Section

On this basis (1) rests the discussion in (2)

Chapter Two: The division of taʾwīl into sound and unsound

Sound taʾwīl comprises the first two categories: the actual meaning and what it ultimately refers to in external reality, that is, its explanation and elucidation. This form of interpretation applies to both the unequivocal (muhkam) and the ambiguous (mutashābih) passages, as well as to commands and reports alike.

Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh related, concerning the Farewell Pilgrimage, that “the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was still among us; the Quran was being revealed to him, and he knew its taʾwīl. Whatever part of it he acted upon, we acted upon as well.” (3) His—peace and blessings be upon him—knowledge of its taʾwīl was his knowledge of its explanation and the indications it contained, while his acting upon it (4) constituted the taʾwīl of what he had been commanded to do or refrain from.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered Mecca during the ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah was holding the reins of his camel, chanting: (5)