His words, “And none knows its interpretation except Allah.” He mentioned this in al-Nizāmiyya fī al-Arkān al-Islāmiyya (The Nizāmiyya Treatise on the Pillars of Islam). This is the approach of most of those who identify with the Sunnah: they regard figurative interpretation as contrary to the way of the early generations.

This matter has been discussed at length elsewhere, including the ambiguity of the term ta’wīl (interpretation), the discussion of His words, “And none knows its interpretation except Allah,” and the fact that both views are correct. Those who say that none knows its ta’wīl except Allah mean the realities to which the words ultimately refer, which Allah alone knows. Those who say that people firmly grounded in knowledge know its ta’wīl mean the explanation of the Quran conveyed by the Messenger and the Companions.

The disagreement concerns only the use of the term ta’wīl for adopting the less likely meaning—that is, construing an expression in its less likely sense rather than its more likely sense, with accompanying evidence. This is a later terminological usage. It is this kind of interpretation that the early generations and the leading scholars rejected: the interpretations advanced by the people of innovation.

Likewise, Ahmad says in his Refutation of the Jahmiyya: “Those who interpreted the Quran contrary to its proper interpretation.” Ahmad discussed the Quran’s ambiguous passages and explained them all.