nothing but conjecture about the unseen.
This, then, is the finest method for recounting a dispute: to set out all the reported views on the matter, to identify the sound opinion, to invalidate what is unsound, and to explain the usefulness and outcome of the disagreement—so that controversy does not drag on over something fruitless and divert people from what is more important.
As for the one who reports a disagreement on an issue yet fails to include all the opinions, he is wanting, for the correct view may be precisely the one he omitted. Likewise, the one who merely cites the conflicting views without indicating which is sound is also deficient.