know their meaning. Indeed, their position necessarily implies that he himself did not know the meaning of the hadiths he uttered concerning the divine attributes, but spoke words whose meaning he did not know. Those who claim to follow the way of the early generations say that those generations did not know the meanings of the scriptural texts; indeed, they say this even of the Messenger. This is among the most untenable positions.

Among the things they rely upon is their understanding of the words of Allah Most High:

“And none knows its interpretation except Allah.”

They assume that ta’wīl (interpretation) means what they themselves call reinterpretation: a meaning contrary to the apparent meaning.

These people may then say: “The texts are to be understood according to their apparent meaning, while their ta’wīl is known only to Allah.” Yet by ta’wīl they mean something contrary to the apparent meaning. This is a contradiction on their part. One group understands “the apparent meaning” to refer solely to the wording of the texts. Both groups misunderstand the verse.

This is because the term “ta’wīl” has acquired three meanings through differences in terminological usage.

The first is the reality to which the words ultimately refer, even when this accords with their apparent meaning. This is the sense intended by the term ta’wīl in the Quran and Sunnah, as in the words of Allah Most High:

“Are they waiting for anything but its fulfilment? On the Day its fulfilment comes, those who had forgotten it before will say, ‘The messengers of our Lord certainly came with the truth.’”

Another example is the statement of ‘Ā’isha:

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would frequently say while bowing and prostrating: ‘Glory be to You, O Allah, our Lord, and to You belongs all praise. O Allah, forgive me,’ thereby putting the Quran into practice.”