except Allah. Those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say, “We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord,” and none take heed save people of insight.

[The dispute over whether the ambiguous verses can be interpreted]

The overwhelming majority of the ummah’s early and later generations hold that one should pause at His words, “and none knows its interpretation except Allah.” This is the position transmitted from Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿAbbās and others. It is related that Ibn ʿAbbās said: “Tafsīr is of four kinds: a meaning the Arabs grasp from their own language; a meaning no one is excused for ignoring; a meaning known to the scholars; and a meaning known only to Allah—whoever claims to know it is a liar.”

It has also been narrated from Mujāhid and a number of other scholars that those firmly rooted in knowledge do know its interpretation. Mujāhid said: “I presented the entire muṣḥaf to Ibn ʿAbbās from…"