In the two Sahīh collections, al-Shaʿbī reports that ʿAdī ibn Hātim said: “When the words ‘Until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread’ were revealed, I took a black cord and a white cord and placed them beneath my pillow. I kept looking at them during the night, but could not distinguish between them. In the morning, I went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned this to him. He said, ‘What is meant is the blackness of night and the whiteness of day.’” In another version, he said: “Then your pillow must indeed be wide!”

The same thing has happened to some people we ourselves have known. There is no doubt that these people were mistaken about what they took to be the apparent meaning—not because of any deficiency in the clarity of the wording or its indication, but because of their own deficient understanding. For Allah Most High said:

“Until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread.”

He thus mentioned two threads, each designated by a singular noun made definite with the article al-. This article directs the reference to the familiar thread