for Allah’s distinction from His creation, His greatness, majesty, and superiority, far exceed any difference between one created thing and another.

If the attributes of that created thing, despite their resemblance to those of this created thing, differ in excellence and nature to an extent that we neither know nor can know in this world—rather, this belongs to the ta’wīl known only to Allah, blessed and exalted is He—then all the more must the attributes of the Creator, Mighty and Majestic, differ from those of creation in nature and excellence to an extent known only to Allah, blessed and exalted is He. This must likewise belong to the ta’wīl that not everyone knows: some of it is known to those firmly grounded in knowledge, some to the prophets and angels, and some to Allah alone.

As it is reported that Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“Quranic explanation is of four kinds: explanation that the Arabs know from their own language; explanation of which no one is excused for being ignorant; explanation known to the scholars; and explanation known only to Allah. Whoever claims knowledge of this last kind is a liar.”

In the speech of the early generations, the term “ta’wīl” means only explanation or the concrete reality to which something ultimately refers, as in His Most High’s words:

“Are they waiting for anything but its fulfilment? On the Day its fulfilment comes…”

And so on in the verse.

As for using ta’wīl to mean turning an expression from its more likely meaning to a less likely meaning on the basis of accompanying evidence, subsequent evidence, or evidence without further qualification, this is the terminology of