its verses.”

He also said:

“Then do they not reflect upon the Quran?”

And He said:

“Then have they not reflected upon the Word?”

Reflecting upon speech is impossible without understanding its meanings. Likewise, Allah Most High said:

“Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran so that you may understand.”

Grasping speech necessarily entails understanding it. It is well known that the purpose of all speech is to understand its meanings, not merely its wording; this applies all the more to the Quran. Moreover, ordinary practice makes it inconceivable that people would read a book in a field of knowledge, such as medicine or arithmetic, without seeking an explanation of it. How much more so with the speech of Allah, which safeguards them and upon which their salvation, happiness, and well-being in both their religious and worldly affairs depend?

For this reason, disagreement among the Companions over the interpretation of the Quran was very rare. Although it was more common among the Successors than among the Companions, it was still slight compared with that of later generations. The more virtuous the age, the greater its unity, harmony, knowledge, and clarity of explanation.

Some of the Successors received the entire explanation of the Quran from the Companions. As Mujāhid said: “I went through the Quran with Ibn ‘Abbās, stopping him at each verse and asking him about it.” For this reason, al-Thawrī said: “If an interpretation comes to you from Mujāhid, that is sufficient for you.” Thus al-Shāfi‘ī, al-Bukhārī, and other scholars rely on his interpretation. Likewise, Imam Ahmad and others who compiled works of Quranic interpretation cite chains of transmission from Mujāhid more frequently than from anyone else.

The point is that the Successors received Quranic interpretation from the Companions just as they received from them knowledge of