And this is the verse’s inner meaning, which accords with its apparent meaning. When he was commanded to seek forgiveness upon the religion’s triumph—seeking forgiveness being enjoined at the completion of deeds, and the religion’s triumph marking the fulfilment of the purpose of his mission—they understood, together with other considerations, that this announced the approach of his death. “Above everyone endowed with knowledge is one more knowledgeable.”

A thing is inferred from what entails it. Something may have an implication, and that implication may have a further implication, and so on. Some people are more perceptive than others in recognizing these implications, inferring what is entailed from what entails it.

Others do not conceive of the implication; even if they did, they would not recognize what entails it. Instead, they say: “It may follow, or it may not; this is possible, and so is that.” Such indecision between possibilities arises from a lack of knowledge; in reality, one of the two is the case. Wherever possibilities are entertained without grounds for preferring one over another, this is due to ignorance of what is actually the case and to its evidence being hidden from the person concerned. Someone else may know both the reality and its evidence. Whoever imagines that what he does not know is also unknown to others does so out of ignorance. One should therefore deny knowledge to others only where one knows that they lack it. Above everyone endowed with knowledge is one more knowledgeable, who knows more than he does, until ultimately the matter reaches Allah Most High. This has been discussed at length elsewhere.

Then they say:

“What is transmitted from the early generations is that one should refrain from delving into