The third group consists of those who say:

“Only Allah knows the meaning of this, or it has an interpretation contrary to its apparent meaning that only Allah knows.”

These people thus regard the Messenger and everyone else as not knowing what Allah revealed. They do not permit figurative interpretation because, in their view, knowledge of the intended meaning is impossible. Nor do they consider it permissible to adopt the approach of imaginative representations, since it explicitly attributes lying to the Messenger.

Rather, they say:

“They were addressed in words they did not understand so that they might be rewarded for reciting them and believing in their wording, even without understanding their meaning.”

They regard this as purely an act of worship, following the view of the determinists, who hold that a person may be required to perform acts of worship that bring him no benefit, yet be rewarded for them. These people and the unsoundness of their position have been discussed elsewhere.

The point here is that what led them to this was their assumption that what is known through reason contradicts what the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—conveyed, or the apparent meaning of what he conveyed. This claim has been refuted at length elsewhere, where it has been shown that reason does not contradict revelation and that whatever contradicts revelation is unsound. Beyond this, it has been shown that reason agrees with what the Messenger brought, bears witness to it, and confirms its truth.

It is not merely said that reason does not oppose it; rather, reason agrees with it and confirms its truth. Those people used to say that reason disproves and contradicts it. It was first shown that reason neither disproves nor contradicts it; then, secondly, that reason confirms its truth and agrees with it.