by the author, may Allah have mercy on him?

The answer is that he adopted a view that is unknown among the Companions and the Successors who followed them with excellence; with respect to that particular statement he is an innovator. Still, we do not give him the absolute, unrestricted label, even though this one statement of his is innovative.

Another question may be raised: in the so-called “scientific commentaries” that appeal to modern discoveries, an exegete may explain a verse without any explicit textual proof—meaning there is no hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—while there do exist statements from the Companions or other early scholars about the verse, sometimes more than one. Relying instead on Arabic linguistics or on contemporary scientific findings, he offers his own explanation. What ruling applies here? Does the earlier principle mean that such a person is to be called an innovator?

The reply is: if the wording of the Quran truly accommodates that meaning and it does not run counter to the understanding of the early generations, then he is not an innovator. If, however, it contradicts their understanding, we say he has innovated and we reject his view. In most cases these modern discoveries were simply unmentioned by the earlier scholars because they had no knowledge of them. The Quran may allude to them in a general sense, but that it points to them specifically is unlikely; had it done so, the Companions would have known and would have explained the verse accordingly. Therefore, if the scientific discovery is genuinely encompassed by the verse, it may be accepted; if not, the claim must be dismissed.

For example, some have interpreted the word “trial” (fitnah) as referring to intellectual invasion, and this is acceptable, for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) foretold: “Trials will come like pieces of a dark night: a man will wake up a believer…"