We therefore say: When the wording of a verse or a report has an apparent meaning, we may depart from that meaning only on the basis of independent evidence. Otherwise, speech would cease to convey meaning, and the Quran would cease to serve as an authoritative proof. Such independent evidence must be either textual or rational.

As for the first possibility, we say: This holds only if there is a conflict between the two textual proofs. If they conflict, abandoning the apparent meaning of one to uphold the other is no more justified than the reverse—unless it is said that one proof is conclusive while the other conveys only an apparent meaning, so the conclusive proof takes precedence; or that, although both convey apparent meanings, one is stronger than the other. We say, however, that the first argument is invalid, because textual proofs cannot yield certainty, since they