and, Allah willing, we shall discuss the term “interpretation” and its meanings in the Quran and Sunnah, in the discourse of Quranic commentators, jurists, and theologians, and elsewhere. In this technical usage, the term “interpretation” is narrower in scope than in the usage of many of the early generations, Quranic commentators, and imams. It also differs from the meaning of the term in the Quran.

In his usage and that of many later theologians, jurists, legal theorists, and dialecticians, “interpretation” means turning an expression away from its apparent meaning to another meaning on the basis of evidence. Hence they say, “Interpretation is a departure from the default rule,” and, “Interpretation requires evidence.” They also discuss interpretations and their classification as acceptable or rejected.

According to this usage, retaining a statement’s apparent meaning and explaining it in accordance with that meaning does not constitute interpretation. This is a specific technical usage, although it has become widespread among the later scholars of these groups.

As for the term “interpretation” as used by most of the early generations and early imams