The second sense is that taʾwīl means “exegesis.” This is the usage that predominates among the Qur’an commentators. Thus Ibn Jarir and other authors of tafsir will often write, “The scholars of taʾwīl have differed.” Mujahid—the leading authority in exegesis—was praised by Sufyan al-Thawri, who said, “When a commentary reaches you from Mujahid, that alone suffices.” Al-Shafiʿi, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Bukhari and others relied on his explanations. Therefore, whenever it is reported that someone “knows the taʾwīl of the ambiguous verses,” what is meant is that he knows their interpretation.

A third meaning of taʾwīl is the concrete reality to which the words ultimately point, as in the verse: “Are they waiting for anything but its final fulfillment? On the Day that its fulfillment comes, those who had neglected it before will say, ‘Indeed, the messengers of our Lord did come with the truth’” (Qur’an 7:53).