not of believers who affirm Allah’s oneness. Although these people say that those firmly grounded in knowledge know its interpretation, by their own account they themselves are not firmly grounded in knowledge: they neither know the intended meaning nor affirm it with certainty. Either they neither know nor conjecture what it means, or they suppose it to be one of several possible meanings. This amounts neither to knowledge of it nor to a conjecture identifying any particular meaning. At most, they single out a meaning they consider probable and prefer, or they know no other meaning. This is conjecture, not knowledge. In any case, they have not known its interpretation and therefore are not among those firmly grounded in knowledge.
How could they be firmly grounded? To be firmly grounded is to be steadfast: rasakha, rusūkhan means to remain firm. This is the quality of one whom Allah keeps steadfast with the firm word in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. These people, however, are beset by doubt, misgivings, and confusion