of fire. (1)

Ibn Jarir said: Muhammad ibn Bashar narrated to us; he said: Muʿammil narrated to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us from Abu al-Zinad, who said: Ibn ʿAbbas stated, “Tafsir falls into four categories: a meaning the Arabs grasp from their own speech; a meaning for whose ignorance no one is excused; a meaning known to the scholars; and a meaning known only to Allah, may His mention be exalted.” Allah, Glorified and Exalted, knows best.

Explanation
These, then, are four divisions:

1. An interpretation the Arabs recognize from their language—words whose lexical sense is clear, such as al-kahf (cave), al-ʿarsh (throne), al-surur (couches), munḍūda (arranged), al-ṭalḥ (banana trees), and the like.

2. An interpretation for which no one is excused for being unaware—that is, the explanation of what one must believe or put into practice, such as understanding Allah’s command, “Establish the prayer.” We are obliged to know what “establishing the prayer” entails. The same applies to matters of creed, like believing in the messengers; no one is excused for ignorance of these.

3. An interpretation known to the scholars, such as what is general and specific, absolute and qualified, abrogating and abrogated, and the rulings that stem from these. Not everyone masters this, nor is it required of every individual; it is a communal duty.

4. An interpretation known only to Allah. Whoever claims to know it is a liar. This includes, as some narrations phrase it, knowledge of the true realities and modalities of Allah’s attributes, and the exact nature of what He has told us regarding the Day of Resurrection, Paradise, Hell, and similar matters that lie beyond our comprehension. Anyone who claims such knowledge is indeed lying, for none knows it except Allah.