in general, they do not call such usage figurative. It should also be understood that the meaning assigned to a word in isolation may differ from its meaning when combined with other words; indeed, this is true of most words. These preliminary points require fuller treatment, which we shall provide in the appropriate place.

Our purpose here is simply to point out that many people claim a particular apparent meaning for the Quran and transmitted reports: they either claim that it accords with their views or, in order to reinterpret it, that it conflicts with them. Yet their claim is false. This question must therefore be carefully examined first, for it is an important issue concerning which various groups have gone astray and stumbled. These are the people whose views scholars reject, as stated in the hadith:

“This knowledge will be borne by the upright of every successive generation, who will defend it against the distortions of the arrogant, the false claims of those who promote falsehood, and the misinterpretations of the ignorant.”